Celebration caps six weeks of Future Grace campaign

by Chris Turner

The Future Grace Phase Two building campaign began six weeks ago with a challenge and ended last night with a music celebration featuring singers/songwriters who are members of Grace Community Church. In between was a strong call to discipleship for the next three years and years beyond

The concert featured David Spencer, Ben Shive, Laurianne Cates, Wendy Wills, Josh Wilson and Paul Bogart and, as Pastor Scott Patty said, was a time to celebrate God’s faithfulness to Grace and the congregation’s commitment to build for the purpose of discipleship. Patty also announced an additional $60,000 had been committed yesterday toward the Future Grace campaign.

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Grace has asked church members to give an account of participating in the Future Grace Phase 2 Campaign. In this edition, Matt McCullough reflects on yesterday’s Congregational Prayer Meeting.

by Matt McCullough

Have you ever wondered—perhaps when a moment of self-honesty breaks into the patterns, the normal, the usual—why do we pray, or what is actually accomplished? I have. Or how about this: if God is always in control and works all things for our good even when we don’t know what to ask for, what’s the point of prayer? I got a chance to reflect on questions like these—on the meaning and purpose of prayer—at the Future Grace Prayer Gathering Sunday afternoon. Here are a few of my thoughts.

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Grace has asked church members to give an account of participating in the Future Grace Phase 2 Campaign. In this edition, Elaine Atchison reflects on yesterday’s Principles in Giving Panel Discussion.

by Elaine Atchison

For me, the thought of going to a talk on finances is kind of like going to the dentist—you know you need to go, but just the thought of it evokes pain. I don’t know why I’m so resistant to talking about how I should spend and save and give–Americans may call it rugged individualism, but I think the Bible calls it something else. I say that I want God’s word to inform every area of my life–but this scripture-saturated discussion definitely notified me about some issues I need to address . . . it also made me realize with anticipation that God is actively at work in my heart.

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Panel offers financial advice;
answers questions about giving

by Chris Turner

Click here for event audio.

Click here for handout from event.

Being 18 years old, investing $2,675.47 per year for four years at a roughly 10 percent return – and never investing another dollar – equals more than $1 million by age 65. Right decision.

Being 25 years old, taking $29,000 that took 18 years to build through a conservative investment plan and plunking it down on a nice European model sedan – and losing more than $1.5 million in potential earnings by age 65; wrong decision, very wrong decision.
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Grace has asked church members to give an account of participating in the Future Grace Phase 2 Campaign. In this edition, Heather Darnell reflects on yesterday’s Future Grace Question and Answer Session

by Heather Darnell

“This is typical of Grace Community Church,” Pastor Scott laughed. “You offer a question and answer session and no one shows up!” While there was no hint of a reprimand in his voice, his observation was true. Sixteen people had gathered to attend the Future Grace Phase II Question and Answer session and most of them were elders or Future Grace committee members. I chucked to myself, admitting that if I hadn’t been asked to write about the session, I probably wouldn’t have gone either.

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Click here for audio of the event.

by Chris Turner

No, no, and could be any day now.

Those were the short answers given to some of the questions asked during the Future Grace Phase Two Giving Campaign question and answer session held yesterday afternoon in the Gathering Hall. Although not heavily attended, many issues were raised, giving church leaders the opportunity to review pertinent information.

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Grace has asked church members to give an account of participating in the Future Grace Phase 2 Campaign. In our first edition, Kami Rice reflects on Sunday evening’s Future Grace Gathering.

by Kami Rice

I’ve just finished reading and praying through Day One in the devotional guide we received last night. How timely this passage of scripture is in my life, and how thankful I am for the reflection questions that prodded me past myself to also consider how this Genesis passage speaks to the life of our church community too.

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Giving campaign officially launched;
Vision cast for Future Grace Phase Two

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by Chris Turner

The best way to honor God for past grace is to trust Him for future grace, a nearly packed crowd was told during last night’s introduction to Grace Community Church’s upcoming financial giving campaign. Future Grace Phase Two, as it is called, is a three-year commitment to raise $2.5 million for the construction of additional educational space. The honoring God statement was familiar to those who’ve been part of the church during the past four years.

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