Weekly Update 07-18-2026

July 18, 2026

Dear Grace Vineyard Family and Friends,

I am, as they say, “running around like a chicken with it’s head cut off” 🙂  Well, more or less.  Let’s just say I have been going, going, going trying get ready to leave for Zambia tomorrow.   I wanted to give you a real quick weekly update before I get back to packing, so here goes.

Giving

For last week or more, when I think about introducing our speaker for this Sunday to you, I keep thinking of the words the apostle Paul writes at the end of his really important letter to the church at Rome – what we call the Book of Romans in the Bible.  He writes,

1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea. 2 I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been a great help to many people, including me.  – Romans 6:1-3

“I commend to you our sister Phoebe.”   This is a formal introduction and endorsement of Phoebe, the one who carried the letter to the Roman church.  Paul has just sent his magnus opus of the theology of Grace with an import courier – his fellow worker, a sister named Phoebe.  Remember, they didn’t have DHS, USPS, UPS, Fedex, or any other international delivery service.  In 1st Century Rome if a person like Paul was sending an important document like this, he would pick a trusted envoy, and make sure she completely understood the document so that she could explain and answer any questions the church might have.  Historians say she probably read the letter to the church at Rome and then as Paul’s representative, fielded their theological questions.  If you’re interested in the history, you might type in “Implications of ‘I commend unto you Phoebe'” in your favorite search engine and you’ll get a lot of research.

Anyway, I kept thinking of that sentence because I want to commend to you our sister Abbey Tugaw, who I’ve asked to bring the message tomorrow morning.  Abbey and Tanner Tugaw are some really awesome young leaders, and if you haven’t gotten to know them yet, you are in for a real treat.  More than one person has been asking me to please have her speak on a Sunday morning, including my wife, and I’ve been impressed with both of them as I’ve spent a lot more time with them the in the last year.  Abbey spends a lot of time listening to God, and a lot of time in His Word.  She’s been volunteering with admin in the office since January, so we’ve had many great conversations about the Lord and things He has shown her.  So, as I’ve been praying about who to do the preaching/teaching for the next several weeks while I’m in Africa, Abbey was one of the first people that came to mind.  I asked her to pray about what she thinks the Lord would have her to teach, and she felt a clear direction from the Holy Spirt to teach on Giving – understanding God’s covenant promises around giving.

As always, we hope you can join us tomorrow in person at 9:30 am, but if you can’t be there, here’s the info you need to join us online: 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.

Just in case you wanted access to last week’s message I called “What’s in your hand?”, here’s the Gracetalks.org podcast for it.  It was basically the application portion of  “The God Who Dwells” series.  If God is building a living temple that will fill the earth, and we are called to partner with Him in building that temple, how does He equip us to join in that partnership?

Women’s Face to Face, July 24

Ladies, it’s time for another Face to Face, our women’s small group meeting.  We’ll meet at Michelle Ertel’s home (1480 Pioneer Circle, Oceanside Gate Code #1904) pm Friday, July 24th, at 6:30pm for snacks and hang out.  Worship with Amy will begin at 7pm.  Kim will be sharing on the topic of Growing in our Friendships/Relationships.  You are invited to bring a snack to share.  Please carpool as parking is limited.  For more information, please text Kim Ohst 760-519-4558.

Ladies One Day Conference Saturday, September 26th 9am-5pm

For the Ladies: You’re invited to join us at the Vineyard Yorba Linda’s Standing Firm one day conference.  Anita Ruis, David Ruis’s wife, will be the speaker.  We’ll meet at the church to carpool at 7:30am and leave at 7:45.  Cost is $40 and includes breakfast and lunch.  Here’s the link to register:https://vineyardyorbalinda.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/3598139  Kim told me she’s going, so you know it’s going to be good!   I’ve heard nothing but great things about Anita Ruis. She and her husband David are the national directors of the Vineyard Canada, and they have a very rich history in the body of Christ.  I hope you all will take advantage of this great opportunity.

Mission to Zambia starts July 19

As I sign off, I’ll include the info about our Missions Trip that begins tomorrow.  I’d love for you to be praying for us.  I will stop by church briefly at 9:30 to have you pray over me before I head on down to the airport.  It’ll have to be quick because I’m supposed to be at San Diego airport as close to 10am as possible.  So don’t be late tomorrow if you’d like to participate in the prayer! I believe this is the longest and most involved ministry trip I’ve ever been involved in.  We are bringing blessings to places I’ve never been before, and I’m full of anticipation of what the Lord will do as I meet many new people and build many new signficant relationships.  At the same time, in the second part of the trip we will be reconnecting with and encouraging old friends that we’ve been partnering with for a while.  We’ll also have people coming in the 2nd wave a couple weeks from now who have never been to Africa before.  Check it out the details here: gracevcf.org/zambia2026.  Kim, Irene, Traci, and the rest of the team still have a couple weeks before they leave, so you can chat with them if you want to get more first hand info about what they’ll be doing in Africa.

I love you all, our Grace Vineyard Family, very much.  Many blessings to you.

Ron Ohst

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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.