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Greetings GraceLife!

While we’re experiencing another colder-than-usual time in Florida, our prayers for safety and protection go to the many friends and family north of us who are dealing with much worse.  We are so blessed!  If you were able to be with us to worship our King this past Sunday, we’re grateful for that.  If you were not, for any reason, OR if you’d just like to hear Sunday’s message again, please enjoy viewing Sunday’s service through our website. 

For your planning…

Jan 27th – Adult Bible Study at MB, 7pm, Room 105.

Jan 28th – Sisters in Prayer (MB Fellowship Corner) and BLAZE Youth (MB Loft), 7pm

Jan 29th -- Deep End Dinner and Bible Study at ML, 7pm.

                – Kairos Cookies Due at MB Office

Jan 31st – Saturday Men’s Bible Study at MB, Room 105, 8-9am.

Feb 1st – at MB

  • 9am worship service – Celebration of the Lord’s Supper
  • 10:30am worship service – Celebration of the Lord’s Table
  • 10:15 – 11:30am -- Christian Education (CE) classes
  • 11:45am – Congregational Meeting in the Gym; all are welcome!
  • 12:00pm – First Sunday Luncheon in the Gym; come and enjoy! Our entree will be pulled pork; please bring a side dish to share if you can.

Looking ahead…

Feb 12th – New Women’s Bible Study starting at MB, Thursdays from 10:15am - noon, Rm 105; focus is Ephesians!

Mar 29th – Palm Sunday Baptisms

More details follow…

Through the week –

Jan 27th -- Our Adult Bible Study at MB is now held on TUESDAY nights, 7pm, in Room 105! Study leader Jeff Lawson’s focus is the book of Judges, using Tim Keller’s “Judges for You” as a secondary source. Tonight we will be looking at  Judges 3:12-31 and pages 47-52 of Tim Keller’s book.  Please remember that the reading is a suggestion only, not a requirement!  We’d love for you to join us regardless.  Looking forward to our time together!

Jan 28th -- Our Sisters in Prayer and BLAZE Youth continue to meet on Wednesday nights at MB, 7pm. SIP meets in the Fellowship Corner; Youth meets in the Gym Loft.

Jan 29th -- Deep End Dinner and Bible Study at ML, 7pm.

Jan 29th – Your Kairos Prison Ministry cookies are due at the MB office!  You are welcome to drop them off during the mornings or early afternoons.  Please call or respond to this email if you need to coordinate your cookie drop-off.  We are grateful that so many have signed up to bake cookies to support this ministry at Zephyrhills Correctional Institute.  Please remember to avoid dried fruits (raisins, etc.) and nuts/nut products. 

Jan 31st – Saturday Men’s Bible Study at MB, Room 105, 8-9am, led by Lewis Rosove.

Feb 1st – Mark your calendars; you won’t want to miss this Sunday!  First, we’ll be celebrating our Lord’s Supper at both our 9am and 10:30am services. Then, at 11:45am, our leadership will conduct a Congregational Meeting in the MB Gym to provide a wrap-up of 2025 and to review our budget/plan for 2026!  After that, our First Sunday Luncheon will be held in our MB Gym. Pulled pork will be our entree; please bring a side dish if you can.  Need an idea?  Try coleslaw, potato salad, macaroni salad, mac and cheese, cucumber salad, broccoli salad, fresh fruit, baked beans, or whatever else appeals to you!    (Please note:  minutes from the last Congregational Meeting will be sent via a separate email.  Members will be requested to approve these minutes during this Feb 1st meeting.)  

Looking ahead…

February 12th, 2026 (New Women’s Bible Starting at MB)

A new women’s Bible Study will begin on Feb 12th at MB, Thursday mornings from 10:15am - noon, Room 105.  Beth Lawson will be leading this study focused on the book of Ephesians.  There is no need to sign up or register, just plan to join us!  

February 15th, 2026 (Last Sunday of Printed Bulletins)

After February 15th, we will no longer be printing bulletins for Sunday morning.  However, the information now contained in our bulletins will be available through our GraceLife website and newsletter.

March 29th, 2026 (Palm Sunday)

Baptisms are an outward sign of an inward change.  If you’d like to be baptized on Palm Sunday, please sign up in our lobby or speak with someone at the Connection Center.

April 5th, 2026 (Resurrection Sunday – Easter!)

It’s not too early to begin to prepare our hearts for the celebration of our Lord’s victory on the cross.  More details of our Holy Week events will be coming soon.  Our plans now include a sunrise service in addition to our 9am and 10:30am services.  While our Hospitality team will be providing pastries/coffee as we normally do, we are not planning for a separate food event.      

Sunday Mornings at Mount Beneva

  • Parking – Please let us know of any parking issues you may have.
  • Lobby
    • Greeters are available to assist you with bulletins/programs, sign-ups, books, t-shirts and more. Visit the Connection Center with questions!
    • New nametag requests continue to be processed each week. Nametags can be located in the drawers by the sitting area.
    • Coffee, snacks and pastries are provided for your enjoyment and refreshed throughout the morning by our hospitality team. Please enjoy your food in the lobby and bring only lidded beverages into the auditorium/ sanctuary. Thank you!
  • Worship Services are held in the auditorium/sanctuary at 9 and 10:30 am.
  • Christian Education classes are held from 10:15-11:30am for Adults (in the Gym classrooms) and from 10:30-11:30am for Youth and Children (Youth in the Gym Loft and children’s classes in the children’s wing in the main building).
  • Connect Cards can be found under the seats in the auditorium/sanctuary. Use these to provide contact information, request contact from us, or ask for prayer.

