Mission

On Sanctity of Human Life Sunday Mike Noel unpacked what it means to be a "pro-life Christian." This speaks to the issue of the unborn and advocating for them but also much more. Here is how he defined what he meant:

A pro-life Christian is one who out of their devotion to God seeks to minister to others in all seasons of life especially to those who are in distress and need of care. 

Are you interested in keeping up with what's going on with Sovereign Grace Churches around the world? Recently, Sovereign Grace began an email newsletter to keep our churches and members informed about happenings around the world.

Dave Taylor, pastor of Sovereign Grace Church in Sydney, Austrailia, is the Director of Emerging Nations within Sovereign Grace.

You can follow the Emerging Nations newsletter by clicking the link below.

Get the Newsletter

Many of our shoeboxes we packed last year were tracked to Togo and included a soccer ball and other items identical to the items in Kevin's shoebox. Through an Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift and The Greatest Journey discipleship program, God opened the hearts of Kevin and his family to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That's why we love Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes which are effective tools to not only reach children but to multiply the Gospel to family and community.

In our first-world, developed society reading is almost becoming a lost art. In Tanzania’s rural, functionally illiterate society, reading is yet to be found. This summer Oliver, Henry, and I, along with my father (Tim Neet) and another gentleman (Rod Johns), will be going over to the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania to spend time with the students and faculty at Siha Leadership Academy. We will be sharing with them problem solving strategies through creative and critical thinking using literature, LEGOs, and logic puzzles.

Here is the 7-day prayer guide we distributed last Sunday as part of Sanctity of Life Sunday. Contact Daniel Baker if you would be willing to (1) help organize or (2) participate in pro-life activities that our church does.

Thank you to all those who participated in the initial information meeting about Safe Families For Children!

Read below for the next steps for those who continue to have interest in helping with SFFC.

We'd like to know your level of interest and to get you on our email list. You can also RSVP for the training event at the Auer's Home this Saturday.

"I'm Interested" Form

We are excited to tell you about an opportunity to get involved in our community through a ministry called Safe Families for Children. Safe Families is a volunteer ministry that exists to provide biblical hospitality, love, and support to families in crisis, largely through providing parents with safe places for their children to stay while they work to resolve whatever crises that they are experiencing, such as unemployment, homelessness, or financial difficulty. This ministry equips churches like ours to create support networks for desperate people in our community who have no one to turn to in times of crisis. They do this through creating teams of people to come alongside of these families in various roles. This is one of the really neat things about Safe Families - that there are many ways to be involved.

Last November our church members sponsored 100 Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes for boys ages 10 -14. OCC receives the least number of boxes for this particular group so we choose to focus solely on packing quality boxes that included school supplies, comb, soap, socks, small toys, and either a soccer ball and pump or a small tool kit. The Mike Noel Home Group hosted a packing party and all 100 boxes were registered to be tracked as to their final destination. So where did they go?

I would like to share with you a little bit about my beloved home country, Japan. I am mostly Japanese with a mix of Chinese and Caucasian. I was born in Japan and grew up there until I was 11 years old. Although I had always had a special love for Japan, I had very little contact with the Japanese community and the culture after I moved to the states. Even after I became a believer and I began praying for and reaching out to unbelievers, I did not have any special focus on the Japanese. It was not until I heard about the tsunami in Fukuoka in 2011 that the Lord put a special burden on my heart for Japan and it’s people.

"Not all of us are eloquent or engaging. Not everyone can think on their feet. Some people are simply not good at speaking to strangers and forming new friendships. One of the practical benefits of the three-strand model of evangelism [building relationships, sharing the gospel, introducing people to community] is that it gives a role to all of God's people. By making evangelism a community project, it also takes seriously the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit in distributing a variety of gifts among his people. Everyone has a part to play--the new Christian, the introvert, the extrovert, the eloquent,…