Weekly Update 07-05-2024

July 5, 2024

Hello Grace Vineyard Friends and Family!

It’s time for our weekly update, where I check in and do my best to remind us of all the happenings around Grace Vineyard.  We’ve got a lot on the calendar! So let’s jump in…

Jesus Walk Saturday July 6

What a great opportunity to “get out of the boat,” so to speak, and stretch your faith.  We’re meeting this Saturday, July 6, at 10am at the Oceanside Transit Parking Structure (it’s on the corner of Seagaze and Cleveland, I believe the address is 290 Seagaze Dr).  From there, we’ll walk along the strand and looking for opportunities to say hi to people, offer to pray for them, get in Holy Hello conversations, and whatever else the Holy Spirit might lead us into.  Sometimes we end up grilling some hot dogs just to make it more fun.  This is a fun and easy way to step into sharing our faith with our neighbors in Oceanside!

Bake & Make for Zambia

After church this Sunday we’re going to have a Make & Bake sale to raise money for our upcoming trip to Zambia.  Matt and Sharon Evans and I are going to Breath of Heaven Children’s Village, leaving on July 15th.  We are taking around 100 shoes (clogs, similar to Crocs) for the kids.  I’ll be taking a couple of young Zambian guys that I met on previous trips with me and Damas Kamfwa (the national director of the Vineyard churches in Zambia) on a missions trip around the country.  We’ll be going to 3 cities: Kasempa, Solwezi, and Ndola.  We will be putting on  2-day Schools of Ministry in each of these areas.  We’ll be doing evangelistic outreaches in the first 2 cities.  All of this costs lots of money! Please hang around after church and buy everything we have to sell after church this Sunday! And if you’d like to help by baking or making something, please contact Michelle Ertel for details at 760-994-5962. We could use all of your help!  If you’d like to just donate directly for our Zambia team, you can do that right here: http://gracevcf.org/zambia-missions .

BBQ and Worship Night at San Diego Rescue Mission in Oceanside Friday, July 12th 5pm

On Friday, July 12, at 5pm, we’re going to be serving at the San Diego Rescue Mission in Oceanside. We’ll bring grills and make hamburgers and hot dogs with all the fixings.  After we serve food, we’ll have a time of worship and prayer for the people in this program designed to help those facing homelessness.  It is a 30 day emergency shelter for men, women and children.    If you can help in any way, please sign up at the table in the lobby this  Sunday.  We need to know ahead of time who is participating.  There is a waiver to sign and a video to watch to be able to serve.

Celebration of Life for Susan Little, July 13

It is with heavy hearts, yet with hope-filled joy, that we share the news of Susan Little’s entering into her eternal reward on Saturday, June 22, 2024. For those who are unfamiliar with our church’s history, Susan and Jack Little were the founding pastors of our church, originally called Grace Chapel of the Coast beginning with a home fellowship in October, 1994, and moving to a Sunday morning worship gathering in 1995 (she didn’t take the title “pastor” but she definitely did the work of a pastor in every sense of the word). She was a phenomenal and loving leader, especially in the areas of children’s and women’s ministry. She was multitalented: a gifted teacher of the Word, a worship leader, and artist, an equipper of the saints in Spirit led ministry, an administrator, prophetically gifted, and more. She had an infectious laugh that filled the room with joy.

Susan won a battle with breast cancer some years back, but the cancer returned to her lung recently. After this latest diagnosis, she finished her race quickly. She was surrounded by her 3 sons, their wives, and their children these last weeks and months, and she exuded joy and peace right up to the end. Her home was filled with her children’s and grandchildren’s guitar playing and singing throughout these last weeks.  Susan’s wish was that we would celebrate her life here at Grace Vineyard. Please join us on Saturday, July 13, at 11am.

The Chosen Season 4

We will be showing Season 4, Episodes 7&8 of The Chosen on Saturday, July 13th at 6:30pm on the Big Screen. Hope you can make it. The Chosen is an immensely popular multi-season series depicting the life of Jesus and his disciples.  In Season 4, John the Baptist has been arrested and meets his tragic end, foreshadowing the fate Jesus himself will suffer at the end of his life. The disciples contend with conflicts and jealousies among themselves and must learn unfamiliar qualities of humility and forgiveness. And in the final episodes we experience the miracle of Lazarus being raised from the dead.

