Letting Go

"It's time. Let go. It will be okay."

Hmmm . . . that wasn't the answer I had anticipated. 

I'd committed myself to praying over something until God gave a clear answer. For awhile I thought God wasn't answering; this was a season of waiting. But I soon learned I just wasn't listening well. My stubbornness and pride were too loud to sense the Spirit's leading.

My answer came in an Elijah-esque fashion.         

"Then the LORD said, 'Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord. Behold, the Lord is about to pass by.' And a great and mighty wind tore into the mountains and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a still, small voice.  " 1 Kings 19:11-12

Like Elijah's story in 1 Kings, I found myself in a desert place. God had just shown me his amazing power to provide and bring victory in some big ways. But I was physically and emotionally spent - like a runner who pushes past the finish line victoriously, only to stumble and fall. 

In my weakness I kept trying to push forward, up the mountain to get a better view. Maybe I could see what God was doing up there. I wasn't giving up! Like Elijah, God met me there. But he had to get my attention first. He had to compel me to listen.

First, came the mighty wind, cold and shocking. Next, came the earthquake, unsettling and scary. Then, came the fire. It was painful to say the least. Now God had my attention! 

What followed was a long period of silence - almost deafening, it was so quiet. I waited. I prayed. I sought wise, trusted counsel. I waited and listened some more. I learned to embrace the quiet. Then came the still small voice.

"It's time. Let go. It will be okay."

"But God, you don't mean . . . no, really?"

"It's time. Let go. It will be okay."

"But what about this? What about that? Who will . . . ?"

"It's time. Let go. It will be okay."

"How will I know if I'm hearing you right? What if this is wrong? Am I just giving up? Why now?"

"Trust me, child. It's time. Let go. It will be okay."

" . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ok, here goes . . . . I trust you. I'll let go."

I'm not sure what I expected to happen. A free fall? Everything to come crumbling down? Instead, I was met with the most amazing sense of peace. I'm not sure I have ever experienced peace quite like this! 

You might be wondering, what was this big thing you were praying about? What has God asked you to let go of?

Well, it’s kind of hard to say it. I really cannot believe I am saying it, but the Lord has led so clearly that it is time for me to end my time on staff here at the church. I’m letting you all know I have handed in my resignation and my last day will be September 17th . . . . Yup, that was hard to say!

I don't understand it, or the timing. I don't have any idea what God is leading me to next. I just know he is leading me out of my role here at Grace. And when God speaks as loudly (or softly) as he did, who am I to argue?

Honestly, stepping away will take as much courage as it took to step into my role. But, this peace . . . there's nothing like it!

Let me express my gratitude to you, the church. Over the past nine years on staff, I have been stretched and challenged. I have grown and developed in ways I never would have anticipated. You all have been so kind, loving, encouraging and supportive. I have been blessed to serve alongside you for the sake of God's kingdom. Thank you for all your prayers, kind and caring words, and love! My family looks forward to worshipping and serving with you each week, just in a different way.

To the staff, leaving you is hard. Thank you for your friendship, partnership, acceptance, laughter, and love. Whether we have served together for a lot or a little, I appreciate each of you. I will continue to pray for you, that God would lead and empower you in your kingdom work. 

Sorry, I know I'm getting a bit sappy here.  But truly, I have been so blessed and I don't want my leaving to be the focus. God is moving! His plans and his timing are perfect! I have complete confidence that he will lead and provide, even as he leads me away. 

I heard this phrase in a song on the radio that just seemed to sum up how I'm feeling about this change: "Not giving up. I'm giving in to what you've planned, for your glory."

I love you, Grace! See you Sunday!

For His glory,

Juli Dirks

An Old Injury

Hi, everyone! It’s Will again. I have really enjoyed these first months (almost 2 months) being part of the church and the pastoral team at Grace! We are so glad God has brought us here. Our kids just started school this week and that has been super fun.

In the moving process, I started having some pain in my left foot, did the stereotypical guy thing, and ignored it, thinking it would just resolve itself after moving was done. For a little backstory, I did break my tibia and fibula at the same time dislocating my ankle during an ill-advised rugby game during college. A group of students coordinated to pull all the fire alarms on campus at 1:30 AM at Moody Bible Institute where I attended. So why wouldn’t you play some rugby while waiting for the fire department to clear the dorms… Well, the bad idea part of it was playing in a grassy yard near a sidewalk. I will spare you the details of that, but, needless to say, I am used to some soreness in my left foot/ankle because of that injury. This new pain was worse than normal but I was busy on my feet working at Miracle Camp and was hauling boxes to a storage unit and loading trucks after hours. 

