There are many facets to our life as a church! Our hope is that these posts will enable you to plan, pray, and ultimately rejoice in what the Lord is doing at Sovereign Grace Church. Here are a few updates for you to do just that! 

membership class

Sundays, April 27th, May 4th, May 25th, & June 1st

The Bible uses imagery like the body, a family, a building, and a household to describe the church. Our lives are being knit together. We are connected. We need one another. This is why we practice church membership, so everyone who calls Sovereign Grace Church their church can enjoy the benefits and blessings of being part.

Our Membership Class started last Sunday, April 27, but there is still time to jump in! If you are interested in membership at Sovereign Grace Church, or if you want to learn more about our church, please CLICK HERE.

woven ladies brunch

We’d love for you to join us for a WOVEN Ladies Brunch on Saturday, May 10, from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM.

Come enjoy a morning of food and fellowship! Cathy Letkeman, who serves on our Worship Team, will be teaching our women on the topic of "A Woman's Devotion As Her Worship of God," providing Gospel hope in our struggles with the idols of our hearts that are unique to women. 

All women are invited! Bring your teen daughters, friends, and family.

mother’s day celebration

Join us after the service on Mother’s Day, May 11, for a special gift just for you.

Your kindness, patience, and sacrifice for your children are a reflection of God’s love for us! Moms, we are praying that you are encouraged and strengthened by the grace of God this Mother's Day.

sermons in the psalms: volume 3

​Over the summer, our sermon series will take us into the Psalms again with "Sermons in the Psalms: Volume 3," starting on June 1st! Join us as we dig deeper into the life-giving Psalms together.

Eastside Community Group

Please continue to pray for our Eastside Community Group! Pray that the Lord would draw our Eastside neighbors to this community group.

This special group meets on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of every month at 7pm at Coffee X Change. If you know anyone on the Eastside who might be interested in visiting or joining this group, please feel free to invite them and let Derek know!

Check out our EASTSIDE COMMUNITY GROUP webpage for more details.

There are many facets to our life as a church! Our hope is that these posts will enable you to plan, pray, and ultimately rejoice in what the Lord is doing at Sovereign Grace Church. Here are a few updates for you to do just that! 

regional assembly of elders (RAE)

The pastors will be attending the RAE in California from March 27 to March 29.

Please pray for them as they are cared for and encouraged by other pastors in the Sovereign Grace Churches West Region!

SG Youth Chili & Pie Competition Fundraiser

SGYouth’s FOURTH annual Chili & Pie Competition Fundraiser is March 30, after the service!

The rules are simple, SIGN UP, BRING YOUR BEST, and the church will vote for the winners. If you want to compete but haven't signed up yet, CLICK HERE.

Not competing? No problem! Just come hungry and enjoy the delicious chili and pies. All proceeds will support students in our youth group attending the Sovereign Grace Regional Retreat this July. See below to find out more about Youth Camp!

Baptism Sunday

Baptism Sunday will be on April 13 after the Sunday morning service!

A light lunch will be provided.

If you would like to be baptized, or if you want more information, please contact Pastor Tom.

You can also check out this blog post written by Pastor Derek titled “The Importance and Joy of Baptism Sundays” HERE.

Good Friday service & Easter Sunday service

Good Friday and Easter Sunday are just around the corner! Join us for the Good Friday Service on Friday, April 17 at 7 PM as we come together to worship Jesus and reflect on His sacrifice on the cross.

Then, come back for our Easter Sunday Service on Sunday, April 20 at 10 AM as we celebrate the resurrection of our Savior!

This is a wonderful opportunity to invite friends and family to worship with us!

Forge

FORGE speaks into the lives of men regarding the church, family, work, and leisure.

Save the date for the next FORGE meeting on April 26. All men are invited. More details to come.

Check out the past FORGE teachings HERE.

Sovereign Grace Regional Youth Retreat

The next Sovereign Grace Regional Youth Camp is Jul 11-14 and Registration is NOW OPEN! The theme of this year’s youth camp is “Christ Over All”!

