Love Your Church
What is the local church? With all the options available online that allow us to watch church services and listen to pastor’s sermons, why would we even consider meeting in person? Why would anyone waste their time becoming a member of a local church? What are the benefits and joys of belonging to a local body of believers? How do we really and tangibly love the church?
In his book, Love Your Church, author Tony Merida highlights what he considers to be Scriptures eight great reasons to be a church member. He does this by focusing our attention on the following eight verbs: Belonging, Welcoming, Gathering, Caring, Serving, Honoring, Witnessing, and Sending.
Love Your Church - Tony Merida
You can order Merida’s book online, or swing by the church bookstore and grab a copy. Find a friend or someone from church to read through the book together and share what you are learning. Or better yet, come join us at 8:30am on Saturday, April 25th at the Mill St. Cafe to discuss the book together. Let this exercise serve as an opportunity to help us learn to grow together and encourage one another to love the local church.
Do This
This coming April we will take three consecutive Sundays to explore the Lord’s Supper. We will endeavor to provide answers to several questions, including: What is this meal? Why we do eat it? How often do we eat it? and, How we do celebrate this meal?
Continual
Collective
Celebrate
“For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”
Spring Cleaning
You’re invited to come and help with many projects located both inside and around the church grounds. We want to be good stewards of the facility God has graciously provided for Grace Hill. Though we have endless opportunities throughout the year to maintain our building, this is the one day each year that we all gather and work together!
Saturday, April 18th | 9am-12pm
We need people who love to scrub, sweep, dig, pull and even some to pull up a chair and supervise! If you have any special interests or skills that you would like to contribute to our all church Spring Cleaning Day, then please contact Deacon Cody Hagfors.
Its All Greek To Me
Pastor Jimmy Beevers over at our sister church in North Philadelphia teaches Greek and New Testament exegesis at Westminster Theological Seminary. He is currently gauging interest in launching a New Testament Greek Course for TFC pastors and members (no seminary background required) looking to go deeper in their study of the Scriptures. The course will cover the equivalent of Greek I, II, & III course in a seminary setting, and deliver a functional knowledge of Biblical Greek (aka 1st century Koine Greek) with an eye toward New Testament interpretation. This is a wonderful opportunity for individuals who love God’s Word and want to explore the original text, for aspiring pastors, for someone who wants to learn a foreign language, or for someone who needs an academic challenge to sharpen their minds.
Greek New Testament
The pace will be intentionally slower than a typical seminary semester. The plan would be to meet 1-2 hours every other Saturday morning for a new lesson and some in-class participation. Pre-recorded instructional videos will be uploaded and available for students to watch when convenient and to maximize the effectiveness of the in-class time. Due to this slower pace, the course is anticipated to run approximately 48 calendar weeks.
Read Your Bible In Color
The class will have a one time tuition fee (around $550 per student). That cost will cover the entirety of the course (the equivalent of 9 seminary credit hours, or three courses). Scholarships will be available for those who are interested but have financial constraints.
Please let us know if you are interested:
You Donut Want To Miss This Sunday!
Arrive early on Easter morning to celebrate the resurrection of Christ with fellow brothers and sisters of Grace Hill. There will be a donut bar and a photo booth beginning at 9:30am. So come early, enjoy the morning, and share some time with one another rejoicing in the resurrection. He is risen!
Donuts & Easter Photo Booth | 9:30am
Worship | 10:00am
It Is Finished
Join us at the Enge Home on Friday, April 3rd at 7pm for a time to remember Christ’s finished work on the cross through song, scripture and prayer. Afterwards those who wish are invited to partake of ice cream sundaes in anticipation for the sweetness of the coming Sunday when Jesus will rise from the grave victorious!
GOOD FRIDAY
April 3 @ 7pm
“Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
Youth Night
Our next youth night will be Saturday, March 14th from 4-8pm at the Enge home. We will share a meal, play some games, and continue our study asking “Tough Questions About Christianity.” This month's question is "How can a loving God send people to hell?" Please read Chapter 10 “How Can You Believe In Heaven And Hell?” in your books in preparation for our study and bring along any questions that you have.
Saturday, March 14th | 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.
The End Of Mark
Where does the Gospel of Mark conclude? Does Mark end at verse 9 or verse 20? And how do we know which option to choose? You may have noticed that your Bible has a special note after chapter 16:8 that reads:
[Some Of The Earliest Manuscripts Do Not Include 16:9–20.]
We can trust the reliability of our Bibles and the historic preservation of God’s Word. Most critical Bible scholars believe there is enough evidence to conclude that Mark’s Gospel does in fact conclude with verse 8, the later portion being added years later. There are a few resources below for you to explore if you want to learn how we have arrived at the conclusion to when Mark’s Gospel ends.
Mark 16:8
Here are a few resources for you to explore:
What Do You Do With The End Of Mark’s Gospel? - Gospel Coalition
Where Does Mark End? - Desiring God
Help Us Reach Families This Easter
On Saturday, March 28th from 12:30-2pm, just a few miles from our church, hundreds of families from our community will gather at Lisbon Park. What’s drawing such a crowd on a Saturday afternoon? There will be games and activities for the kids, a chance to connect with neighbors and friends, and—if we’re blessed—a beautiful spring day. But let’s be honest: the biggest attraction is the FREE candy!
We’re grateful that our church has been invited to help make this wonderful community event a success—but we can’t do it without you!
We’re looking for a few volunteers to help with some of the fun activities, and a few more to serve at the GHC table, where we’ll be handing out candy and a special gift to hundreds of kids from our community.
We have a chance to be a visible presence in our community and have an opportunity to point kids and families to who is really special at Easter—Jesus!