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Greetings GraceLife!

We hope you were able to join us in worship this past Sunday.  As he so faithfully does, Pastor Joe led us to consider and apply God’s Word in ways that may not have occurred to us before.  This message, based on 1 Samuel 29, #29 in the series “A Sinner in Love with God”, and titled “How Did I Get Here?” tells of David’s drift into almost unthinkable behavior, preparing to follow King Achish, the Philistine, into battle AGAINST Israel!  Imagine, God’s anointed future king of Israel, ready and willing to take up arms against His people!  Thus, the “How Did I Get Here? question comes, one that we may know too well.  Yet, God intervened.  Due to objections from his generals, King Achish dismissed David from the troops gathered for fighting and sent him away.  David was saved from grave destructive behavior, not because of any merit on his part, but because of the covenantal faithfulness of God’s plan for him.  There is much encouragement here for us!  Please listen or re-listen to this message in its entirety through our website (select “Messages”). 

Here is a quick look at events coming up this week and a look ahead as well.  

June 9th – Tuesday evening Adult Bible Study at MB, 7-8pm, Room 105.  Tonight, we will continue our study in Judges.  Please read Judges 16:1-21 prior to our study. We will also cover pages 151-158 of Tim Keller's book Judges For You.  We will continue to follow Samson’s story as his pattern of behavior continues. Please come join us!

June 10th 

  • Sisters in Prayer at MB, 7pm, Fellowship Corner; no meeting of BLAZE Youth, but  new Student Ministry schedule coming!  
  • Our Women’s home-based Bible Study, “Captivating”, will be meeting this week!   See Connie Daidone for details.   

June 11th – Deep End Dinner/Bible Study at ML, 7pm 

June 13th – Saturday Men’s Bible Study at MB, Gym Classroom, 201C, 8-9am

June 14th  at MB

  • 8:15 – 8:30am – prayer time with our leadership in Room 106
  • 9am worship service in Auditorium/Sanctuary
  • 10:30am worship service in Auditorium/Sanctuary
  • 10:15 – 11:30am -- Adult Christian Education (CE) class in the Gym classrooms; BLAZE Youth classes in the Gym Loft
  • 10:45 – 11:30am -- GL Kids -- infant-5th grade classes
  • 4-5pm – BLAZE Youth in the Gym Loft   

Looking a little further ahead…!   

June 21st – Celebration of the Lord’s Supper (Communion) – We’ll again be celebrating the Lord’s Supper at both the 9am and 10:30am worship services!  

June 28th – Monthly Prayer Meeting – 4-5pm, MB, Auditorium/Sanctuary.  Please come join us to lift up praises and prayers to our Almighty God!  

July 5th – No First Sunday Luncheon due to July 4th holiday weekend.

July 16th and July 18th – Day4Hope (D4H) – We need volunteers to support this event, both in the planning leading up to July 18th as well as the “day of”.  Please reach out to Cean Cerny or speak with someone at the Connection Center if you’ll be able to help.  You can sign up to help through the following link Day4HopeVolunteers2026 or sign up in the Lobby at MB.  Please note:  both the July 16th packing event (starting at 10am) and the July 18th distribution event (9am - 1pm) will be held at Light of the World Church, 3809 Chapel Drive, Sarasota, FL, 34234.  

July 20th-24th – Vacation Bible School!  This summer, we will be offering an exciting VBS to GLKids AND children of Living Hope Church!  Of course, we need YOUR help!  Volunteer sign-up sheets are now available in our MB Lobby, along with a flyer providing more details about this wonderful opportunity to serve.  (Sign-ups are also available online – see just below.)  Volunteers are needed from 8am - 1pm.  

August 9th – Our Next Baptisms!  We are excited to bring you another opportunity to make a public profession of your decision to accept Jesus as Lord of your life!  Sign-ups are available through our website or through sign-up sheets in our Lobby on Sunday mornings.  Preparation for your baptism will include meeting with GL leadership, so please sign up early so that we may begin the process with you!

Stewardship Thoughts 

Drifting from God can make us less attentive to serving others, giving generously, or using our gifts for His glory.  Instead of asking, “how does God want me to use my time, talents, money, and influence?”, our focus may drift to personal desire, comfort, or status.  However, a return to prayer, worship, and scripture helps keep a good steward aligned with God’s purposes.  

Ministry Spotlight

A healthy ministry begins with abiding in Christ.  The closer a ministry stays to God, the more it reflects His heart, power, and purpose.  When that connection weakens, the ministry may still function, but it risks losing the spiritual life that gives it meaning and effectiveness.  When we drift from God, ministry becomes an activity to sustain rather than an overflow of a relationship to share.  By HIs Grace, we can return to Him through prayer and immersion in His Word, abiding in Him and allowing His ministry to flourish.         

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 4-5pm

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.

In addition to seeking volunteers for upcoming events, we also have on-going needs for volunteers in the following ministries…

  • 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 – We are so blessed that our Children’s Ministry continues to welcome more and more children to GraceLife!  That means that more and more volunteers are also needed for 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 our Children’s Ministry, please stop by the Connection Center or contact Jackie. 

  • Greeters and Connection Center – We are seeking more volunteers to serve as Greeters and at the Connection Center for both the 9am and 10:30am Sunday morning worship services.  Whether it’s a first-time visitor to GraceLife or a member of our GraceLife family, we want each person who enters our Lord’s house on Sunday morning to be warmly welcomed, to be assisted as needed, and to be, frankly, surprised at the evidence of abundant love at GraceLife.  If you are interested in serving in this way, please stop by the Connection Center and let us know.  

More about our 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.  (As you’ll see later in this post, we need more Greeters and Connection Center volunteers!!  If you would like to serve in this way, please speak with someone at our Connection Center.)  Also, visit the Connection Center with questions, or for sign-ups, books, t-shirts and more!  

    • 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 – 8:30am.

  • 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 have been merged into one (Better Together!) and are continuing the “Biblical Love” study.  The merged class meets in Gym classroom 201B/C.  Jeff Lawson and Mike Hamel share in teaching the class.

Connect Cards can be found in the auditorium/sanctuary and at the Connection Center.  Use these to provide contact information, request contact from us, or ask for prayer.  

Reminder

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