Everything seemed to line up that this was a temporary pain from overdoing it until a few weeks into working in the office at church it still hadn’t gone away and had maybe gotten worse. Wearing sandals was the only thing that brought any relief. I had to admit that it was bigger than resolving itself with rest and set up a doctor’s appointment. I did a little poking around on the internet as we all do now and got a little concerned because the evidence was pointing to a Morton's Neuroma. If you have no interest in googling that in layman’s terms it is a clump of nerve cells in the foot that get aggravated and it can become a chronic pain issue. My doctor confirmed that this was the case. I was honestly hoping that I had just broken a bone, the healing process is much more definitive for that. 

That leads me to why I would even share about a relatively small medical issue I am having. The issue itself is in the grand scheme of health issues is not that big of a deal. It’s not life-threatening but it is somewhat life-altering. I am sharing this to share how this is making me feel. I am honestly more discouraged about this than I should be. It is making me think diverse thoughts about things like “how much will I be able to play actively with my kids'' and “how hard will it be for me to stay healthy exercising?” It is making me feel a little down because I am feeling age creep up on me and give me unavoidable hindrances to what “I wanna do.” Now I know that some of you older than me or with much harder to manage health conditions are thinking “this guy has no idea” and you are right, I know I don’t have it bad. But this highlights one of the great benefits of having a community, having people around you that know you, and even positive peer pressure. Knowing some of you and the real health issues that some of you have to deal with keeps my pity for myself in check, if I were more isolated there is the chance that my issue leads me to think too much about myself and see it as much bigger than it is. I also have already received some good advice about how to manage this from a brother here at church that deals with the same issue. I wanted to share my little life episode with all of you hoping that if you don’t yet see the value in connecting closely with other believers that you will consider giving it a try. Part of the ministry of our Community Life Groups is for us each to have people at church that know us well, know how to encourage us when we are a little down, and share life’s ups and downs together. Building trust, sharing small things like what I did today can be the avenue to caring for people really well when something big happens.

Community Life Groups are so important because to have people that we feel free sharing not just the medical issue we are having, but how it’s making us feel usually only happens when we have people we really trust to share with. This usually only happens when we know them well and have spent significant time with them. If any of you are wondering why I am so consistently shameless in plugging Community Life Groups here at church it really is because I deeply believe that they are that valuable and worthy of every mention I can give them. Thanks for listening!

Will Regier

Pastor of Connection and Care

"They Will Run and Not Grow Weary"

“Do you not know?

Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God,

The Creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary

And His understanding not one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary

And increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary,

And young men stumble and fall, 

But those who hope in the Lord

Will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles,

They will run and not grow weary,

They will walk and not be faint.”

Isaiah 40:28-31

I was walking across the back field, as winded as can be.  I had been sick for the past few days.  I couldn’t believe how run down I felt.  While I was bent over trying to catch my breath, my dream from the night before popped into my head.  In my dream, I had been running...for miles and miles.  I didn’t feel the least bit winded. It felt great, like I could just run forever.  Then God brought to mind this verse…”They will run and not grow weary”.   

My condition at the moment was such a stark contrast to what I experienced in my dream.  It made me realize how dependent I should be on God.  He will renew my strength.  I will walk and not be faint.  In my times of weariness, when things of this world feel like an immeasurable weight on my back, I can put my hope in the Lord.  He is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth.  Even at that moment when my legs were weak, I felt the joy of knowing the strength God gives us.  I could not help but smile.

When I have an argument with a loved one, I will take a moment, step back, and remember who I put my hope in.  When I feel like I can’t take my daughters to any more doctor appointments, I will think about how it will feel to “run and not grow weary”.  When I start to worry about what the world will be like for our offspring, I will pray that God will give “strength to the weary and increase the power of the weak”.

Thank you Lord for giving me such a tangible way to feel your love, now and forever.  Amen.

Do you feel weary sometimes?  Are the stresses of this life a weight that has you out of breath?  Consider Isaiah 40 this week that reminds you to put “your hope in the Lord”, for He will “renew your strength”.

-Amy Thompson

Wait I Say Wait!

Psalm 62

I know some of you know me only by name, and others have met me and talked to me, and some of you know a little more about me because you have known me for other things in previous years.  No matter how well you know me I just wanted to share with you a little bit about my family's  journey to Grace and what I learned in the process. 

A little over six years ago the Lord laid on my heart that we were to move to Minnesota from Kansas to live out our faith up there and touch lives he put in our path.  It was a hard word to receive at that time and even harder to say yes to and go.

I would like to say that it was all great and fine but that is not the case.  There were good things that seemed to be in line with what we thought it would be but there were things that happened and results seen that were not even close to what we thought the move would be.  We had hoped that we would have an impact on family and acquaintances up there that would show fruit or transformation of lives but that was not the case. What we did get is signs of hearts softening and a little crack appearing where light had not been able to get through before.  We saw God move in some lives and not in others. We built relationships that will last and others that were for a season. But that is the way God works, He draws us in and out of relationships, stages of life, and places in order to shape us, use us, teach and grow us.

About ten months ago God released us to move if we so desired. We were ready to move back to Kansas and here we are.

 The move back has had a drastically different feel and progression than did the move to Minnesota. When we moved there we knew that God had directed us to go there for a purpose but the time was undetermined. The move back was a choice that we decided to make after we felt released by God that we had done what He had sent us there to do.  So Susan and I decided that’s what we would do, move back to Kansas. We knew that if we wanted to do this with the approval and blessing of God we needed to give it to Him and allow Him to direct it. We chose to claim Proverbs 16:9 “In his heart a man plans his course and the Lord establishes his steps”

When we gave it to God it started a sequence of steps that we had never imagined. Not only did God start setting the steps but he began to teach and grow us.

As we were allowing God to direct and lead us we would tell ourselves that we must wait on God, we need to be still and wait on the Lord, but that was hard to follow.  Personally I kept trying to find a job and a house to no avail. I would tell others and myself that I was waiting on the Lord but I would not let Him have it. Everything I pressed in on and pursued just became either a shut door or and or something that fell apart. Then Susan heard that waiting on the Lord was not passive but active.  Not active in the sense that we need to knock on doors or run down leads it means that there are set things we should do when we are waiting on the Lord.

I came to realize that I knew these things but they were the things that are so common and were taught so many times throughout my life that they became mundane and pressed to the back of my priority list.

I learned that waiting means a myriad of things.

When we are waiting on the Lord we are to: 

        -Be still (in our hearts/spirit) and look to Him on high.

        -Wait and trust God’s timing.

        -Wait and trust God’s goodness.

        -Wait by taking the right actions:    

        -Humble ourselves before God.

        -Pray.

        -Read. (The Bible and writings of others)

        -Be expectant.

        -Be patient.

        -Be hopeful.

        -Wait and learn to be content.

These are all things that I have known but let life get in the way of.  They are great for waiting on God but they are also good for everyday life.  If you are like me, I am always trying to get ahead of God because I am impatient and like to control my own decisions and direction.  

Waiting is hard because I feel like I'm not doing anything. John Piper says that to us waiting is wasting but to God waiting is working.

I am going to try and remember this the next time I am asked to wait on God.  I challenge you to wait actively and not passively.  

“If the Lord Jehovah makes us wait, let us do so with our whole hearts: for blessed are all they that wait for Him. He is worth waiting for.  The waiting itself is beneficial to us: it tries faith, exercises patience, trains submission, and endears the blessing when it comes.  The Lord’s people have always been a waiting people.- Charles Spurgeon

Pastor Sean

Resensitize

I love song writing!  I haven’t written any songs that are well suited for corporate worship. No, my songs are more like sermons.  I love creatively expressing my experiences, my convictions, and my passions through songs!  It’s cathartic and it’s fulfilling.  I’ve only shared my songs a few times since moving to Newton 7 years ago, but I’m looking forward to sharing them again on Friday night, August 13th in the worship center.  We’re calling it “Songs and Stories” as I’ll be sharing about each song before playing it.  To whet your appetite a little, I want to share a little about a song I wrote called “Resensitize”.

This song largely came about as I reflected on my own heart, and how I was growing used to hearing people use the Lord’s name without actually talking about Him.  I used to cringe when I heard people say “Jesus” or “God” in frustration or anger.  I didn’t like that I was used to it, and asked God to work in my heart to bring me back to a place where I once again was disturbed by the misuse of God’s name.  While I wasn’t tempted to misuse the Lord’s name myself, I still felt like I was losing something.  The world bombards us consistently with propaganda telling us how we should think and act, but I want to be shaped by the Holy Spirit and by God’s word.  I don’t want to be desensitized; I want to be resensitized by the Holy Spirit.  This song is somewhat of a prayer when I see that I’m getting comfortable with the world around me, and finding that my heart is becoming calloused.

Resensitize

When did I get so desensitized to all around me

How do I get back to where I once was before

Cause I used to be offended by the things I’d see

But now nothing seems to phase this calloused heart

And I know, I need You now, to resensitize me

I’m surrounded by a culture that is slowly fading

Trying not to be sucked in, but it keeps pulling

All this propaganda telling me to tolerate

It keeps numbing my conscience

And I know, I need You now to resensitize me

Desensitized by all these lies

Open my eyes and make me wise

And now I see, and realize

That I need to be resensitized

I love you church!  I’ll be out of town this Sunday and Andy Friesen will be leading worship.  I’m looking forward to being back next Sunday!

-Pastor Kyle

Working Out Your Salvation

“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed - not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence – continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” Phil 2:12-13 NIV

This verse may seem to suggest that salvation requires works. Indeed, it is sometimes used by those who believe thus.  Later in his same letter to the Philippians, Paul rejects any such teaching. Phil. 3:2-11.  Even a casual reading of scripture produces many verses that do not support that idea (Jn 5:24, 6:37, 2 Cor. 5:21, Eph. 2:4-9, etc.).  So, what does it mean to work out your salvation?