To sign up or find out more, please CLICK HERE!

*Early Bird Registration ends on March 31!*

There are many facets to our life as a church! Our hope is that these posts will enable you to plan, pray, and ultimately rejoice in what the Lord is doing at Sovereign Grace Church. Here are a few updates for you to do just that! 

Eastside Community Group

Please be praying for those in the new Eastside Community Group! This group will be meeting on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of every month at 7pm in a public location on the Eastside. If you know anyone on the Eastside who might be interested in visiting or joining this group, please feel free to invite them and let Derek know!

You are also welcome to visit the group yourself! Just reach out to Derek to give him a heads-up and confirm the meeting location.

marriage cOMMUNITY group

The next Marriage Community Group is starting on February 7th! Please be praying that the Lord would strengthen the faith and marriages of the couples who will be part of this Marriage Group.

This February-April group is full, but if you’d like to be notified about the next Marriage Community Group, please reach out to Tom Wilkins.

bridge courses

TWO Bridge Courses will be starting up in March!

More details coming soon.

The Bridge Course is great for everyone, especially those with questions or doubts, or those who want to learn what true Christianity is all about. For a list of the questions and topics for each session, go to BridgeCourse.org.

To get involved or learn more, contact Tim Lambros.

Invitation Sunday

Our next Invitation Sunday is March 9th!

This is a Church-wide focus on inviting friends, neighbors, or anyone else to join us for church and then FOOD & FUN after the service.

Invitation handouts will be available within the next few weeks. Be praying about who you can invite!

Leadership Training: Part two

Join us for the second part of the Leadership Training on Saturday, March 15th from 8AM to 11AM.

Missed Part One? You can watch the sessions HERE!

This free training is open to everyone—men, women, youth, friends, and anyone who wants to grow in their understanding of biblical leadership.

SIGN UP HERE!

baptism Sunday

Baptism Sunday will be held on March 16th after the Sunday morning service!

If you would like to be baptized, or if you want more information, please contact Tom Wilkins.

You can also check out this blog post about Baptisms HERE.

There are many facets to our life as a church! Our hope is that these posts will enable you to plan, pray, and ultimately rejoice in what the Lord is doing at Sovereign Grace Church. Here are a few updates for you to do just that! 

Christmas Sunday

Christmas is right around the corner! Join us on Sunday, December 22nd for our special Christmas Sunday.

We’ll be celebrating the birth of Jesus with songs, a special GRACEkids performance, and Christmas treats before the service. (Come early to enjoy the coffee and refreshments!)

Invite your friends and family to join us as we celebrate the birth of our Savior on Christmas Sunday and Christmas Eve! Invitations will be available this Sunday for you to take and share.

Christmas eve

candlelight service

Celebrate our Savior’s birth with us again on Christmas Eve from 6PM to 7PM for our annual Candlelight Service.

This service will also include a time of worship, a GRACEkids performance, and more!

Invite your friends and family! Invitations will be available this Sunday for you to take and share.

Office closed

The church office will be closed for the holidays from Christmas Eve to January 1st.

Feel free to contact the pastors during this time as they will still be working!

relay: a sovereign GRACE cONFERENCE FOR YOUNG adults

The RELAY Conference exists to inspire young adults to live for the glory of Christ.

Be praying for the handful of people from our church who will be attending the Relay Conference from January 2nd to January 4th!

FORGE

The next FORGE meeting is on Saturday, January 11th from 8AM to 11AM. Bring your teen sons and your friends. All men are invited!

FORGE speaks into the lives of men regarding the church, family, work, and leisure.

For more information, contact Derek Overstreet.

woven

You are invited to join us for the upcoming WOVEN Brunch event on Saturday, January 18th, from 10AM to 12:30PM.

WOVEN is a ministry for ALL women in ALL seasons, woven into God and with each other.

