Greetings GraceLife!

Whether you come from Mount Lockwood or Mount Beneva or elsewhere, we welcome you!!!  We hope to bring you info you can use. (Note:  ML is Mount Lockwood; MB is Mount Beneva.)
 
For Nov 26th, 27th, 30th:  Due to the Thanksgiving Day holiday this Thursday (Nov 27th): 
  • NO Wednesday night Bible Study, NO Sisters in Prayer, NO BLAZE Youth at MB 
  • NO Ladies’ Thursday Bible Study at MB; NO Deep End, Dinner/Bible Study at ML
  • NO Saturday Men’s Bible Study at MB   
Nov 27th:  Happy Thanksgiving!
 
Nov 30th at MB: 
  • 9am worship service 
  • 10:30am worship service 
  • 10:30 – 11:30am -- All Christian Education (CE) classes 
  • 4-6pm, our BLAZE Youth group will meet in the Loft.  
Dec 7th:  First Sunday Luncheon at MB, after 10:30am worship service.  Please sign up to attend and bring a side dish if you like!
 
Dec 13th:  Women’s Christmas Luncheon at MB, 11am.  Sign up to attend!   Also on Dec 13th, there is a chance to serve our local Salvation Army by bell-ringing at Fruitville Publix (1-3pm slot available) Sign up to serve!
 
That’s our quick summary of upcoming events.  More detail is included below.
 
As we worship together, we continue to learn.  We ask for God to open our eyes to needs we do not see, so that we may better serve Him and each other.  We pray that advancement of His Kingdom will remain in the forefront of our words and actions now and in the coming months as we, GraceLife Sarasota, grow together in Jesus Christ. 
 
As a reminder about Sunday mornings at Mount Beneva…
  • Parking lot assistants are working to improve accessibility for all worshippers.
  • The Lobby is the place for:
    • The “Connection Crew” (Greeters to assist you and Connection Center for bulletins/programs, sign-ups, books, t-shirts,…)
    • New name tag requests are processed each week.  We make your new tag, then place it in the appropriate drawer in the corner bank of drawers.  If you don’t find your name tag there, please let us know.  (A Lost and Found is in the same corner.)
    • Coffee, snacks, plus some pastries are provided for your enjoyment.  They will be refreshed throughout the morning.  Please bring only lidded beverages into the Auditorium/Sanctuary.  (We ask that you avoid taking food into the Auditorium/Sanctuary.) 
  • There are two services in our Auditorium/Sanctuary – one at 9am and one at 10:30am; Christian Education (formerly known as Sunday School) is held from 10:30 – 11:30am.  Adult CE classes are held in the Gym; Youth CE classes are held in the Loft; Children’s classes are in the Children’s Wing.
  • During the worship services, you’ll find Connect Cards in the under seat bin of the chairs.  Please use these for most any information about yourself you want to provide (contact info, interests, prayer needs,…)
 
Our usual Wednesday and Thursday studies and activities will NOT take place this week of Thanksgiving.  This includes:  Wednesday evening activities at Mount Beneva (Adult Bible Study, Sisters in Prayer, and Youth); Thursday morning Ladies’ Bible Study/Grace Group at Mount Beneva, and Thursday evening Deep End/Grace Group at Mount Lockwood Ridge.  Further, our Saturday morning Men’s Bible Study/Grace Group will NOT meet this week.
 
This Sunday, November 30th, we’ll offer two Adult Christian Education (CE) classes, from 10:30 – 11:30am, in the Gym, at Mount Beneva:  
  •  Elisha Fowler will continue to lead a study of the Sermon on the Mount
  • Elder Jeff Lawson will continue to lead a study of Biblical Love with a reference source of Jonathan Edward’s “Charity and Its Fruits”.
Calling all students 6th – 12th grades!  We have a student ministry program just for you: Christian Education hour Sunday mornings from 10:30-11:30am; then 4-6pm Sunday evenings; and, mid-week Wednesday evenings from 7-8pm.  You can also join this GraceLife group by clicking this link. https://gracelife-sarasota.churchcenter.com/groups/unique/blaze-youth
 
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One in our GraceLife family creates greeting cards for various occasions.  If you’d like to participate in some card-making and fellowship (dates/times still to be determined), please call Brenda Castleyoung, 433-254-5422.  Also, if you have cards you’d like to donate for re-purposing, you may leave them at the Beneva office in a bag/container marked for Brenda.  Thank you!
 
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Announcing the “Ministry of Transportation”!  This sounds like a government office, but, in our case at GraceLife, it is a ministry in the truest sense.  We are looking to pair up those in need of a ride on Sunday mornings with those who can provide a ride.  Soon you will see a table in the lobby of MB to collect information on both those in need and providers.  In terms of a near-term need, please respond directly to this email.  More detail will follow as we more fully understand the need.
 
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Beyond this week, here are some upcoming events for your planning purposes.  Another great way to learn more about events is to visit our website gracelifesarasota.com and select EVENTS and choose Calendar or Featured Events.  Check it out!   
 
December 7th – First Sunday Luncheon (at Mount Beneva) with our new GraceLife Sarasota family!  Sign-ups available at the Connection Center in the Mount Beneva lobby or through our website.
 
December 13th – Our first “merged” Women’s Christmas Luncheon!  Sign-ups available at the Connection Center or through our website.  
 
Also on December 13th, through our Missions Committee, we’ll be serving the needs of our community on behalf of the Salvation Army’s Christmas Bell-Ringing campaign.  One 2-hour shift remains available from 1-3pm at the Publix on Fruitville (5391 Fruitville Road). 
 
Please note:  Our finances will be equitably shared for the remainder of this calendar year, leading to a merged system for 2026.  You may continue to provide tithes and offerings in the manner you are accustomed through 2025.  As we enter 2026, you’ll want to identify your giving recipient as “GraceLife Sarasota” by whatever payment mechanism you use.  Also note that Givelify will no longer be available, so the few of us who use Givelify will need to use a different giving option (through our website, Church Center, checks, recurring payment through our banks,…).  Now is the time to plan!