March 20, 2026
Happy Weekend, Grace Vineyard Family and Friends.
I was gonna say something about the hot weather, but I’m sitting next to an open window and door right now, and it’s actually really pleasant; maybe the weather has already changed. Isn’t that the nature of most uncomfortable situations? — “this too shall pass,” as the saying goes. So be encouraged. Whatever difficult, uncomfortable circumstance you are facing right now will soon be in the rear-view mirrror, and as you go through that situation, the Lord is right by your side.
We have a very special treat this Sunday: Ted Lawler is in town and is going to be speaking.
Ted will be taking us on a tour through the 2nd chapter of Colossians with a message he’s calling “Guard Your Faith”. For those of you who have not met Ted yet, Ted was a long time pastor in the Vineyard dating back to the time of John Wimber. In the early 2000’s the Lord called Ted and his wife Judy into an entirely new direction and place – the Spirit told him that he was to spend the rest of his life caring for orphans and widows in Sub-Saharan Africa. Step by step, the Lord led them to Zambia to establish Breath of Heaven Children’s Ministries, the orphan care ministry that I often speak about on Sundays. It is worth checking out at www.bofheaven.org. This is the place a team of us are planning on going to next August. Ted is a great visionary, a father in the faith, with so much wisdom and experience to share with us. It is always a joy when he is back in the States and has the opportunity to visit Grace Vineyard. We hope to see you in person on Sunday morning so we can all worship together, but if you can’t make it 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.
Last Sunday we were in our second week of the series I’ve called “On the Road to Resurrection”. Here’s that sermon on our Youtube channel for those of you who would like to listen:
I called this message “On the Road of Empowered Witness”, and one of the ways I suggested we answer the call to purse a lifestyle of being a witness for Jesus, empowered by the Holy Spirit, was to help put on an Alpha group at Grace Vineyard. If you didn’t watch this intro video last week, I’d encourage you to invest a couple of minutes to watch it right now:
If you’d like to learn more about how you could help us do an Alpha here at Grace Vineyard, Shannon Frye will be putting on a dinner to talk about it. She and Kevin led an Alpha group when they were live on Catalina Island, so they can give us real life experience. The Alpha Interest Dinner will be at her house on Monday, March 30th, at 6:30PM. If you would like to come, please text of call Shannon Frye at (760) 419-4242 and she’ll give you all the relevant info.
Men’s Retreat is Next Weekend
About 40 of us men our headed up the mountain next Friday for our men’s retreat. Please be praying for us. Our theme is “Come, Holy Spirit”, and we are really hoping to grow in our understanding and experience of the Holy Spirit!
NOTE – even though the men’s retreat starts on March 27, we’ll still take last minute registrations. click here: Retreat-Info for all the info and to register.
Mom 2 Mom is March 27
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, March 27th at 6pm at Grace Vineyard on the terrace for a program that will include sharing a meal, connecting and inspiration. This month, we will hear from a couple of fantastic young adults who were raised by single/struggling moms. Childcare will be provided- please let Sheri know how many kids/what ages. To find out more, call Sheri Winter at 760-208-8403.
Grace Vineyard Merch Shop
Last week a bunch of you were asking where you can get one of those Grace Vineyard “Need Prayer?” t-shirts or hoodies. Just click here to go to our Merch Shop. You make your order there and they ship the merchandise right to your house. If there is something you wish we had that you don’t see there, just let us know and we’ll try to create it for you.
And with that, I will sign off. I look forward to worshiping with you on Sunday morning!
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.