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Greetings GraceLife!

We are grateful here at GraceLife that we are able to worship freely each Sunday and to receive Pastor Joe’s messages of important truths from His Word!  This past Sunday, Pastor Joe led us to consider and apply Scripture as found in 1 Samuel 30:1-10.  This sermon is #30 in the series “A Sinner in Love with God”, and is titled “Ziklag Happens”.  Scripture tells us that, after King Achish’s dismissal of David and his men from fighting against the Israelites, they returned home only to find that the Amalekites had taken their wives and children and had destroyed Ziklag by fire.  David’s troops of mighty warriors were moved to tears, so upset that they blamed David and spoke of stoning him for bringing about this misfortune to them.  At this lowest of points, v. 6 includes “But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.” Please listen or re-listen to this message in its entirety through our website (select “Messages”) to learn more about this passage and what guidance it provides to us. 

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

June 16th – Tuesday evening Adult Bible Study at MB, 7-8pm, Gym 201B/C (note location change).  Tim Keller (in his “Judges for You”) says the most important, most faithful, and most triumphant moment of Samson's life was his death. If Samson's death points us forward to Christ, whose death is the center of our salvation, how does Scripture teach us that death is central to the Christian life - not only at the end of life, but every day as we die to sin and live unto God?  Please come prepared tonight to address those questions in light of reading Judges 16:20-31. So looking forward to seeing you all! 

June 17th (Wednesday)

  • 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 NOT be meeting this week, but will reconvene next week!   See Connie Daidone for details.   

June 18th (Thursday)

  • New Ladies’ Bible Study, led by Beth Lawson, will begin its new series “Women of the Old Testament”, from 10:15am - noon, Gym classroom 201B/C!
  • Deep End Dinner/Bible Study at ML, 7pm. 

June 20th – Saturday Men’s Bible Study at MB, Gym Classroom, 201B/C, 8-9am

June 21st  (Sunday) at MB – Happy Father’s Day!

  • 8:15 – 8:30am – prayer time with our leadership in Room 106
  • 9am worship service in Auditorium/Sanctuary – we will celebrate the Lord’s Table!
  • 10:30am worship service in Auditorium/Sanctuary – we will celebrate the Lord’s Table!
  • 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  

An invitation for you!!  If you attend our 9am worship service, we hope you’ll consider joining our Adult Christian Education (CE) class held in Gym classroom 201B/C from 10:15 - 11:30am.  Jeff Lawson and Mike Hamel lead this class of “Biblical Love”.  Come learn with us!    

Looking a little further ahead…!   

June 28th (Sunday) – 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 14th (Tuesday) – Leadership Development series begins!  As our new Director of Connections, Gil Jones is offering a 4-week course/series to guide our GraceLife family to better serve both God and each other.   What an incredible opportunity for spiritual growth!!  Want to know more?   Gil is available between Sunday morning services in our Lobby (“Center Post”) to discuss and answer your questions!  The course will be held in Mt Beneva’s Auditorium/Sanctuary, from 6:30-8pm.  

July 16th (Thursday) and July 18th (Saturday) – 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 (M-F) – 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 (Sunday) – 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 

Faithful stewardship in the midst of life’s crises does not begin with denial.  Sometimes faithful stewardship starts with grieving what has been lost.  Before strategy, before recovery, before leadership, pause to seek God’s guidance.  Turn to Him before turning to the ruins of your “Ziklag”.    

Ministry Spotlight

In healthy seasons, ministry may expand programs, growth, and visible outcomes.  In “Ziklag” times, ministry often becomes: remaining faithful; accompanying people; prayer; care; truth-telling; and, keeping worship alive.  A ministry in “Ziklag” time should help people:  face reality; grieve honestly; remember hope; and, continue loving.         

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 106, 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.