If you would like more details, please reach out to Tom Wilkins.

child dedication

Our next Child Dedication will be on Sunday, January 19th!

If you would like to dedicate your child, please reach out to Tom Wilkins.

To learn more about Child Dedications at Sovereign Grace Church, check out Pastor Derek’s blog post about them HERE!

eastside community group

Our Eastside Community Group is preparing to launch sometime in January or February!

If you are interested in learning more about this Community Group, please contact Derek Overstreet.

marriage small group

Our next Marriage Small Group starts February 7th! More details to come.

If you and your spouse would like to participate in this small group, please reach out to Tom Wilkins.

There are many facets to our life as a church! Our hope is that these posts will enable you to plan, pray, and ultimately rejoice in what the Lord is doing at Sovereign Grace Church. Here are a few updates for you to do just that! 

Forge is this saturday!

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5TH.
BREAKFAST WILL BE SERVED AT 8AM.

Erik Rangel, who serves as the senior pastor at the Sovereign Grace Church in Yuma (Legacy Church), will be coming to teach the men in our church how the bible speaks to men about sexual temptation.

Bring your teen sons and your friends. All men are invited!

For more information, contact Derek Overstreet.

New sermon series - COLOSSIANS: ALIVE IN CHRIST

We are excited to study the book of Colossians as a church starting THIS Sunday, October 6th.

If you haven’t yet received your free copy of the Colossians ESV Scripture Journal, you can pick one up at the Information Center on Sunday morning.

The Bridge Course

There are TWO Bridge Courses starting on Tuesday, October 8th! One of the courses will be meeting at the Church and the other at Coffee X Change Bistro on the Eastside at Tanque Verde & Kolb. 

Do you have one person you can invite? Now is the time to take action! 

For a list of the questions and topics for each session, go to BridgeCourse.org. If you want to get involved or learn more, contact Tim Lambros.

relay: a sovereign GRACE cONFERENCE FOR YOUNG adults

The RELAY Conference exists to inspire young adults to live for the glory of Christ.

If you are between the ages of 16 to early 30’s, please join us for a brief meeting on Sunday, October 13th, after the service to discuss the RELAY CONFERENCE. Derek will provide a breakdown of the costs and share other helpful details about this exciting event. We'd love to have you join us!

For more details and registration information, visit the RELAY SITE HERE.

Membership Class

SUNDAYS, OCT 13TH, OCT 20TH, OCT 27TH, AND NOV 3RD AFTER THE SUNDAY MORNING SERVICE.

If you are interested in becoming a member or learning more about Sovereign Grace Church, please join us for the upcoming Membership Class!

Childcare and lunch will be provided.

To sign up, please reach out to Tom Wilkins or visit the Information Center on Sunday morning.

gifts of the spirit weekend with

mark prater

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18TH, FROM 7PM-9PM & SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19TH, FROM 9AM-2PM.

Join us as we allow the Scriptures to inform us about the gifts God gives his people through the Spirit!

Lunch and childcare will be provided on Saturday.

To sign up or find out more about this event, please CLICK HERE.

SG YOUTH teaching

Pray for the youth as they kick off the first teaching of the year on October 20th!

This year, Derek will be taking the youth through a five-part series titled, CAPTURE:
October 20th - The Greatness of God
December 1st - The Significance of Truth
January 26th - The Beauty of Holiness
February 23rd - The Centrality of Love
April 27th - The Value of Ambition

Pray that God uses this series to reach the hearts of the students and also pray for Derek as he prepares for these teachings.

sovereign grace pastors conference

Please pray for your pastors and their wives as they travel to Orlando, Florida to attend the Sovereign Grace Pastors Conference from November 5th through the 7th.

Invitation sunday

SAVE THE DATE! Sunday, November 17th is our first Invitation Sunday/Community event.

This is a Church-wide focus on inviting friends, neighbors, or anyone else to join us for church and then a BBQ following the service.

More details to come!

Leadership Training - Part 1

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23RD

This free training is open to everyone—men, women, youth, friends, and anyone who wants to grow in their understanding of biblical leadership.

