Weekly Update 08-02-2024

August 2, 2024

Dear Grace Vineyard Family and Friends,

Hello from somewhere over the ocean. Right now I am in an airplane with Ted Lawler’s grandson, Judah, on our way from Zambia to Doha, a 7 hour flight.  We’ll have about an hour and a half layover and then get on our flight to Los Angeles, which is a 16 hour flight. If all goes well, We’ll land in Los Angeles at 7:25 on Saturday morning.

It’s been a great trip. Thank you for all of your financial and prayer support.  Here’s a cool development:  a few days ago I put up a post on Facebook to raise funds to leave with pastors in Zambia who are doing food distribution programs in their churches to help people who are not getting enough food due to the ongoing drought and high inflation in Zambia.  In just a couple of days people gave over $3,000!  That’s going to provide a lot of food for a bunch of hungry people.  I am dividing that money up among 5 different churches located in different spots around the country.  It’s great to do this through local, trusted churches, because they will be best able to meet emotional, spiritual, and physical needs for people in their communities beyond food distribution.  If you missed that post and would like to jump in to help, please use this link to donate: gracevcf.org/Zambia-Famine-Relief.

Check out this God Story:  Our friend Don Jarrell who used to be part of our congregation but has moved to Tennessee some time ago now was in prayer and heard the Lord whisper to him that he was to help feed Zambians.  He had no idea where to begin, then he saw my facebook post about raising money to feed Zambians!  I love that.  God is alive and well and is talking to people in our day.  So cool!

This Sunday: Willie Register

I’m excited to let you know that our dear friend Willie Register will be bringing the message this coming Sunday.  It’s called “Enlarging Our Imaginations”.  What if we are so caught up in our lives that we miss what God is up to around us?  Join us as we seek to find out what happens if we enlarge our imagination and see the world through Kingdom Lenses!

This is going to be a great Sunday!  Willie Register is a dear friend of Grace Vineyard.  Some years ago he was one of our staff pastors, leading Youth ministries and also overseeing worship.  He’s a gifted worship leader and speaker., and just an amazing human being.  You’re going to love him. If his last name sounds familiar, you might remember when his wife Jane Register spoke at our church about how we can welcome and minister to the international refugees in San Diego.

I hope to see you Sunday morning, but if you are not able to be with us in person this Sunday, you can always join online via the Zoom app with this info:  Zoom Meeting ID  153 112 432, Passcode 684814. You may also join us on Facebook Live at facebook.com/gracevcf.

Vineyard USA Day of Giving, August 4

This Sunday, August 4th, we will be joining with Vineyard churches all over the United States for our first annual Day of Giving.  Here’s part of what Jay Pathak our national director wrote: “On August 4, 2024, we invite you to celebrate 50 years of the Vineyard with us through your prayers and giving for two simple reasons. First, we want to express our gratitude in a tangible way to God for the fruit borne through this movement since our first church service in 1974. Second, we want to invest by sowing seeds in the soil of our communities that will lead to building healthy churches that continue to reflect the goodness of God to all people for generations to come. All proceeds from the Day of Giving will support the essential functions of the Vineyard USA national movement. Sixty percent of the money raised will move toward the daily operations of Vineyard USA and forty percent will be devoted to funding important initiatives and programs:15% to Pastoral Health Initiatives, 15% to Church Health and Development, and 10% to Vineyard USA Associations”.  So this Sunday we’ll be taking a 2nd offering for Vineyard USA.  Please check out https://vineyardusa.org/give/for all the details and for 2 video messages, one from Jay Pathak, and one from Jason George, Vineyard USA’s chief development officer.

After Church Potluck August 11

We’re having another potluck fellowship after church on August 11th.  It’ll be great to all be together again for fun, food, and fellowship.  There will be sign up sheets in the lobby after church  this Sunday for food, setup and clean up.  Please sign up! These times are such a great way to grow in relationship together.

Make and Bake Sale August 25 for Women’s Retreat

We’ll have a Make and Bake Sale for Retreat costs and scholarships on August 25th.  If you need a scholarship for the women’s retreat please contact Kim Ohst at kimohst@gmail.com or call/text at 760-519-4558

True Valor Men’s Conference

Here’s something cool for the men to put on their calendars.  On August 23-24 we are joining with Men from all over North County for a Men’s Conference at Oceanside Calvary Chapel.  If you don’t know, we live in a county that has unusual levels of unity and relationship amongst churches.  In fact I was just with a pastor from New York who is working with a multi-church outreach we are planning for July, and he mentioned how unique it is here in San Diego.  So men, we’re going to get together with men from churches all over our county for a conference designed to help us confront the deadliest manslayers of our times.  Here’s the details from the webpage for the conference: