End Of Summer
The church is like a body with many members. Membership in the local church is the logical implication of membership in the global Church, which comes only through faith in Jesus Christ, publicly demonstrated through baptism. Our lives are connected. We need one another. Church membership is our way of ensuring everyone who belongs to our congregation enjoys the benefits and privileges of being Grace Hill Church.
Sunday, September 14th | 12-2pm
If you’re a member of Grace Hill Church, we want you to save the date for our next member meeting, to be held on Sunday, September 14th from 12-2pm. Come ready to hear some important updates, highlight God’s grace as we see Him at work, and affirm a few initiatives.
Bring On The Brats
The church will provide the brats and buns. You bring whatever sides you think will complete your brat eating experience. Thanks for making your church family a priority!
When You Come Together
The concept of a consumer-centric church is foreign to Scripture. The general understanding and assumption throughout the New Testament is that when the church gathers together, it does so for the purpose of each person contributing to the service. This is sometimes referred to as the “priesthood of believers.” The Apostle Paul regularly exhorts the churches to anticipate how the Spirit might use them to edify, build-up and encourage one another in the faith.
Each One Has A…
“What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.”
Gathering together as the church is all about participation. And in order to participate, we need to be present. This means we strive to make Sunday gatherings a priority during our week and eagerly come together each Sunday morning expecting the Spirit to use us to bless our fellow brothers and sisters.
From Spectate To Participate
In Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth, he appropriately addresses the participation of this local church. Paul assumes they will gather together, for he does not state “IF you come together” but rather, “WHEN you come together.” Paul’s assumption is borne out further as the author of Hebrews would later write: “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24–25). That Day is drawing near. Are we eager with anticipation to be together? Are we ready to come and stir one another up? And more importantly, how?
On The Hunt
Our next youth event will be Saturday, September 13th from 4-8pm. The youth will descend upon Downtown Hartland to participate in an epic scavenger hunt. Once completed, we will share a meal at Nixon Park and study God’s Word together.
Saturday, September 13th | 4-8pm
We currently meet once a month to learn and grow. Every meeting is different. Sometimes it's a party. Sometimes it's a service project. Often we have deep theological conversations. 7th-12th graders from inside and outside the church are welcome to join.
Peter, 2x
We are gearing up to start our next men’s and women’s study this Fall. Beginning late September we will embark on a study through the two letters written by the Apostle Peter. Though brief, each letter is saturated with Jesus, our enduring hope in the midst of suffering.
1 Peter | Fall 2025
2 Peter | Spring 2026
Two letters, one author, and the hope of the great shepherd! The apostle Peter was inspired by the Sprit to pen these two brief letters. And it will be our desire this Fall (and next Spring) to sift through the many treasures that encourage men and women of the faith to endure the faith and look to our great chief shepherd for comfort. Look for more info to come in the next few weeks regarding scheduling for each study.
Towards Another 182
On August 31st, we will celebrate God’s faithfulness in proclaiming the name of Jesus for 182 years. God is not finished, and neither is Grace Hill. We are looking ahead with great expectation and ambition to the next 182 years.
We have a Godly ambition to cultivate a community where meaningful membership goes beyond mere affiliation, where doctrinal clarity guides our faith, where deep relationships foster love and understanding, and where a missional mindset drives us toward Gospel maturity and the multiplication of disciples for the glory of Jesus.
Meaningful Membership
Moving beyond simply joining a club; it's about true commitment and connection.
Doctrinal Clarity
Understanding what we believe and why we believe it.
Deep Relationships
Building genuine relationships, so we can know one another and love one another.
Missional Mindset
Growing in the Gospel, aiming for spiritual maturity, and multiplying disciples.
We remain excited for what God is doing in Merton and beyond. It is with great joy that we are leaning into the work of the Spirit to make the name of Jesus known for many years to come!
Togetherness
Our gatherings are spiritual, yet ironically, they’re spiritual (at least in part) because they’re physical. God has always meant for his people to be physically gathered together. This is evident in why he created Adam and Eve with physical bodies and proceeded to walk with them in the garden. And perhaps the clearest demonstration of God’s desire for togetherness is manifested in the incarnation of His Son.
People Gathered Together
Sometimes we like to say that “a church is a people, not a place.” However, it might be more helpful to say that a church is a people gathered together in a place. Regularly gathering together is necessary for a church to be a church, just like a team has to gather together to play in order to be a team.
Making togetherness a priority requires shifting our question from “Should we go to church today?" to instead become, “How can we make the most of our church gathering?”
We Need All Of Us
Check out Tony Merida’s book “Love Your Church” available at the church bookstore. And for a shorter read, try Gavin Ortlund’s article “Make Sundays the Sweetest” published on Desiring God.
Lord’s Prayer
We are in the middle of our series on the Lord’s Prayer and for those of you who would love to dig deeper into our study, we have provided a few resources you can look into and explore.
Recommended Books
The Lord's Prayer: Learning from Jesus on What, Why, and How to Pray - Kevin DeYoung
Praying with Jesus: Getting to the Heart of the Lord’s Prayer - Adriel Sanchez
Praying the Lord's Prayer – J. I. Packer
Another Man’s Wife
Husbands, imagine you knew you would be leaving your wife behind to be cared for by someone else, who would you choose to watch over her and why? And wives, if you knew your husband would be gone on a long journey, who would you want to check in on you, look after your needs?
A local Lake Country pastor said quite well, that our role as pastors is to be a “steward of another man’s wife.” Who is this man you may ask, it is Jesus the Christ, Son of the living God. And who is this wife of His? The bride, His church.
Caring For His Bride
Your Pastors are called to imitate Jesus in the task of caring, guiding, teaching, and serving His bride, his church. This is why the author of Hebrews acknowledges your leaders have the deep responsibility of “keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account.”
“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. ”
Please pray for you pastors as they endeavor to care for another man’s wife, his bride, the church, the men and women of Grace Hill.