how in the world did that happen?

Did you get the all-church email we sent out yesterday? (If not, email the church office at info@graceslo.org and let us know you want to get our emails!) Did you notice the glaring mistake on the banquet date that said "April 27" but should have been "May 27"? How in the world does that happen?

I wrote the email, then my assistant proofed it. Then we sent it to our whole ministry staff. . . . Steve, Scott, Al, Ken, Dori and Debbi. . . and asked them to proof it and sign-off on it. They all did! Then I proofed their suggested changes. And in all this process, none of us caught the error. But I bet some of you did on the very first read.

We see things from our own perspecitve. We see what we see. We know what we know. We don't know what we don't know. We need to work hard to get out of our little box and see the world through the eyes of another. What other areas of life together does all this apply to beyond all-church emails? You tell me.


Anyway, here's the email, in case you missed it . . . with the corrected banquet date.

Beloved Grace Family,

It’s Holy Week and I hope you're making time and space to reflect on both the Crown and the Cross of our Lord. As we enter into our 75th Anniversary Celebration, I thought I'd use the convenience of email to keep you updated on upcoming anniversary activities and happenings as they unfold via a weekly email during this period. There is so much to communicate and we don't want you to miss anything. So here goes. . . .

Good Friday Communion Service @ 7:00 PM
We begin our Easter Weekend together this Friday with our Good Friday Service at 7:00 PM. Childcare will be provided for Nursery thru 4 years. This year's service will be markedly different than the last few years as we will be partaking of the Lord's Supper together. We hope you and your family will set aside this time to join us as we contemplate the Cross. I also hope we'll see a bunch of our college students join us. Our text will be Matthew 21:42. Take a look at it before Friday, if you have a chance. The service could be quite packed (we're never sure!), so you might want to try and arrive early. See you there!

Easter Sunday @ 8:00, 9:30 & 11:00 AM
Easter Sunday, we are meeting at our normal times. . . .8:00, 9:30 and 11:00 AM. Our 9:30 service is always the most full and popular, so once again we're asking those of you who can come at 11:00 AM and especially 8:00 AM to please do so. This is a great way to live the Gospel, by considering the needs/interests of others as more important than your own (à la Philippians 2!). On that note, please consider parking in the nearby city parking structure on the corner of Pacific and Morro Streets to leave nearby street and lot parking for visitors and our elderly brothers and sisters. Remember these are "Family Worship Services" and so Children's Sunday School will be provided for Nursery thru Kindergarten only. Please note: our Youth Groups, College Ministry and Adult Bible Fellowships will not be meeting on Easter Sunday.

It’s definitely not too late to invite a friend, family member, neighbor, co-worker or perfect stranger to worship with us on Easter Sunday, since Easter is one of the rare times when people are open and eager to darken the doors of the church. Pray and invite! So many in our community still need the life-changing power of the Resurrection in their lives! This year we'll not be talking about proof for the Resurrection, but the meaning of the Resurrection under the title, "What Does the Resurrection of Jesus Mean?" As usual, I'll do my best to present the Gospel in a winsome and engaging way. Pray Ephesians 6:19 for me. Let's prepare ourselves to proclaim with gladness, "Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!



Community Ministry Weekend, April 22-23
75th Anniversary events really get going on the weekend of the April 22 & 23, our Community Ministry Weekend. On Saturday, April 22 at 12:00 noon, Grace is hosting a BBQ for the poor and needy in our community as a practical way to serve them and demonstrate the Gospel. Pastor Scott is looking for servers and others to help. . . youth, college students and families. Contact Pastor Scott at scott@graceslo.org if you can help out. Go ahead, step out of your comfort zone!

On Sunday, April 23, in our Worship Services we'll be looking at what it means to "Seek the Welfare of the City" from Jeremiah 29:7. We'll look back on our history of involvement in a wide-variety of community ministries. We'll look at what's happening today and what opportunities God might provide to serve our community in the future.

In addition on Sunday, April 23rd, all of our Adult Bible Fellowships, Youth Groups and College Ministry will come together as Mike Yankoski will be our special guest in the Ministry Center during the 9:30 and 11:00 AM hours. Mike is a former Westmont student who lived on the streets as a homeless man to discover what life on the streets was really like. He’s written a book, Under the Overpass: A Journey of Faith on the Streets of America which chronicles his unique experience. Mike's passionate desire is to equip God's people to better love and reach out to these needy people of our community. Even if you don't attend an Adult Bible Fellowship or other classes, you're encouraged to join us for this very special event which is wide open to all. Prepare to be challenged and informed!

75th Anniversary Banquet
Saturday Evening, May 27th @ the Madonna Expo
Starting this Sunday, we begin selling tickets for our 75th Anniversary Banquet on Saturday evening, May 27th at the Madonna Expo. We have received RSVPs from most of our past staff and many others who are now living beyond the area. We have some special elements planned for this once-in-75 years event. . . things that really are beyond what's possible in a worship service, yet are still an important part of our life together. Each family will also receive a copy of "A Tree of the Lord's Planting: The Heritage of Grace Church, San Luis Obispo," a very special 12 chapter book that commemorates the early years of God's faithfulness to Grace. Tickets for this one-time event are $35 per head. If you wish to sponsor others for whom this amount might be a problem, please let us know. If you would like to attend, but need financial assistance, please let us know. We are prayerfully and carefully making every attempt to be good stewards of the Lord's resources, while at the same time insuring that all who wish to be there can be.

After much prayer and planning, our 75th Anniversary is finally here. We hope that you and your family will take full advantage of the many growing opportunities we're putting together as we look back on God's faithfulness and look forward in bold faith. We hope and expect that this will be a time of growth and unity for us all. Your questions and feedback are always welcome. Feel free to call or email anyone of our staff, elders or the 75th Anniversary Committee. (75th@graceslo.org)

If you haven't checked out the church website lately, give it a look at http://www.gracelso.org. You'll find a whole lot of history and other good stuff. Just this morning, I was interviewed by our own Ben Greenaway on the KVEC morning news program and we've already posted the audio on the website for your listening enjoyment, since most of you were probably "sawing logs" during the 6:00 AM hour!

I think that’s plenty for now! We'll let you know more as these weeks unfold. See you this weekend!

Yours because of and for the Gospel. . . Pastor Tim