December 16, 2011
Dear Backstage Family:
This has been quite a week! Last weekend our worship ministries presented the powerful Christmas concert called “Comfort And Joy”. I feel like this was our “best ever!” Christmas celebration! If you were there you know that the music was terrific and powerful. We say a big “Thank You!” to everyone who has been involved in any way with this production.
Cornerstone Brass This Weekend
This weekend we are celebrating Christmas in our weekend worship services with some tremendous music and a message. We welcome The Cornerstone Brass, a group of five men who are sharing their special musical gifts with us with a mini-concert of beautiful Christmas music. Cornerstone was with us last year and did such a tremendous job, we invited them return this year to participate in our Christmas Celebrations! I will be sharing a message I have entitled “Christmas Checklist”. In this message we will be focusing on five very important questions that will help us to really make sure we are prepared to celebrate the birthday of our Savior. Please join us for a time of tremendous worship and celebration of the birth of our Savior. If for some reason you are unable to attend this weekend, remember our services are available online at www.thegraceplace.com/live.
Christmas Offering
This weekend of December 17,18 we are receiving our annual Christmas Offering. Several of our families are making matching funds contributions. That means if you donate a dollar they donate a dollar. That also means your contribution will have double the financial impact through this very special offering. The purpose of this offering addresses two areas of tremendous opportunity for us as a church. They are:
Because of your faithful support, The Grace Place has been able to minister to thousands of people this year – not only in Stuart, but around the world. This is all possible because of your prayers and support by investing your talents and finances in ministry through our church. Please identify your gift as “Christmas Offering” on your check, giving envelope, or online at www.thegraceplace.com/giving. Thank you!
Christmas Eve Services
On Christmas Eve we are going to celebrate Christmas with the most beautiful and moving Christmas Eve Candlelight and Communion services we have ever had. This is your best opportunity to invite your seeking friends to join you in church. In these services I am going to share the Gospel message in the clearest way I know how, so do not miss this opportunity to be used by God to bring a seeking friend to the Savior. We are offering four Candlelight and Communion services. We generally have full-house responses to all four services, so plan to be here early. The service times are 3:30 p.m., 5:00 p.m., 6:30 p.m., and 8:00 p.m. We are advertising this service through television ads, direct mail, newspaper ads, etc. We believe that Christmas Eve is a time when many seekers will pause for a moment and think about the things associated with God. Make plans to join us as we celebrate the birth of our Savior and the King of the Earth!! On Christmas Day, Sunday December 25 th, we are having one worship service at 11:00 a.m. This service will be a fifth Candlelight Service, so plan to join us for one of these five services on either Christmas Eve or on Christmas Sunday morning.
Growth Track
In January we are introducing The Grace Place 2.0 with a brand new Growth Track. Beginning January 8 th at 1:00 p.m. we will be offering these new classes:
In each class we will have a light lunch and the classes will be over by 2:15 p.m. In February these classes will be offered on the first through the fourth Sunday of the month and will be offered each month thereafter. You do not have to take the classes in one four week period and you can begin at any step in the process. You do not have to sign up for a class – just show up!
The Growth track is a very important part of our discipleship process. We believe there are four things that we must do if we are going to be a growing Christ-follower:
If you will make those commitments in 2012 we will guarantee that you will grow in your walk with Jesus and He will begin to use you in a powerful way that will influence others to become Christ-followers too.
End of Year Giving
You still have time to make an end of year tax-deductible contribution of cash, securities or real estate. Over the years your end of the year giving has enabled us to end our year in the financial black, and those contributions this year are very important in helping The Grace Place end this year financially strong. There has never been a time in my nearly 33 years of serving as a pastor when there were so many people looking to the church for help. Without your consistent financial support, we are not able to assist the way we know all of us would like to be able to. We ask you to make giving to The Grace Place a top priority because we believe God is using our church to powerfully impact the lives of hundreds of seekers each week. Would you please do the following:
Many times you can eliminate paying a capital gains tax on an investment and get the full donation benefits as well. For information on the increased tax benefits of these kinds of donations, please contact our Director of Finance, Suzanne Adams at 287-6388 or email her at suzanneadams@thegraceplace.com .
Just A Click Away
Remember our website is just a few clicks away and you can use our many online services as well at www.thegraceplace.com. You can find most of the information you need about our church and ministries. You can watch our services via live streaming video at www.thegraceplace.com/live, view previous weekend services in their entirety at www.thegraceplace.com/archives, make online donations at www.thegraceplace.com/giving, and sign up for upcoming events and activities. Please take advantage of this tremendous resource.
I trust you have a wonderful Christmas Holiday season and we will look forward to seeing you in church this weekend in Celebration and worship! If you are out of town, remember you can be a part of our internet church via www.thegraceplace.com/live at any of the regularly scheduled worship times!
Pastor Rick
Email – rickaddison@thegraceplace.com
FaceBook – www.facebook.com/rick.addison
Twitter – RickAddison
Numbers That Matter…
Kudos To…..
Did You Know?.....
Pray for….
Missions:
Outreach ministries-
Pray for our missionaries –
Email rdwray@fastmail.fm
International Institute for Christian Studies www.iics.com Email mccaind@gmail.com
Email oprest@ywambolivia.com
Growth Track – Be A Part of The Grace Place
THE GROWTH TRACK IS COMPLETE WHEN YOU JOIN OR START A MINISTRY TEAM.
All classes begin at approximately 12:45 with a light lunch and conclude by 2:15.
Coming Up…..
FUSION – Adult Singles –
Saturday, Dec. 17 – Christmas Dinner – call for location
Saturday, Dec. 24 – Christmas Eve service at The Grace Place
Saturday, Dec. 31 – Blast Show at Kravis Center
For information contact Jud Costas (772) 626-1694 or Kathy Costas at (561) 248-6909
Christmas Eve Services – We need you help! Greeters, ushers, parking lot help, - we need lots of extra hands for the Christmas events. If you can give us a few hours, please register at the table in the lobby this weekend.
40 Days in the Word - New Home Groups – We are setting up new home groups that will begin in February 2012 for a 6 weeks study of “40 Days In The Word”. If you would like to host or facilitate a home group, please pick up a registration form at the Welcome Desk this weekend.
Christmas At The Grace Place
Saturday, Dec. 17th at 6:00pm and Sunday, Dec. 18 th at 9:00 & 11:00am
Special musical guests – Cornerstone Brass
Saturday, Dec. 24th at 3:30, 5:00, 6:30 and 8:00pm
Christmas Eve Candlelight Communion Services
Celebrate the birth of our Savior with a beautiful candlelight service. Childcare ages 5 and under only
Sunday, December 25 th – 11:00am Candlelight Communion service
