April 11, 2026
Happy Saturday, Grace Vineyard Family and Friends.
It’s time for another Week Update.
Coming up this Sunday…
Within Reach
Have you ever had anything in life that you really wanted but it was just out of reach? Frustrating, isn’t it! Well one of the marvelous things that Jesus taught about God’s Kingdom was that it is within reach. When Paul was in Athens and was invited by the Epicurean and Stoic Philosphers to give a talk at the Areopagus, he taught them how even God Himself is within reach of every one of us. He told them, “From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.” (Acts 17:26-27)
On Sunday, our own Steve Rogers is bringing a message he’s calling “Within Reach”. He’ll take us on a tour through the book of Acts looking at a number of stories where people had powerful encounters with the Holy Spirit. Luke (the author), uses several phrases to describe these encounters: “baptized with the Holy Spirit”, “filled with”, “poured out”, “received the Holy Spirit”, “receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”, the Holy Spirit “come upon”… no matter the language Luke chooses, in every case, something wonderful and life changing happened to these people. Want a preview? Read Acts 1:4-8, 2:1-4, 2:38-39, Acts 3, Acts 4, Acts 8, Acts 10, Acts 19. I would also note it appears this experience is a central and significant part of the story Luke tells us of the very first Christians as the Gospel began spreading throughout the world.
We hope to see you all at 9:30 tomorrow morning, at Grace Vineyard. But if you can’t be there in person, you can join us online on Zoom with this link Zoom Meeting ID 153 112 432, Passcode 684814 and you can also find our livestream on Facebook Live at facebook.com/gracevcf.
Prayer After Church This Sunday
You might say that prayer is the engine for everything that happens in the Kingdom of God. Jesus modeled it, the apostles practiced it, and all the first Christians were taught it. Prayer is essential for the life of the Christian and the life of the Church. On the second Sunday of every month, we set aside one hour right after church, to pray for our city, our ministries, our missionaries, and anything else that the Lord brings to our minds. We also take time to wait before the Lord to hear His voice. You are welcome to join us for any part of the hour. We are putting out a challenge this year – could every one of you pick at least one of our 12 prayer Sundays and commit to come that week? Maybe this is your week!
Alpha on Mondays at 6:00 PM
We started Alpha last Monday, but it’s not too late to join us for Alpha on Mondays at 6 p.m. on the Terrace at Grace. For the next 10 weeks, we will be hosting a series of open dinner conversations around questions of faith. This week the question is “Who is Jesus?” Please text “Alpha” to the 760-273-4393 number if you would like more information or talk to the Fryes, Ohsts or Aplikowskis for more details. Think about inviting a friend to join you. If you missed our 1st session, here’s the video from session 1:
Alexander Venter and Chris Lizotte on Tuesday, April 14th
A very special event is taking place right here at Grace Vineyard this Tuesday, April 14th, at 7pm. Alexander Venter is a Vineyard Pastor from South Africa who has been hugely influential, especially with his books “Doing Church” and “Doing Healing”. He’s going to be in California inext week, and we’ve been asked to host an event with him and one of our favorite worship leaders, Chris Lizotte. There will be plenty of great worship and ministry. It starts at 7:00pm this coming Tuesday, and will certainly be worth your time.
Mom 2 Mom is Friday, April 24
Are you a mom in need of support from other moms? Or are you a mom who has been there and wants to lend your support to others? Then you are welcome to Mom 2 Mom, a peer to peer and mentoring group designed to uplift, enrich, share and connect moms. We’ll gather Friday, April 24th at 6pm at Grace Vineyard on the terrace for a program that will include sharing a meal, connecting and inspiration.
Retirement Celebration for Debby Gidley April 26th
Right after church on April 26th, we’re going to have a Retirement Party for Debby Gidley. Debby has served as our Children’s Ministry director for so many years, and has simultaneously taken care of all the administrative responsibilities for our church. She has been AMAZING! We’ll have a light lunch right after church, and some opportunities for folks to bless Debby with encouraging words for how much her ministry has impacted each of us over the years. Plan on Joining us.
Ladies Tea Saturday, May 2nd 1-4 pm
Ladies, it’s time to dig out your hats and tea cups, ladies. Join us for an afternoon of enjoyment complete with scones, tea sandwiches, desserts and tea. We’ll have worship and a message. Cost is $20. You can sign up at the table in the lobby to host a table, help decorate, and bring food. For more information, please contact Abbey 832-683-8178.
That’s everything as far as upcoming events is concerned. I know some people look for a video of the previous week’s sermon in these weekly updates, so I’ll drop that right here. It was Easter Sunday, and I brought the 4th message in our series, “On The Road To Resurrection”. You can find all our sermons on our YouTube channel and our Gracetalks.org Podcast.
I’ll see you tomorrow!
With love and blessings to each of you,
Ron Ohst
Tithes and Offerings Online
THANKS for taking ownership in the life and ministry of Grace Vineyard! And thanks to all of you who are stepping into a lifestyle of generosity with your tithes and offerings. It really does take all of us doing our part with the income God has entrusted to us for His church. If you’d like to give your tithe or offering online, click the donate button below. If you’re giving to a specific fund (like benevolence or missions), just be sure to say that when you are given an option to add a note with your donation.