Paul did not say to “work for” your salvation.  Instead, you are to “work out” your salvation, that is, put into practice in your daily living the things that the Holy Spirit is producing in your life as a result of God already having saved you. It is focused on what we are to do with our salvation.  God worked in your life to even give you the will to surrender to him and now we are to produce fruit for his purposes.  

Another way of saying this might be; if your salvation is real, then you should be serving God with your actions.  There are two parables that Jesus gave that support this idea of God expecting a return for his work in your life.  In the “gift of talents” parable (Matt. 25:14-30) the owner (God) clearly expects a profit in return for the talents given.  And in the “parable of the ten minas” (Luke 19:13-27) God is the investor.  He gave the same amount to each one, who then were judged on the gain they produced with His gift. 

So, how are you doing?  Have you found your place of service to “work out your salvation”?  Check out the board in the foyer for opportunities to do just that. 

Serving God this way is not drudgery but is an act of worship with gratitude in your heart for what He has done in your life. Being within the will of God in this manner brings fellowship with the Spirit, feelings of fulfillment and joy of heart. For those of you who have already found your spot, you know what I am talking about. May God continue to bless you greatly as you serve Him.

Allen Graber, Elder

Change That Changes Me

"When you are walking with the Lord, change is always in your favor."

I can't remember where I heard this quote, but it stuck with me . . . literally. I mean, I put it on a sticky note (which is how I manage in life). Every once in a while I glance at it and mull it over. It's really a comforting thought.

Life is always full of change, but it seems the last couple of years has brought an abundance of it. When I'd feel upset, uncomfortable, or overwhelmed by the change coming my way this thought would draw me back to a healthy perspective.

"When you are walking with the Lord . . . " That's really the key! God is unchanging, which is a great, anchoring truth and helps me keep my focus when change feels like chaos. As I stay in tune with him, in line with his Word and his way, I can trust that this change is under his supervision. Whether he planned it or allowed it, he's promised he's using it for my good and his purposes (Romans 8:28). This reminds me to strive to keep my connection with Jesus strong and consistent. He will strengthen me through the uncomfortable uncertainty of change when I'm devoting myself to his way (2 Chron. 16:9a, one of my favorites).

". . . change is always in your favor" - I love this part! I know I can trust that whatever purpose God has for the change, it will be for my benefit. He will grow and mature me, especially if I cooperate with him instead of complaining, arguing or resisting (Romans 5:3-4, Philippians 1:6).

This doesn't necessarily make me want to shout, "Bring on the change!" But, really, I can totally have that attitude. As Pastor Jack shared this past week, I can accept change I don't choose, embrace change that grows and changes me, and pursue change as I pursue the Lord.

What change are you experiencing? Can you face it with confidence that this change is in your favor? I hope so!

See you Sunday, church family!

Juli Dirks

Small Groups Are Not a Small Thing

Hi everyone! If you haven’t met me yet my name is Will Regier and I am the new Pastor of Connection and Care here at Grace! My wife Steph and our two kiddos Isabella and Malachi just moved here a few weeks ago from Michigan. We have been enjoying getting to know many of you and the almost Michigan-like summer temperatures. Thanks also for the meals, the handshakes, the hugs, and the help moving! We know there are plenty more of you to meet and we are very much looking forward to doing so.

One of the things I am most excited about in my role at Grace is the Community Life Groups ministry. Much of my drive to work with the Community Life Groups come from our story as a family. We have faced many health challenges, spending four of our first five anniversaries in hospitals, when things seemed darkest, often the greatest light was the Christian Community we had in our lives. Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his book Life Together says,

“The prisoner, the sick person, the Christian in exile see in the companionship of a fellow Christian a physical sign of the gracious presence of the triune God. Visitor and visited in loneliness recognize in each other the Christ who is present in the body; they receive and meet each other as one meets the Lord, in reverence, humility, and joy… But if there is so much blessing and joy even in a single encounter of brother to brother, how inexhaustible are the riches that open up for those who by God’s will are privileged to live in the daily fellowship of life with other Christians!”

I can echo those words in the life of my family! By God’s grace, we are now much more healthy but I pray that we never lose the joy of good Christian Community we learned in those darker days. If we have been in a small group with you then you have been part of that testimony in our lives. I am so excited about pouring my time and energy into this ministry at our church because I know firsthand how much of a difference it can make, and I know from the wisdom of the church and my mentors how important it is for the everyday life and health of the body of Christ. 

One thing we will always need is people who are willing to lead Community Life groups. I want to dispel some myths for you if you have ever been hesitant to lead a small group. You do not need the perfect house, be able to give a perfect lesson, have perfect children to watch other people’s children, and be able to make the perfect baked goods. Hospitality is important and so is being able to keep a discussion within boundaries but primarily it is about the willingness to join in life honestly with other people who love Jesus, to connect over the most important thing we share; not over whether our interior decorator is Joanna Gaines or our 3yr old and his Hot Wheels. Please, if you know someone who you think would lead a Community Life group well or if you feel God tugging on your heart to lead one, reach out to me! We have training throughout the year and we can pair you with an experienced leader to get some practice in. Look forward to GroupLink, August 22nd which is our 2021 launch of groups for the year. 

I will leave you with some parting words again from Bonhoeffer in Life Together,

“Therefore, let him who until now has had the privilege of living a common Christian life with other Christians praise God’s grace from the bottom of his heart. Let him thank God on his knees and declare: It is grace, nothing but grace, that we are allowed to live in community with Christian brethren.”

Passing the Baton

Change is often bittersweet. These past few weeks I have lived in a funny place bouncing between excitement and sadness. With each passing day, I am more convicted in God’s call to homeschool in this season of life. Yet, it is hard to leave this role and the staff team that has been a huge part of my life for the past 2 years.  

I am so thankful for the many amazing experiences that have come with working in children’s ministry and it was God’s good plan that my last big task would be Summer Quest. What a great way to end my time here! 

Thank you to all of you who have prayed for this ministry, me, and my family. I have been truly blessed to serve along with you all. Don’t worry, this is not a good-bye! My family and I plan to continue attending and serving this church that we love.

Now, on to the fun part! I am beyond excited to share with all of you that Amy Thompson has been chosen as the next children’s ministry director! She has faithfully served in children’s ministry for the past 2 years and has a big heart for kids learning about Jesus. I can’t wait to see what work God will use her for! Be sure to congratulate her when you see her.

Church, join me in praying for Amy, her family, and the children’s ministry team as she begins her role on July 6th. 

With gratitude, 

Casey Teater 

Outgoing Children’s Ministry Director

Great News!

It's always fun to share great news, and that's just what I want to do today.

First, let's celebrate together the arrival of our new Pastor of Connection & Care, Will Regier! He and his wife, Stephanie, and their two children, Isabella and Malachai, arrived in Newton last weekend. They are getting settled, and Will is starting in the office this coming Monday. We are excited for him to join the team! They'll be around this Sunday, so be sure to say hi if you see them.

Second, we're excited to announce Sean Gardiner as our new Student Ministries Pastor! Yay! Sean brings a true passion for youth ministry, as well as a ton of creativity, wisdom, and experience which is sure to be a blessing to our youth and our church. He and his wife, Susan, and their daughters, Sayge and Scotlyn, are moving to Kansas at the beginning of July. Sean will start in the office on July 12.

It's been fun to see how God is providing for our church! This past year has brought its fair share of change, transition, and uncertainty. But God has been faithful to provide and sustain us through it. Thank you for your prayers!

We look forward to seeing you Sunday as we continue our way through the Sermon on the Mount.

Blessings,

Juli Dirks

Executive Director of Ministries

Beyond Summer Quest

This past Sunday night our Summer Quest team got together for food, fellowship, and for prayer to seek God together in how we should continue ministering at Lincoln Park.  Summer Quest was a great event, but all of us knew we needed to continue to minister in that area.  God gave us a lot of favor and brought a lot of kids and parents out to Summer Quest, and we saw several of them at Summer Fest!  God appears to be opening up a door for us to minister there more consistently.  Our hearts break for some of the kids there.  They are all so hungry for interaction and love. 

Through our time of prayer and fellowship we decided to have each family take a week to pray in the area.  Mary and I have taken this week.  We went up Monday evening and prayed and spent some time playing with one of the kids who came to SQ.  We went back up on Wednesday night with some of our team and did a little more praying and playing with some kids.  We also decided as a team that we would commit to having someone at the park every Wednesday night and we’ve communicated with the kids that they can expect us at the park on Wednesday evenings.  Some of our team members feel called to go door to door in the area and pray with people and help them with projects.  A couple of our team members are committing to discipling people in the neighborhood. 

Our desire is to be the Church in the Lincoln Park area.  We are praying that the gospel would take hold and transform lives, transform families, and spread revival through our city.  We are dreaming big and trying to be obedient.  It will take a lot of sacrifice, but our hearts are drawn towards the neighborhood and motivated by Christ’s love. 

Would you join us in praying for the Lincoln Park neighborhood?  And if you were a part of a SQ, would you ask God how he might be calling you to continue to minister in the neighborhood?  Grace, let’s be the church!  Let’s love sacrificially and pray big prays together for Newton and the surrounding communities! 

Here’s my Rightnow Media pick of the month.  This is a great video series addressing our changing culture and showing us how we can trust God’s word and engage our culture with His truth!

https://www.rightnowmedia.org/Content/Series/485872 

See you Sunday,

Pastor Kyle

The Good Kind of Tired

I'll be honest. I'm tired. Like this kind of tired:

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz . . .

