We are all on a journey. Our church is on a journey.
Last week, we launched into a new sermon series: “Trust the Journey.”
We started with the surprising rescue of the people of Israel. God parted the Red Sea and the people stepped out of Egypt and a life of slavery, and into God’s promise of freedom in a land flowing with milk and honey.
In the moment, they saw only Pharoah’s army on one side and the Red Sea on the other. But, God. God was with them and was doing something for them they couldn’t do for themselves.
If you missed last Sunday’s message, CLICK HERE to watch, and catch up.
The journey was just beginning. And like your journey and my journey (and our church’s journey), things don’t always go the way we expect. After that dramatic God-moment at the Red Sea, Moses and the Israelites end up in the wilderness. For a very long time.
In the wilderness places of our lives, we get exposed. We have needs without resources. We have dreams without directions. We have fears without trust.
If you aren’t in the wilderness right now, there’s a good chance you are just coming out of it, or just about to go into it.
No one wants to be in the wilderness, but God is at work in the wilderness. Bring your wilderness experience to church on Sunday, and we will see what God might be up to and how He wants to be at work in our lives.
Sunday, we will also welcome the newest members to GRACE Church. It is so encouraging to see God continue to grow us deeper, in our relationship with Christ, and wider, as new people join our faith family.
Our last NEXT class of 2022 will be November 20th, from 3-5 pm at our Locust Street Campus. If you are newer and want to take the next step to learn about GRACE, this is for you. At the interactive experience, you will learn about our vision and beliefs, and will discover ways to connect and belong at GRACE. As a part of the class, you will also have an opportunity to become a member at GRACE. CLICK HERE to reserve your space. Childcare is also provided with advanced registration.
Also, continue to pray for our Mission Team and our emerging partnership with Iranians in Europe. I received this update yesterday. You can follow their trip on the blog below.
We have seen God work in many ways in the first phase of our vision trip. We spent 3 ½ days in the Netherlands, building key relationships and working closely with Safehouse, a well-integrated ministry that cares for Persian-speaking refugees and introduces them to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Refugee outreach, worship, church planting, counseling, prayer, Bible studies, and discipleship retreats are signature pieces of this incredible ministry. It is but one of the myriads of micro-expressions of the church contributing to Iran being home to the fastest-growing church in the world. God’s timing brought our team into friendship with this inspiring group of displaced Muslim background believers to provide encouragement at a volatile time of protests in their home country. To read more, check out our daily blogs at https://www.theoutreachfoundation.org/trip-blog/category/Iranians+in+Diaspora+2022
On the journey with you,
Dr. Marnie Crumpler
Senior Pastor