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Greetings GraceLife!

Last Sunday, our worship services’ message was delivered by Pilgrim Benham, Dean of Academics at Calvary Chapel Bible College in Bradenton, long-time local pastor, and trusted friend of Pastor Joe’s.  In his message, Pilgrim likened GraceLife to the church at Philippi, referencing scripture from Acts 16 regarding the formation of the church there as well as the Apostle Paul’s letter to that church in the book of Philippians.  Pilgrim followed our traditional GraceLife format  – history (man), theology (God), and personal application (us) – and captured the characteristics of the Philippian church that he sees at GraceLife:  redemptive identity; radical generosity; and, resilient joy.  Please listen or re-listen to this message in its entirety through our website (select “Messages”) to learn more. 

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

July 14th (Tuesday) – Our Leadership Development series begins, 6:30-8pm, MB Auditorium/Sanctuary!  Gil Jones, our Director of Connections, is offering a 4-week course/series (July 14, 21, 28, and August 4) to guide our GraceLife family to better serve both God and each other.  We hope that those of you who have signed up are looking forward to this as much as we are!    

Please note:  Our usual Tuesday evening Adult Bible Study at MB, 7-8pm, has finished its study of the book of Judges and will be “pausing” for a 4-week break before embarking on our next study.    

July 15th (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!  See Connie Daidone for details.   

July 16th (Thursday)

  • Ladies’ Bible Study, led by Beth Lawson, continues its series “Women of the Old Testament”, from 10:15am - noon, MB Gym classroom 201B/C!
  • Day4Hope packing!  Light of the World Church, 3809 Chapel Drive, Sarasota, FL, 34234; packing starts at 10am.
  • Deep End Dinner/Bible Study at ML, 7pm.  

July 17th (Friday)

  • Jeff Lawson/Mike Hamel are leading a 4-week “Foundations” fellowship gathering at MB, Room 106, at 6-7pm.  Child care is available.

July 18th (Saturday) – 

  • Our Saturday Men’s Bible Study at MB will meet from 8-9am in the Gym classroom 201B/C.   Please come join us for learning and fellowship!
  • Day4Hope event!  9am - 1pm; Light of the World Church, 3809 Chapel Drive, Sarasota, FL, 34234  

July 19th  (Sunday) at MB  

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

July 20th-24th (M-F) – Vacation Bible School is coming up next week!  If you have signed up to volunteer, we thank you!  Please plan to be here between 8am and 1pm each day (M-F); VBS for the children will be from 9am - noon.  If you have any questions, please see Jackie Lupski, Cean Cerny, or anyone from our Children’s Ministry.  

July 26th (Sunday) – Monthly Prayer Meeting!  We hope you’ll join us for an hour (4-5pm) of praise and petition at MB Auditorium/Sanctuary.  

August 2nd (Sunday) – Our Next First Sunday Luncheon!  Be sure to mark your calendars and plan to join us in the MB Gym after the10:30am worship service!  We’ll be having hot dogs and hamburgers freshly grilled!  We hope you’ll be able to join us AND bring a side dish to share!  

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 by visiting our Connection Center 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!  Online sign-ups are available at https://gracelife-sarasota.churchcenter.com/registrations/signups/3564623

August 15th (Saturday) – Calling All Cookie Warriors!  A one-day Kairos Prison Ministry event is coming up!  We have a goal of 30 dozen home-baked cookies to support this event.  A sign-up sheet will be available soon in our Lobby.  

Handyman need at GraceLife.  GraceLife needs a handyman’s services on a part-time but regular basis.  We’re looking for 4hrs of service on an every other week basis from a skilled and trustworthy handyman.  If you can help or have information about someone who can help, please reach out to James Horne, our facilities maintenance manager at james@gracelifesrq.com

Stewardship Thoughts 

The church at Philippi stands as a model of faithful stewardship because its members recognized that everything they possessed belonged to God. Their generous, joyful, and sacrificial use of their resources advanced the gospel and continues to serve as an example for us at GraceLife today.  Our stewardship should be characterized by:

  • Giving generously regardless of circumstances,

  • Investing resources in advancing the gospel,

  • Viewing giving as partnership in God's work,

  • Trusting God to provide for our needs, and

  • Treating stewardship as an act of joyful worship and obedience.  Amen!

Ministry Spotlight

The church at Philippi also serves as an excellent model for Christian ministry. The New Testament (especially in Acts and Philippians) highlights several ministry principles the Philippians practiced.  Here are a few. 

  • The church began through evangelism (Acts 16). Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke preached the gospel, leading to the conversion of Lydia, the Philippian jailer, and their households. This demonstrates that ministry begins with proclaiming Christ.
  • The believers gave sacrificially to meet Paul's needs despite their own hardships (2 Corinthians 8:1–5). Their generosity became a ministry of encouragement and provision, demonstrating that giving is itself a form of serving God and others.
  • A major theme in Philippians is maintaining unity. Paul urges believers to be "of the same mind" in Christ despite different backgrounds, cultures, and social stations. Ministry flourishes where there is humility, reconciliation, and cooperation.

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 (paper or QR Code), 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 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! This may include presenting coffee/donuts for our 9am or 10:30am worship services, or helping with the First Sunday Luncheon, especially clean-up.  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.  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 class continues in the study of “Biblical Love”.  The 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

We’ve received some questions about how to give your tithes and offerings to GraceLife, so we wanted to review some options available.  

You may give cash or a check during our Sunday morning worship services when the collection baskets are passed.  If you are giving cash and want us to have a record of your gift, please place the cash in one of our giving envelopes (available at the Connection Center) and include your name on the envelope.  If you are giving by check, please make your check out to GraceLife Sarasota.  

If you’d like to give electronically, you may do so in several ways:  

  • you could arrange for “bill pay” through your bank (typically this is done without fees), or
  • you can use the “Give” selection from our GraceLife app or website.  In both those cases, you will be redirected to “Tithely” which is the software used to process your gift.  You will need to identify a payment source (credit card, for example) and choose whether or not your gift will include a small processing fee. You can elect not to cover the fee – your choice. 

Any of these electronic options offers you the ability to specify a one-time gift or recurring payment.  

Please know that we appreciate your giving and want to make it as convenient for you as possible.  If you have questions, please contact Randy Coryell or Dan Deems.