I'm sure I'm not the only one. After a very successful week of Summer Quest, punctuated by Summer Fest, I'm sure many of you are also feeling tired too. Hopefully you've had some time to rest.

But this is "the good kind of tired". The tired that comes on the heels of expending yourself for the sake of the gospel. Thank you, Summer Quest team members, for making time in your already busy schedules to spread God's love and good news to our community! Nearly 250 young minds and hearts were touched by your efforts.

Thanks also for jumping in on Sunday and helping create a fun, inviting, celebratory experience for over 500 people! We welcomed many new faces, and heard from families who visited that they loved their experience over the week, were blessed by Sunday morning, and want to return. Yay!

So let any fatigue that may be lingering be a reminder of the good work God has done (and will continue to do) through your sacrifice of time and effort. You offered yourselves unreservedly for God's use, and it was SO worth it!

I think you epitomized Romans 12:1:

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship."

May God bless you richly and renew your strength and energy so that you may continue to be about his work.

See you Sunday!
Juli Dirks

Backyard Mission Field

So far this week, we have reached more than 100 kids that don’t attend Grace or possibly any other church. How exciting is that?!?! We have given out Bibles, shared the Gospel, taught kids the Truth, and formed new relationships with our neighbors.

The numbers are still coming in, but we have about 240 kids attending our 10 Summer Quest sites. And this is all because 125+ volunteers decided to give up their week to be the hands and feet of Jesus in their own backyards.

We are hearing from volunteers how these young people are hungry for connection and care. I keep hearing moving stories of unchurched kids not wanting this week to end.

Well, it doesn’t have to. 

We have a great mission field right here in our community of children and students that do not know God’s love personally.

Why can’t we find creative ways to continue reaching our neighbors for Christ? Why can’t we continue praying for a particular neighborhood, getting our own kids in the battle, and making the effort to share God’s love with them?

This week has been a joyful reflection of 2 Corinthians 5:20 (CSB) 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.” 

Grace, thank you for “being the Church.” I look forward to Summer Fest this Sunday afternoon. May it be a time of rejoicing and fellowship for our church family.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Jack

Going for Gold!

I am Going for Gold by..HAVING COURAGE!

I am Going for Gold by..CHOOSING HOPE!

I am Going for Gold by..NEVER GIVING UP!

I am Going for Gold by..BEING COACHABLE! 

These are the “taglines” for each day of Summer Quest. Now, these Bible lessons are geared towards our kids, but there is something valuable in these lessons that speak to me as an adult.

The lesson objective for day 1 teaches that we have courage to do the hard things, because we have a mighty savior who goes before us! He is with us when things are overwhelming, difficult, and when we feel inadequate to handle situations. 

Joshua learns this as he is chosen to continue the important job of moving the Israelites into the promised land. I am comforted to know that God did not leave or forsake Joshua in his big task, and he will not leave me in what I face each day.

Day 2 teaches us that there is always hope because Jesus already made the way for us! Jehosophat understands what it feels like to be hopeless when facing what he felt was sure defeat. When he prays to God and trusts in His provision for victory, God prevents Jehosophat and his army from even having to fight! I love knowing that when we call on Him, He will fight our battles for us. 

We learn on day 3 that we never give up, because our strength doesn’t come from us, it comes from Christ! Paul knows what it is like to persevere as he endured MANY hardships, trials, and persecution for his faith. Instead of giving up, Paul leans into God’s power. What an example Paul is in how to boast in his weakness made strong through Christ!

Day 4 teaches that being coachable means we are willing to grow and learn, and that is why God placed us here on earth! Timothy is a great example of how to be willing to listen, learn from your mistakes, and to not give up. 

When we have courage, choose hope, persevere, and are willing to be coachable in our faith walk, we can commit to the theme verse, “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:14 

Church, what an exciting week we have ahead of us for Summer Quest! We have over 120 people of all ages serving 10 sites! Join us in praying for the final preparations, good weather, prepared hearts of the children and their families, the building of community, and God’s glory to shine through everything we do.

See you this Sunday!

Casey

The Art of Neighboring

“In whatever neighborhood God has placed you, love people sacrificially.”  You’ve heard this many times.  It’s easy to say, but it’s hard to do.  It takes intentionality and sacrifice.   

At Grace, we believe that God has given each of us unique circles of influence where we can be the hands and feet of Jesus!  We believe that God has us in our neighborhoods for a reason.  People all around us need to hear the gospel and see it lived out in us through the way we love and serve them. 