More details will be coming soon! If you're interested in attending this event, please sign up below, and we'll send you the details as they become available.

SIGN UP HERE!

We believe the gifts of the Spirit have continued. Therefore, we are continuationists and this is significant! But we are affirming more than simply that they have continued. Our conviction is that the gifts have continued for the glory of Jesus Christ, the good of His church, and Gospel hope for the world. 

What exactly are we affirming?

Regarding “The Gifts of the Spirit,” our Statement of Faith says: 

“Christ loves the church, his body, and provides for its health and growth through the Holy Spirit. In addition to giving new life, the Spirit sovereignly bestows gifts on every believer. Spiritual gifts are those abilities and expressions of God’s power given by his grace for the glory of Christ and the building up of the church. …The gifts are not to be exercised with apprehension, pride, or disorder, but with faith, love, and order, and always in submission to the authority of Scripture as the final revelation of God.  With the exception of those among the apostles who were commissioned as eyewitnesses of Christ and made recipients of normative revelation, the full range of spiritual gifts remain at work in the church and are given for the good of the church and its witness to the world. We are therefore to earnestly desire and practice them until Christ returns." 

This is our conviction. 

Why do we affirm this? 

We believe the scriptures teach this. Some reading this are new to the topic of “the gifts of the Holy Spirit.” Maybe your church background held another view doctrinally or you previously experienced a very limited expression of the gifts. Some have witnessed the misuse of the gifts. The Apostle Paul addresses this in the Corinthian church but instructs them regarding the orderly use of the gifts in their gathering, and, surprisingly, he urges them to pursue and “earnestly desire the spiritual gifts.” (1 Corinthians 12-14). Without minimizing our experience, our conviction must be objectively grounded in the scriptures. 

At times, we will have questions, yet at the same time, we earnestly desire the gifts of the Holy Spirit and their practice in our church. This is why we teach on this, and this is why we are having our Gifts of the Holy Spirit Weekend with Mark Prater - Friday, October 18th, from 7-9pm, and Saturday, October 19th from 9am-2pm. PLEASE SIGN UP!

We are asking you to join us and pray that during this weekend we will be further equipped by the word of God and that we will experience the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit as we earnestly pursue the gifts of His Spirit.

---

From our Statement of Faith, the following is a robust list of the foundational scriptures on this topic: 

John 16:4-15
Ephesians 4:7-8, 13-16
Ephesians 5:25-27
1 Corinthians 12:7, 11
1 Corinthians 14:26
Ephesians 4:12
Romans 12:6-8
1 Corinthians 12:4-11, 28-30
1 Peter 4:10-11
Ephesians 4:11-12
1 Corinthians 12:21-26
1 Corinthians 14:1; 13:1-3; 14:33
1 Thessalonians 5:19-21
1 Corinthians 14:29
2 Timothy 3:16
Revelation 22:18-19
Acts 1:20-26
John 14:26; 15:27; 16:13-15
1 Corinthians 14:37
Galatians 1:11-20
Revelation 21:14
1 Corinthians 1:7; 12:31; 13:8-12; 14:1, 12

There are many facets to our life as a church! Our hope is that these posts will enable you to plan, pray, and ultimately rejoice in what the Lord is doing at Sovereign Grace Church. Here are a few updates for you to do just that! 

GRACEKIDS: ELEMENTARY CLASs

Summer break is coming to an end, which means the GRACEkids Elementary Class (grades 1st-5th) will be starting back up soon!

The first Elementary Class of the new GRACEkids year will be on Sunday, September 8th! This will also be the Sunday the 1st graders will graduate from the Preschoolers Class and move to the Elementary Class.

If you have any questions, please contact
John & Joelle McCauley.

church Family Meeting

Mark your calendars for an important and exciting Church Family Meeting on Sunday Evening, September 29th, at 5:30 PM, where we will unpack what our mission will look like in 2024-2025!