Sunday Morning Adult Christian Education

We have two adult CE classes currently available. We’d love to have you join us from 10:15-11:30am in the Gym classrooms for a deeper dive into God’s Word.  We speak to God in prayer; He speaks to us through His Word.  You may participate in either of these classes; no registration or qualification needed; just “show up”!

  • Sermon on the Mount led by Mike Hamel
  • Biblical Love led by Jeff Lawson (using Charity and its Fruits by Jonathan Edwards as a secondary source.

Stewardship Thoughts

We often associate the word “stewardship” with financial giving, so that any mention of stewardship is interpreted as a call to “give more money to the church”.  However, “stewardship” for a Christian first begins with acknowledgement that everything we have belongs to God; we are responsible for managing what He has provided. “Stewardship” is part of our relationship with God.  He establishes this early in His Word, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” (Genesis 2:15, ESV).  So, Adam didn’t “own” Eden; he was placed there to care for what God had provided for him.  It’s an early scriptural lesson for us that we’ve been given many gifts from God that we are called to manage what He has provided in a wonderful daily relationship with Him that serves Him and gives Him glory.  Amen! 

Ministry Spotlight

This week’s Ministry Spotlight is on Rosemary Bolton, one of our supported global missionaries of Mission to the World (MTW) and Wycliffe Bible Translators, whose ministry serves the Nuaulu people of Indonesia.  Here’s a recap of the latest from Rosemary.  Her team is making progress in translating Romans, Galatians, and Ephesians into the Nuaulu language.  When Rosemary began her ministry over thirty years ago, the Nuaulu people were an oral culture, that is, they had no written language.  As a result of the efforts of Rosemary and her team, many chapters of God’s Word are now available to them in their native or “heart” language.  Rosemary and her team are also pursuing many other communication tools to bring the gospel to the Nuaulu, through film, video, and music. Sometimes their efforts are hampered by local village politics, so we do ask for your prayers for her ministry, praying that obstacles to bringing His message of salvation to the Nuaulu people would be removed, allowing Rosemary and her team to advance His Kingdom in Indonesia.

Blaze Youth Student Ministry 

Students in grade 6-12 are invited to join us in the Loft (upstairs MB Gym) during our weekly meeting times.

  • Sunday mornings 10:30-11:30am
  • Sunday evenings 4-6pm
  • Wednesday evenings 7-8pm 

Use this link to join the group so you don’t miss out on any of the fun!

Weekly Prayer Meetings

We are a praying church!  Each Sunday, from 8:15-8:45am, at MB, there is an opportunity to gather in prayer with our leadership in Room 105.  No sign-up is required, just come join us as we prepare our hearts to worship Him. 

Other Group Prayer Opportunities

We also have a prayer chain here at GraceLife, a way for many to pray for the needs of those in our GraceLife family.  How does it work?  You may submit your requests for prayer through our Connect Cards, email, note, text, or verbal request to our leadership or member of our Admin Team, or to Cindy Lanoue-Foster or to me (Dreama).  We’ll then post your request for distribution to those who have indicated their desire to be part of our prayer chain.  How do I become part of the prayer chain?  Just indicate to a member of our Admin Team that you’d like to be part of the prayer chain and we’ll make that happen.  Prayer is powerful and we are privileged to pray for one another.   

Greeting Card Ministry

Brenda Castleyoung and Betty Tucker (with others welcome) create beautiful greeting cards for various occasions. While Brenda and Betty usually meet for card-making on Tuesdays at 11am at MB, Room 105, the day/time is flexible. If you’d like to participate in some card-making and fellowship, please call Brenda (443-254-5422) for meeting times and days.

Also, if you have cards you’d like to donate for repurposing, you may leave them at the Beneva office in a bag/container marked for Brenda. Thank you to those who continue to donate cards!!

Ride Share Ministry

We have begun an effort to pair up those in need of a ride on Sunday mornings with those who can provide a ride.  We now have a sign-up sheet in the lobby both for those who need a ride and for those who would consider providing a ride to those in need.  Some ride needs could be met by multiple people, while others could be met by a single provider.  

If you have a current need for or ability to provide for transportation, please email dreama@gracelifesrq.com.

Hospitality Ministry

Volunteers are needed for the hospitality team! Please respond to this email if you are interested in helping prepare/serve food for our fellowship times! 

Children’s Ministry (Nursery)

Volunteers are also needed for our growing Nursery on Sunday mornings! We’re looking for volunteers with servant hearts to help care for our youngest members of the GraceLife family. If you’re interested in serving in the Nursery, stop by the Connection Center or contact Jackie.

Reminder

Please identify your giving recipient as “GraceLife Sarasota”. If you have questions, please contact Randy Coryell or Dan Deems.