My youngest daughter, Adelyn, and I were taking a walk in our neighborhood about a month ago when we met some new neighbors that had just moved into a house on our cul-de-sac.  We had a lovely conversation with them for about half an hour.  I was able to ask her when she was due.  Yes, she was pregnant enough that it was safe to ask that question!  Later that evening at bedtime Adelyn asked if she could pray for our neighbors and their baby.  Most evenings since then, Adelyn and I have prayed for our new neighbors.  We were able to take over some baby gifts last weekend to love on them!  Adelyn whispered to me “tell them we are praying for them”.  I was able to talk to her later and let her know that we need to develop a friendship with them before we tell them we are praying for them or before we invite them to church.  (I’m quite sure they don’t have a church home and probably are not looking for one.)  So, we’ve been praying that God would give us favor with them and help us to develop a friendship.   

Last night while I was at worship team rehearsal, they came over to our house to visit.  I was excited to hear that when I came home.  This feels like God answering our prayer, especially since they know I’m a Pastor!  I’m hoping to be able to invite them over for BBQ sometime in the next month or so.  This couple and their new baby boy moved into our neighborhood.  They are not a project.  They are people to love sacrificially, to share our lives with, and share Jesus with! 

I hope and pray that all of you will see your neighborhood as a mission field.  It starts with relationships.  God wants to grow His Kingdom, and He wants to use you in your neighborhood.  Won’t you join my family and others who are praying for our neighbors and looking for ways to develop friendships with them, and ultimately lead them to Jesus? 

My Rightnow Media pick of the month is “The Art of Neighboring”.  This should be a great resource to help you think about loving people sacrificially in the neighborhood God has placed you.

https://www.rightnowmedia.org/Content/Series/392825 

I can’t wait for Sunday!  I love you Church!

-       Pastor Kyle

A Rewarding Night

Last night was so refreshing!

We had bouncy houses, popcorn, cotton-candy, and other fun games. A special thank you is due the AWANA leaders for making this year and last night’s AWANA Awards Night uplifting and fun!

I am grateful for the encouragement and challenge given to our younger generation.

 My older three children received awards for memorizing Scripture and completing AWANA lessons. Amelia walked across the stage bashful, her head tilted downward with a shy grin on her face. On the other hand you have my son, Russell, who walked across the stage smiling at the audience and waving like a politician who just won office. (Maybe he gets that from his mother...) Samuel was his usual jovial self.

 I pray the fruit from their labors will last a life-time. Maybe that’s captured in the picture I took...

...maybe, lol.

And I was so proud of Courtney for the 8-month long commitment she kept in directing Sparks. She is truly a special lady!

Last night was full of joy and fellowship. What a refreshing break from the hardship and complexity of life.

I hope you can take the time to enjoy the relationships that God has given you this week.

 I love our church family, and I appreciate the ways that you minister to me and my family. I won’t be preaching this Sunday, but I am eager to hear the message that God has laid on Kyle’s heart.

 Grace and Peace,

Pastor Jack

Extending our "Reach"

Do you remember Heart of Grace, when we told you we were doing something new with our missions efforts? Well, we wanted to keep you updated, because it has a few changes that affect you, too! 

And since YOU ARE THE CHURCH (and my favorite church family!), we need you to stay in the game. So here’s the game plan:

New Teams

We have officially established two councils, Reach Local and Reach Global (both were formerly under Extend). Reach Local focuses on ministry opportunities in Newton and the surrounding areas. Reach Global covers our national and international efforts. These teams are off and running and we hope you’ll be hearing from them soon. Go, teams, go!

New Strategy

We have restructured our priorities to include getting our people (THAT’S YOU!) more personally engaged with those we support. We believe we haven’t been connected enough. Many of our people don’t know who our missionaries are, and some don’t even know why we believe in sending and supporting missionaries in the first place (3 John 5–8). So, we are shifting our focus from just sending a check, to building a relationship. 

This shift in focus must take place, but it comes with change.

In order to do this most effectively, we are changing how and who we support through our church budget starting next year. We’ll be focusing on a smaller number of missionaries & organizations, and shifting our support to include an annual review and renewal process. 

We pray this new approach will allow for better communication, you all having a deeper knowledge of those we support, higher church engagement (personal giving and communication), and increased opportunities for involvement (trips and projects).

New Missions Expo

Every year we’ll invite our missionary friends (even some we don’t support through our church budget) to share what God is doing through their work. We pray this will build stronger relationships between missionaries and supporting church members. We’ll have more information on that later.

We are excited for our new teams and our new focus, and we hope you are too! We look forward to our continued partnership with you in the Lord’s work.

Grace and peace to you,

Juli Dirks, Executive Director of Ministries

Seasons Change

Spring is here in all its glory!! I love spring with plants and trees coming to life, flowers blooming, and birds chirping. What a gift God gives us to look forward to each year!

The season also brings about changes for many families as we experience many of life’s major milestones with graduations from high school or college. Time sure flies, it really was just yesterday that my kids were small.