If you’ve never seen the trailer for Season 4, I think you’d really enjoy it.  You can watch it right here:

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:

Movement San Diego Returns Next Month

Some of you will remember last year’s Movement San Diego.  Well, we’re doing it again on July 19th.  Check it out at https://www.movementsd.com/.  Movement San Diego is an evangelistic revival event – an evening of evangelism and seeking God for revival in San Diego. The event will be led by worship teams lifting up the name of Jesus in public worship and prayer. There will be two gospel presentations with altar calls and follow up by Pastor Mike Doyle and evangelist and former professional skateboarder Bryan Sumner. Throughout the night there will also be ministry tents, teams available for prayer and counseling, and a baptismal for anyone desiring to be baptized.  Our church, along with all the other churches in North County, is invited to participate.  We’ll especially need teams to pray with people at the event.  If you’d like to participate, let me know and I’ll get you connected with the right people.

There’s a lot going on! And I didn’t even get to our Monthly Men’s Breakfast and our Monthly Ladies Walk which will happen on Saturday July 13th.  I’ll give you more details for those next week.

The Message of 1 Thessalonians, Week 5 – The Blessed Hope

On Sunday mornings when I’ve been with you, we’ve been studying the Bible book of 1 Thessalonians together. Last week we got through the first part of the 4th chapter, and this week we’ll continue by talking about the “Blessed Hope” – the glorious appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Here’s how it’s written in:

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (New Living Translation)

13 And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.

15 We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. 17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. 18 So encourage each other with these words.

Jesus really is coming back some day, and the blessed hope of His appearing can be a tremendous encouragement to us, especially when we are facing the trials and tribulations of life in this present age.  I look forward to opening the Bible with you for some fresh encouragement.  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.

If you’d like to see last week’s message, you can watch it right here on Youtube:

Mexico Vineyard National Conference

This next event I want to tell you about  is for our Spanish speaking sisters and brothers.  Did you know that there is a Mexico Vineyard association of churches just like there is one in the U.S.?  There are actually 15 associations of Vineyard churches in various countries and regions around the world (check  out our international Vineyard family at https://vineyard.org).  Well, Steve Rogers and I were able to go to our U.S. Vineyard national conference in Denver last month, and it was so wonderful!  I was super excited to learn that the Mexico Vineyard National Conference is coming up October 16-18, and it’s very close – MexiCali.  Right now I am planning on going and I want to take as many Spanish speakers from Grace Vineyard as possible to go with me.  The good news for me is that they’ll have English translation available to help me out.  The worship from our Mexican Vineyard family is AWESOME! Please check out the details right here:  http://vinamexico.com/   Here’s an excerpt (in Spanish, of course):

Estimados Pastores y Líderes,
Estamos tan emocionados por lo que Dios ha preparado para el movimiento Viña este año. Creemos, y hemos visto, como Dios ha estado construyendo a través de una de las temporadas más difíciles en el país y en la iglesia. En Su carácter como Constructor, el Espíritu Santo ha traído sanidad y unidad a un movimiento que muchos pensaron sería deshecho. Pero Dios . . . pero Dios, es Quien edificó la casa y Quien la ha sostenido.
Este año, celebramos Su fidelidad y Su amor por construir uniéndonos a lo que está haciendo en México: Construyendo. Seguimos el modelo de Jesús cuando dijo en Juan 5:19, “Les digo la verdad, el Hijo no puede hacer nada por su propia cuenta; solo hace lo que ve que el Padre hace. Todo lo que hace el Padre, también lo hace el Hijo . . .” Y si Dios está CONSTRUYENDO . . . nosotros construiremos también.
Invitados y Sesiones
Te invitamos a ti y a tu congregación a acompañarnos en Mexicali, B.C. del miércoles 16 al viernes 18 de octubre para nuestra Conferencia Nacional Viña 2024: Una Reunión de Constructores.

Registro
Te puedes registrar en www.vinamexico.com por solo $150 M.N./persona depositado en BBVA BANCOMER a la cuenta 4555-1130-1242-4125 a Nombre de NOEMI GONZALEZ RUIZ. Les pedimos que una vez hecho el deposito manden por favor una imagen con la ficha de deposito a NAOMY

Finally, I want to make sure you know about the annual Marriage Getaway coming up.

Come away with your spouse for a weekend of encouragement, relaxation, and worship!

Our 14th annual Marriage Getaway returns in 2024, August 23-25, to the gorgeous La Quinta Resort & Club. The 45 lush acres of the La Quinta Resort feature 7 restaurants, 41 climate-controlled pools, 21 tennis courts, eight pickleball courts, and a spa. Your Couple Weekend Ticket includes a two-night stay in a King Bed Casita, self-parking, resort fees & taxes, Marriage Getaway event admission for all three days, and Saturday & Sunday continental breakfast. Each couple has the opportunity to extend their stay up to 3 nights prior and 3 nights post the Marriage Getaway Weekend for an additional cost.

For more information, please go to https://www.therelationshipresource.org/marriage-getaway

And that’s it for this week’s update.

With love and blessings,

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.