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Greetings GraceLife!

This week, we’ll start with a quick summary of our typical weekly activities, then move on to events and activities that are a little beyond our typical!  We hope this info is useful to you!   

Mar 10th  – Adult Bible Study at MB, 7pm, Room 105

Mar 11th – Sisters in Prayer (MB Fellowship Corner) and BLAZE Youth (MB Loft), 7pm

Mar 12th

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

Mar 14th – Saturday Men’s Bible Study at MB, Gym Classroom, 201C, 8-9am

Mar 15th 

  • 8:15 – 8:45am – prayer time with our leadership
  • 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, Auditorium/Sanctuary
  • 4:00 – 6:00pm – BLAZE Youth  

Mar 22nd – Easter Children’s Event, 2-4pm, Gym at MB; we ask for donations of plastic eggs, individually-wrapped candy, and small prizes.  A donation bin is available in our lobby.  We are also seeking volunteers for the event.  If you can serve this need, please speak with someone at the Connection Center, or to Jackie or Lorraine.

Mar 29th – Palm Sunday Baptisms at MB (at both services)

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

Apr 5th – Resurrection Sunday at MB!

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



Sharing a few thoughts – 

“Chased by Evil”, Pastor Joe’s message this past Sunday, was based on God’s Word from 1 Samuel 23: 15-24, #17 in the series of the life of David, “A Sinner In Love With God”. He explained that though we may be pursued by evil, we are protected by our Lord, and that the One who protects us is greater than the one who pursues us.  We should remember that “our fear does not threaten His plan”...  There are just so many “take-aways” from this message, you are encouraged to listen again (and perhaps again!) through our website (gracelifesarasota.com), under “Messages”.  

More event/activity details –

Mar 10th – 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 night we will still be mining rich truths found in Judges 6. Verse 24 says something very profound about the Lord’s strategy in overcoming Gideon’s and every believer’s battle in this life. Looking so forward to our fellowship in His Word!

Mar 11th -- 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. 

Mar 12th  

  • 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.

Mar 14th – Saturday Men’s Bible Study at MB, Gym classroom 201C, 8-9am, led by Lewis Rosove.  

Mar 15th  –  We’d love to have you with us this Sunday for a morning of prayer and praise, worship and fellowship!  More details provided in paragraphs below.   

Sunday Mornings at Mount Beneva

  • Parking – Please let us know of any parking issues you may have.  
  • Lobby
    • Greeters are available to welcome and assist you.  Visit the Connection Center with questions,or for sign-ups, books, t-shirts and more!  Please stop by our table in the lobby by the sitting area for more activity sign-ups! 
    • Nametag requests continue to be processed. Nametags can be located in the drawers by the sitting area.  
    • 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!
  • Open prayer time with our leadership is available to you, Room 105, 8:15 – 8:45am.
  • 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.  Our Adult CE classes currently offered are:
    • Sermon on the Mount led by Mike Hamel (Gym classroom 201B)
    • Biblical Love led by Jeff Lawson (Gym classroom 201C)
  • 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.

Looking further ahead…

March 15th, 2026 -- Our next Monthly Prayer Meeting will be held on March 15th, from 4-5pm, in the MB Auditorium/Sanctuary.  Please join us as we lift up praises and prayers to our Heavenly Father!  You may choose to offer prayers vocally or just pray silently with us.  We would love to have you with us.

March 22nd, 2026 -- A fun Easter event for GLKids will happen on March 22nd, from 2-4pm, in the MB Gym!  You are invited to donate plastic eggs, individually-wrapped candy, and small prizes for this event.  We are also looking for volunteers!  If you are interested, please contact Jackie or Lorraine or speak with someone at the Connection Center.

March 29th, 2026 (Palm Sunday) -- Baptisms will be celebrated at both the 9am and 10:30am services.  We hope you will be able to join us to share in this amazing celebration of God’s Grace as His Kingdom grows at GraceLife!  

April 3rd, 2026 (Good Friday) and April 5th, 2026 (Resurrection Sunday – Easter!) -- 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 an outside 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.

We continue to observe the season of Lent (a 40-day season of introspection, repentance, and spiritual discipline leading up to Easter). Pastor Keith is providing (through our website email) reflections during this season to help us ready our hearts for Easter

More upcoming events, so mark your calendars!

April 14th-15th – Giving Challenge

July 18th – Day4Hope (D4H)

July 20th-24th – Vacation Bible School

Stewardship Thoughts 

A prayer for stewardship when you are “chased by evil”:  “Lord, when I feel pursued by trouble or evil, help me to remain faithful to what You’ve entrusted to me.  Guard my heart, guide my steps, and remind me that Your goodness is following me even when danger seems close.  Amen.”  

Ministry Spotlight

A prayer for our missionaries when we are “chased by evil”.  “Lord, even in in the middle of my struggles, help me to remember the work of Your kingdom around the world.  Strengthen missionaries who carry the gospel, and use my prayers, encouragement, and faithfulness to support them.  Amen.”  

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!

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 do I request prayer for myself or others?  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 prayer 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.