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Greetings GraceLife!

We hope you were able to join us this past Sunday for worship, prayer, praise, and fellowship among your GraceLife brothers and sisters in Christ!   Pastor Joe’s message, #14 in his series on David, “A Sinner in Love With God”, led us through scripture to reveal God’s generational Covenant of Grace that was woven from Deuteronomy through Ruth then David (Ruth’s great grandson) and the Moabites.  A big takeaway is that scripture presents one unified redemptive plan: God sovereignly weaves even former outsiders into the royal line of His covenant King, showing that grace—not ethnicity or merit—has always defined His people.  We, at GraceLife, are blessed to have each other as part of His family!

For your planning this week and a little beyond… 

Feb 17th – Adult Bible Study at MB, 7pm, Room 105 

Feb 18th

  • Sisters in Prayer (MB Fellowship Corner) and BLAZE Youth (MB Loft), 7pm
  • Beginning of Lent!             

Feb 19th

  • Women’s Bible Study at MB, 10:15am - noon, Room 105
  • Deep End Dinner and Bible Study at ML, 7pm

Feb 21st – Saturday Men’s Bible Study at MB, Room 105, 8-9am 

Feb 22nd– at MB

  • 9am worship service 
  • 10:30am worship service 
  • 10:15 – 11:30am -- Adult Christian Education (CE)  and BLAZE Youth classes
  • 10:45 – 11:30am -- GL Kids -- infant-5th grade classes
  • 4:00 – 5:00pm – Monthly Prayer Meeting in Auditorium/Sanctuary
  • 4:00 – 6:00pm – BLAZE Youth

Mar 1st – Celebration of the Lord’s table at both 9am and 10:30am worship services; First Sunday Luncheon at MB, after 10:30am worship service

Mar 29th – Palm Sunday Baptisms at MB

Apr 3rd – Good Friday service at MB, 6:30pm

Apr 5th – Resurrection Sunday!  

  • Easter sunrise service, 6:30am
  • Easter worship services at 9am and 10:30am

More details follow…

Through the week –

Feb 17th – Our Adult Bible Study at MB meets 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 are moving on to Judges 6 and will be seeking to glean rich truths from that chapter in another judge, Gideon.  He is a man that God utilizes for His glory in spite of Gideon’s great weakness.  Looking forward to covering pages 67-71 in Tim Keller’s study guide.

Feb 18th

  • 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. 
  • The Lent season begins today!  Lent is a 40-day season of introspection, repentance, and spiritual discipline leading up to Easter.  It focuses on deepening one's relationship with Christ through prayer, scripture, and service. 

Feb 19th  

  • Women’s Bible Study at MB, 10-15am - noon.  This study of Ephesians is led by Beth Lawson and meets in Room 105.  No need to sign up, just join us!  
  • Deep End Dinner and Bible Study at ML, 7pm.

Feb 21st – Saturday Men’s Bible Study at MB, Room 105, 8-9am, led by Lewis Rosove.

Feb 22nd 

  • Please come join us this Sunday for a morning of prayer and praise, worship and fellowship!  Details in paragraphs below. 
  • Our Monthly Prayer Meeting will be held at MB, 4-5pm, in the Auditorium/Sanctuary.    

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 sign-ups, books, t-shirts and more. Visit the Connection Center with questions!
    • Nametag requests continue to be processed. Nametags can be located in the drawers by the sitting area.  New nametags will be printed this week, so if you’ve signed up for a new nametag recently, check the nametag drawers this Sunday!  
    • Coffee, snacks and pastries are provided for your enjoyment and are 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 our BLAZE Youth in the Loft;  and from 10:45-11:30am for Children 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 (Gym classroom 201B)
  • Biblical Love led by Jeff Lawson (using Charity and its Fruits by Jonathan Edwards as a secondary source).  (Gym classroom 201C)

Looking further ahead…

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.  If you have signed up, please ensure you follow up to schedule your pre-Baptism meeting with Pastor Joe.

April 3rd, 2026 (Good Friday) and 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.  We are planning a Good Friday service for April 3rd, starting at 6:30pm at MB.  Then, on Easter Sunday at MB, we will offer a sunrise service at 6:30am in addition to our 9am and 10:30am worship services.  While our Hospitality team will be providing pastries/coffee on Easter Sunday as we normally do, we are not planning for a separate food event.

Stewardship Thoughts 

Relating stewardship to Pastor Joe’s sermon this week, stewardship is covenant faithfulness.  God graciously redeems a people; they respond in loyal obedience.  Stewardship is not earning favor – it is responding to grace.  Just as Ruth’s loyalty expressed covenant commitment, faithful stewardship expresses belonging.  

Ministry Spotlight

Keeping with the theme of covenant theology, ministry support is covenant participation in God’s redemptive mission.  God advanced His purposes not only through leaders but through  a covenant community that sustains them.  Just as Israel supported the Levites, and believers partnered with gospel workers (Philippians 4:15-18), we share responsibility for the spread of the gospel.  Supporting ministry is not merely generosity – it is covenant faithfulness, expressing shared identity, shared mission, and stewardship under Christ the King. 

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 10:15-11:30am
  • 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

In addition to our Weekly Prayer Meetings on Sunday mornings and Monthly Prayer Meetings, 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 OR sign up at the lobby’s sign-up table (by the seating area) 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 now!) 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 identified a few Sunday morning transportation needs within our GraceLife family and  now seek those 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.  A sign-up sheet is available in our lobby at MB for your information.

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

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.