Upcoming Events at Grace SLO

This is the congregational email that was sent out this afternoon to many of you in our Grace family. If you didn't get it and would like to be included in our email data base, please email my assistant, Debbie Johnston at debbiej@graceslo.org.

Dear Grace Church Family,

Were you able to be with us in worship this last Lord's Day Morning? What an electric morning together! It makes me anticipate our next time together in the Lord's presence!

I thought I would send you this e-update and highlight some of the many upcoming events here at Grace. There's a lot going on and I want to make sure you are informed so you can plan ahead. . . .

This Sunday, April 24th: Baptism & Mexico Dinner
Our morning services will be dedicated to Baptism and our awesome Grace Youth will be leading our worship. These are always exciting days of worship and celebration where we recognize God at work in lives of our church family. This time around we are baptizing 17! Be praying for these folks as they near this important day where they give public proclamation of their faith in Jesus. Be praying, also, that others who don't know Jesus as Savior and Lord would see the power of the Gospel and the glory of God in our morning together.

In the evening at 5:00 PM, we will re-gather for our annual Mexico Burrito Feed & Fundraiser. This is a great time of fellowship and a chance to "lean forward" into our Annual Mexico Trip in June, when as many as 160 folks from our congregation will travel to Mexico to build houses for those less fortunate than we are. We sense that many of you have not yet RSVP'd for the dinner. If you did not fill out a Worship Tab this last Sunday, but are planning to be there, we need to hear from you NOW. Can you take a minute and email the church office now at info@graceslo.org and let us know how many are coming? (DO IT NOW! DON"T WAIT! JUST CLICK THE LINK AND GET IT OVER WITH!)

May is going to be wild and fun. . . .

Sunday, May 8th: Mother's Day Child Dedication
We've had a bunch of babies born into our congregation this year. Lots of new folks have also jumped into life at Grace over the past 12 months. We believe children are a gift from the Lord and it's our privilege to dedicate our children to Him and ourselves to the task of Biblical parenting. Are you planning to have your child dedicated this year on Mother's Day or Father's Day? We need to hear from you. Will you please contact the church office at 543-2358 and let us know which day, Mother's Day or Father's Day, and which service, 9:00 or 10:45 AM? We will try and spread out dedications over those days and times, so please be flexible. . .. and bring your cameras!

Sunday, May 15: Teacher Appreciation Sunday & All Church Picnic
This is our annual opportunity to appreciate our wonderful adult & children's Sunday morning teaching staff. We will do this publicly as part of our Worship Services on that day, but we are encouraging you and your family to get involved and express your appreciation personally.

After our services, we will enjoy our first All Church Picnic of 2005! This is not just for families, but for the whole Grace Church Family. . . an afternoon across the street from the church at Mitchell Park to relax, have fun, and enjoy one another. Lunch will be served and I'm hearing something about hot BBQ roast beef sandwiches and other good stuff. The cost will be $4 per person, children under 5 years old are FREE. You can't beat it! If you want to bring your own lunch, then feel free to do that. Look for the opportunity to RSVP on the Worship Tab beginning Sunday, May 1st.

Sunday, May 22: Annual Congregational Meeting & Dessert, 6:00 PM
This is a must-attend meeting for all those who call Grace Church, SLO their church. We will give thanks for God's faithfulness this last year and look forward to the next year, considering our 05/06 budget and vision together. Topics will include the Annex Renewal Project, the 75th Anniversary Celebration in 2006, plans for a 3rd Worship Service, as well as a few other surprises. I want to URGE you to not miss this valuable meeting. If you are new to Grace, this is your opportunity to learn more about who we are, how we function, and where we're going. To top it all off, we'll even feed you dessert! Put it on your calendar!

We have so much to be thankful for. We have so much to look forward to. I hope you are feeling connected and a part of all that is happening. It's going to be a great Spring here at Grace!

I am blessed to serve as your Pastor. . . Tim