Dinner will be provided. Children and guests are welcome to join us.

Membership Class

If you are interested in becoming a member or learning more about Sovereign Grace Church, information about joining the Membership Class in October will be coming soon.

Forge is back!

Saturday, October 5th. Breakfast will be served at 8 AM.

Erik Rangel, who serves as the senior pastor at the Sovereign Grace Church in Yuma (Legacy Church), will be coming to teach the men in our church how the bible speaks to men about sexual temptation.

For more information, contact Derek Overstreet.

New sermon series - COLOSSIANS: ALIVE IN CHRIST

We are excited to study the book of Colossians as a church starting in October!

Be on the lookout for your free copy of the Colossians ESV Scripture Journal that will be available in a few weeks.

gifts of the spirit weekend with

mark prater

NEW dates for the GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT WEEKEND are Friday, October 18th, from 7PM-9PM & Saturday, October 19th, from 9AM-2PM !

Join us as we allow the Scriptures to inform us about the gifts God gives his people through the Spirit!

To sign up or find out more about this exciting event, please CLICK HERE.

relay: a sovereign GRACE cONFERENCE FOR YOUNG adults

The RELAY Conference exists to inspire young adults to live for the glory of Christ.

While the conference is aimed at college students and young adults (18-25 years old), as well as their leaders, they welcome high school students ages 16-17 and those in their late 20s or 30s. We don’t have strict age limits.

For more details and registration information, visit the RELAY SITE HERE.

You may have noticed that we have been singing some new songs on Sunday mornings (songs like “Sing” and “All Things”).

These songs were early releases of Sovereign Grace Music’s newest album titled “Knowing God” which was released today! These songs are rich in good theology, but as Bob Kauflin (Leader of Sovereign Grace Music) reminds us, “good theology always leads to glad doxology.” We encourage you to listen and get to know these songs, not simply because we will sing many of them as a church, but so that these truths will lead us to joyful praise and adoration for God and His Gospel. 

Here is a brief description of the album from Sovereign Grace Music:

“2023 marked the 50th anniversary of J.I. Packer’s classic book, Knowing God. What originated as a series of magazine articles has become a tool that God has used to shape, deepen, and ignite the theology of five decades of Christians. 

So the Sovereign Grace Music songwriters set out to write and record an album of songs based on Packer’s book. First, it would be an opportunity to highlight how God has used Knowing God to make theology not only accessible but delightful. Second, we knew Packer’s book would be a rich resource for songs that connect the head and the heart. Third, we hoped it would cause those who have never read it to do so, and stir those who have already read it to read it again! Finally, good theology always leads to glad doxology. Knowing God isn’t simply a book to read. It’s songs waiting to be sung.

…in early 2022, we began writing them. It would be an overwhelming task to try to write a song for each of the twenty-two chapters, and it would also make for an excessively long album. Instead, we based our songs on sentences, paragraphs, or chapters that inspired us. Sometimes the connection was obvious. Other times, Packer’s words served as a springboard for articulating related themes.”

Links to Listen or Download
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYdnaVTk3ydFMs7Sb46QNoDadRsHWkYdj
Bandcamp: https://sovereigngracemusic.bandcamp.com/album/knowing-god
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/6kFQYERknrmQg2N7cnGpKg

To stay up to date on album releases and more, you can follow Sovereign Grace Music on Instagram @sovgracemusic.

There are many facets to our life as a church! Our hope is that these posts will enable you to plan, pray, and ultimately rejoice in what the Lord is doing at Sovereign Grace Church. Here are a few updates for you to do just that! 

Sermons in the psalms: Volume 2

As the sermon series “Christ in the Chaos: The Book of Judges” is coming to an end in a few weeks, we are excited to announce that we will be going through the book of Psalms again this summer in the “Sermons in the Psalms: Volume 2” sermon series starting in July!

