Greetings GraceLife!
Whether you have been based at Mount Lockwood or at “Mount Beneva”, we hope to bring you info you can use. (Note: ML is Mount Lockwood; MB is Mount Beneva.)
Dreama Fumia
November 18, 2025
Nov. 19th – Bible Study, Sisters in Prayer, BLAZE Youth at MB, 7pm
Nov. 20th – NO Ladies’ Bible Study at MB, 10:15am – noon, this week or next; Deep End, Dinner/Bible Study at ML, 7pm
Nov. 21st – Women of Spiritual Principle at ML, 7pm
Nov 22nd – Men’s Bible Study at MB, 8am
Nov 23rd – at MB (deadline for Operation Christmas Child donations)
· 9am worship service
· 10:30am worship service
· 10:30 – 11:30am -- All Christian Education (CE) classes
· 11:30am – Decorating for Advent and Christmas
· 4-5pm – Monthly Prayer Meeting in Auditorium
· 4-6pm, our BLAZE Youth group will meet in the Loft.
Nov 24th – Food Pantry at ML could use extra help on the Monday before Thanksgiving (9am setup; 11am start)
Dec 7th -- First Sunday Luncheon at MB, after 10:30am worship service. Please sign up to attend and bring a side dish if you like!
Dec 13th – Women’s Christmas Luncheon at MB, 11am. Sign up to attend!
That’s our quick summary of upcoming events. Please see below for further detail if you are interested.
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As we worshipped together for the SECOND time as our newly merged GraceLife Sarasota, we were overcome with gratitude for our Lord’s provisions as we enjoyed the benefits of learning from our first Sunday morning together! Again, we will work to improve all aspects of our services as we move forward.
As a reminder about Sunday mornings at Mount Beneva…
· Parking lot assistants are working to accommodate our new numbers of worshippers (praise God!)
· The Lobby is the place for:
o The “Connection Crew” (Greeters to assist you and Connection Center for bulletins/programs, sign-ups, books, t-shirts,…)
o New name tags are available in the corner drawer. If you don’t find your name tag there, please sign up at the nearby table – we will make one for you. (A Lost and Found is in the same corner.)
o Coffee, snacks, plus some pastries are provided for your enjoyment. They will be refreshed throughout the morning.
· There are two services in our Auditorium/Sanctuary – one at 9am and one at 10:30am; Christian Education (formerly known as Sunday School) is held from 10:30 – 11:30am. Adult CE classes are held in the Gym; Youth CE classes will remain in the Loft; Children will be in the Children’s Wing.
· During the worship services, you’ll find Connect Cards in the under seat bin of the chairs. Please use these for most any information about yourself you want to provide (contact info, interests, prayer needs,…)
Usual Wednesday evening activities at Mount Beneva (starting at 7pm) this week (November 19th) will include the Adult Bible Study in Room 105, our Sisters in Prayer in the Fellowship Corner, and our Youth in the Gym Loft. For the Adult Bible Study time, Elder Mike Hamel will step in for Elder Jeff Lawson and wrap up a series based on Kevin DeYoung’s book “Taking God at His Word”.
The Ladies’ Bible Study/Grace Group that normally meets on Thursdays from 10:15 – noon at Beneva will NOT meet this Thursday, November 20th (nor next Thursday, November 27th).
Later Thursday, November 20th, the Deep End/Grace Group will meet at 7pm for dinner and study at our Lockwood campus, led by Cindy Lanoue-Foster.
Our Men’s Saturday Bible Study/Grace Group will meet Saturday, November 22nd, from 8-9am in Room 105, at our Beneva campus. Lewis Rosove leads this study based on “The Screwtape Letters” by C.S. Lewis.
This Sunday, November 23rd, we’ll:
· offer a combined adult Christian Education (CE) class, from 10:30 – 11:30am, in the Gym, at Mount Beneva, led by Elisha Fowler, and focused on the Sermon on the Mount;
· decorate Mount Beneva’s Auditorium and Lobby for the Advent and Christmas season after the 10:30am worship service;
· conclude our donations for Operation Christmas Child;
· meet from 4-5pm for our monthly prayer meeting at Mount Beneva.
Calling all students 6th – 12th grades! We have a student ministry program just for you. We meet during the Christian Education hour Sunday mornings from 10:30-11:30am, then we meet again from 4-6pm Sunday evenings, and if that is not enough time together, we meet mid-week Wednesday evenings to grow in our walk with Lord from 7-8pm. You can also join this GraceLife group by clicking this link. https://gracelife-sarasota.
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One in our GraceLife family creates greeting cards for various occasions. If you’d like to participate in some card-making and fellowship (dates/times still to be determined), please call Brenda Castleyoung, 433-254-5422. Also, if you have cards you’d like to donate for re-purposing, you may leave them at the Beneva office in a bag/container marked for Brenda. Thank you!
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Beyond this week, here are some upcoming events for your planning purposes. Another great way to learn more about events is to visit our website gracelifesarasota.com and select EVENTS and choose Calendar or Featured Events. Check it out!
November 24th – Pre-Thanksgiving Food Pantry could use your help! Preparation begins at 9am; distribution starts at 11am, Mount Lockwood. Please reach out to Briege Gish at briege@gracelifesrq.com
November 27th – Happy Thanksgiving!
December 7th – First Sunday Luncheon (at Mount Beneva) with our new GraceLife Sarasota family! Sign-ups available at the Connection Center in the Mount Beneva lobby or through our website.
December 13th – Our first “merged” Women’s Christmas Luncheon! Sign-ups available at the Connection Center or through our website.
Also on December 13th, through our Missions Committee, we’ll be serving the needs of our community on behalf of the Salvation Army’s Christmas Bell-Ringing campaign. One 2-hour shift remains available from 1-3pm at the Publix on Fruitville (5391 Fruitville Road).
Please note: Our finances will be equitably shared for the remainder of this calendar year, leading to a merged system for 2026. You may continue to provide tithes and offerings in the manner you are accustomed through 2025.