This year we have yet another daughter getting ready to step into a new adventure. Ava, our middle daughter, has always lived with an excitement for the next big thing. She couldn’t wait to be a teenager...to drive...to have her own room...to go to prom...to graduate...to go to college. It has become a little joke among our family because she almost always says, “I can’t wait to…”

I pray earnestly that she (and all of my children) will live with trust in and expectation of the Lord and His plans for them, not just the next exciting thing to come.These milestones are wonderful, but following what God wants will lead to so much more. 

As each of my children leave the nest, I am committing to praying this scripture for them: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11-13 

It is my hope that they will seek Him with all their hearts and that they trust in His plans for them, even when those plans don’t turn out as expected. It is so hard to let them go, but I can do this knowing that I can trust God and His plans for them too. 

See you Sunday!

Casey Teater

GraceKids Director

A Letter From Our Elders

Greetings Grace Family,

Apart from one or two strange winter-like days this week, spring feels like it has finally arrived. Temperatures are warming up; the grass and trees are green again, and things seem to be slowly moving back to a “normal” feel. I’m not a cold weather person so I really appreciate the changes that spring has to offer. Every season change makes me appreciate God’s design for us.

Things are changing around Grace Community Church as well….and they are exciting changes. It has been a busy season as the elders and staff have worked to fill the Pastor of Care and Connection position after Pastor Steve’s retirement. Thank you, Pastor Steve, for your years of faithful service!

After interviewing several candidates, the search committee did not find the ideal fit for our church body. Then COVID 19 arrived and the elders decided to freeze the search process. In late 2020, the search resumed and several candidates emerged. Each candidate possessed gifts and qualifications that made it extremely difficult (maybe even impossible!) to come to a unanimous decision. The search committee and elders prayed specifically for God’s guidance and God answered in a big way. After what seems like YEARS, we are proud to announce Will Regier is joining the GCC team as the Pastor of Care and Connection (PCC)! The search committee and elder board are convinced that Will is the ideal fit for our church body. We are excited to see how God will use Will to serve Grace Community Church. When Will, Stephanie, and family arrive in late June. Please say hello and make them feel welcome!

The search for our next youth pastor is still churning along. The search committee has sifted through many resumes, made screening calls, and performed Zoom interviews. At this point, they have not found the next youth pastor yet. Please pray for the search committee as the process continues. A slow process can be frustrating at times, but good things are worth waiting for and we really want to hire the right person.

In the near future, the elders and staff would like to focus on building stronger connections between our members and with new guests that visit. It is so hard to step out of our comfort zone, but this is such a vital step and there are so many ways to do it.

Would you look around you on Sundays morning and find someone you don’t know and say hello...or invite them to lunch…or to your community life group? Speaking of community life groups, we plan to make a push to grow and develop our community life group program. Will Regier will be spearheading this initiative when he comes onboard in late June, but he will need the help of community life group leaders and community life group members. The real results come from individuals who step out of their comfort zone to welcome and include others.

God has provided for each and every one of us over the last year and He will continue to do so! Thank you for faithfully attending, serving, and giving to the Lord at Grace Community Church. We are so excited to see what God has for our church body this year!

Sincerely,
Kelsey Veer, Elder

Getting in the Game

When he wouldn’t get up, I felt embarrassed and knew something had to happen. He’s our stronger willed child, and I wasn’t sure the coach had the proverbial chips to convince him to stand up and get off the field. Here’s an actual picture of the incident:

There’s Russell, sitting on the ground, refusing to get up and play with his teammates. Granted, he was pretty young (4 years old), but we thought the opportunity to play on a team would be fun and provide much needed exercise. Well, it didn’t go like we hoped. He did win a participation award, but let’s just say nobody else thought he would be the next David Beckham. 

Fast-forward to this year, he surprises us with a request to join a team. We were a little skeptical, remembering his early days of not running or participating or wanting to go on the field (pretty essential in soccer). I wanted to remind him of how his favorite part was the snacks at the end of the game, but he was serious. 

So we signed him up for soccer and have taken him to every practice. And wouldn’t you know it, he was actually running around and participating. He was doing the drills and putting the work in. He even listens to his coach. L.I.S.T.E.N.S.

During his last game, Russell scored two goals! We couldn’t have been prouder (or shocked). And it reminded us of an important lesson.

Soccer was not better today than it was 4 years ago. The difference was not in the game. It wasn’t his coach (both are great). It wasn’t his teammates. 

It was his attitude and participation. 

It’s amazing how much your outlook and commitment to own your part will change not just your own experience, but the experiences of others around you as well.

As a member of our church, I am so glad I get to labor alongside all of you. God is doing some great work here. People are getting saved. Families are maturing. The Kingdom is growing. 

And two key factors are your attitude and participation. Thank you for your love, thank you for praying, thank you for serving, and thank you for not giving up on Jesus’ call to each one of us.

Thank you for getting into the game.

See you guys on Sunday morning, where we will study a complicated but timely lesson from Jesus. (And if you see Russell, give him a high-five for participating!)

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Jack