GRACEKIDS: ELEMENTARY CLASS SUMMER BREAK

It's that time of year again when the GRACEkids Elementary class takes a break for the summer! The Children’s Ministry classes for this group (grades 1st - 5th) will take a break during July and August and will start back up on the first Sunday in September. 

If you have any questions, please contact John & Joelle McCauley.

regional youth retreat

Last year SGYouth and the SGYouth leaders had a great time being with other Sovereign Grace Churches youth groups at the SGC West Region Youth Retreat.

SGYouth has the wonderful opportunity of joining the other churches again for a multi-church youth retreat July 12th through the 15th! The theme this year is “Jesus is better”!

If you would like more information on this Youth Retreat, you can contact Jon Lambros.

gifts of the spirit weekend with

mark prater

NEW dates for the GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT WEEKEND are Friday, October 18th, from 7PM-9PM & Saturday, October 19th, from 9AM-2PM !

Join us as we allow the Scriptures to inform us about the gifts God gives his people through the Spirit!

To sign up or find out more about this exciting event, please CLICK HERE.

relay: a sovereign grace young adults conference

The RELAY Conference exists to inspire young adults to live for the glory of Christ.

While the conference is aimed at college students and young adults (18-25 years old), as well as their leaders, they welcome high school students ages 16-17 and those in their late 20s or 30s. We don’t have strict age limits.

Early Bird registration is open until June 30th!

For more details and registration information, visit the RELAY SITE HERE.

Have you ever come to the Gathering on Sunday morning and not really felt like singing? If you are like me, then your answer is yes. I’ve been leading worship for over 14 years (meaning I probably enjoy and think about singing more often than most), and yet I can often come on Sundays and be far less excited about singing than I should be. 

The reality is that we should be far more anticipatory about singing together when we gather. But too often, we aren’t. We approach those precious 25 minutes more informed by our feelings than the God who created us, redeemed us, and offers this incredible means of grace called singing. 

Have you ever thought (or said) something like this on a Sunday morning?
It’s been a tough week, I’m not really in the mood to sing.
My morning has been chaotic with the kids... I need a break. 
I’m weary from sin or trial in my life… I don’t feel like singing… I don’t feel worthy to sing.
Singing isn’t really my thing… I worship God in other ways.
I have a horrible voice… I don’t want people to hear me sing.
These songs aren’t really my preference…. so I’m not going to sing.
The band doesn’t sound very good today… so I’m not singing. 

Because sin still exists in the world, it is not uncommon for us to experience these struggles on any given Sunday morning. None of us are immune. But the question is, what do we do when we don’t feel like singing? 

I want to encourage us to do something radical: Sing! 

Not because you feel like it.
Not because you like the song selection.
Not even simply because God commands it in His word.

Sing because it reminds you (and others) of the Gospel truths we so easily forget (Colossians 3:16) 
Sing because He is sustaining you in that very moment (Psalm 55:22)
Sing because He offers you an unending well of grace in your time of need (Hebrews 4:16)
Sing because He has triumphed over sin and redeemed you (Psalm 71:23)
Sing because He will come back again and bring you safely home (John 14:1-3)
Sing because it’s what we are going to get to do for an eternity together (Revelation 15:3-4)

You’ll be amazed at what the Lord will do when we trust Him, obey Him, and sing. 

As you head to the Gathering this Sunday, consider the following from Bob Kauflin (Leader of Sovereign Grace Music). 

“Confess your weakness, confess your inability, ask God to reveal his glory to you in Jesus Christ, and start singing the truths of God’s word. Most likely, it won’t be too long before your perspective changes, and you’re not thinking about whether you feel like singing anymore. You’ll be thinking about how worthy Jesus is to receive the praises of his people.”

So, brothers and sisters, sing because our Savior is worthy to receive the praises of His blood-bought church.  

We have the joy of singing a new song this Sunday called (you guessed it) Sing! It reminds us of this truth: Sinners, redeemed by a faithful God have every reason to sing. In fact, we must sing. Listen below!

I can’t wait to see you at the Gathering this Sunday and SING.