Letter to Grace Place Family
Dear Grace Place Congregation,
Greetings! I hope you are enjoying summer and getting some time outdoors in the Colorado sunshine. This year the Fourth of July falls on Sunday, so we are going to have a Freedom Celebration together at the Fairgrounds Park in Loveland. We will have one worship service on July 4 at 10:30 AM. There will be no worship services on Thursday or Sunday in Berthoud July 1 and 4, but you are still invited to come on Thursday, July 1, for a CD release concert by Tom Ewing and an all-star band he has put together for the occasion ($8 for tickets).
It sounds like around 30 people are already signed up to be baptized as a part of our freedom celebration. I can’t think of a better anniversary date for a baptism than the Fourth of July—always celebrating the anniversary of both national freedom and personal freedom in Christ the same day each year! It’s not too late to be a part of the baptism. You can register online or make a decision on the spot at the end of the message (children must meet with leaders and parents previously). If you’re planning to be baptized, just wear clothes that you don’t mind getting wet in and bring a bag with a towel and extra clothes to change in to.
Plan to stay for a picnic lunch. If you have not signed up to bring anything yet, consider bringing a dessert. The rest will be provided. There will be activities for children from 1:00-2:00 PM. Bring bathing suits for your kids if they want to play in the water park. Also, our children’s ministry leaders are asking parents to go online and pre-register their kids for the children’s program that will happen during the morning worship service (in order to save time at check in). This is for security and safety measures.
Whenever we do church in the park it is an excellent opportunity to invite friends and neighbors. It is easier to show up at a park with friends and stay for a picnic then to visit a strange church building for the first time—less intimidating. So take advantage of this strategic invite opportunity and bring someone along! The sun could be a bit intense, depending on where you sit, so bring hats, sunscreen, and water along with lawn chairs/ blankets to sit on for lunch (or in case the bleachers get full). And don’t forget to bring your offerings (this is a real church service!).
Speaking of giving, many of us are finding online giving the easiest way to set a regular giving plan and it helps us give consistently even we are out of town and miss church. I want to thank those of you who faithfully give to the Lord through Grace Place. As of the end of May our giving was 5% under budget, but we have managed to keep expenses below income. So far we are over budget for the first three weeks of June. We’re hoping this is a forecast of what summer will be like and that we will not see a summer slump this year!
I also want to thank you for your generosity as a congregation over and above your regular giving. A few months ago we took a special offering to help rebuild a church in Haiti destroyed by the earthquake. I thought maybe a couple thousand dollars would come in and was so proud of our congregation when we were able to send a check for $7291 to Churches Helping Churches. If you want to follow the journey of your contributions, you can track the blog posts at www.ChurchesHelpingChurches.com. Also, we recently invited the congregation to contribute toward a goal of $2500 to help Rodolfo and Irene Alcazar launch Celebrate Recovery in Mexico City with the goal of planting a new Grace Place church there as well. More than the goal came in and we were able to give $2750 in start up funds for a new C.R. in Mexico. The missions team also approved a small monthly stipend. You can become friends with Rodolfo on Facebook if you want to follow the progress. On July 25 we will be taking another special offering to assist our local Celebrate Recovery ministry. The money will help fund the ministry for the next 12 months including paying for newcomer’s meals and leadership training.
If you are a leader in the church, in business, or some other realm, you are invited to join the Grace Place staff team at the annual Willow Creek Leadership Summit, August 5-6, broadcast live at Crossroads Church in Loveland. This is a life-changing event! Speakers this year include Bill Hybels, Jim Collins, T.D. Jakes, Jack Welch, Andy Stanley, Tony Dungy, and other top quality leaders. Contact the office for more details. Our next Leading Matters event for Grace Place leaders is scheduled for August 28.
It has been invigorating to hear and see the many positive responses to the challenge to serve the hurting, helpless, homeless, and hungry during the “Comfortably Numb” series. We have only begun to unpack the Grace Place core value of Giving Our Life Away. After a few stand alone messages in July, I will be doing a five-part series in August on idols that keep us from giving our lives away (such as money, sex, power, success, even family—all good things that become idols when they become ultimate things), and how the gospel can expose and destroy them. Then I’m looking forward to teaching verse-by-verse through the New Testament book of Philippians this fall.
On a personal note, I would like to request your prayers once again this summer as I will be taking some time to continue writing my doctoral dissertation. It has been a long process, but I believe I am beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel. The final phase of the project is to analyze and compare the results of the two Spiritual Life Surveys we participated in as a congregation. So far I’m seeing very encouraging improvements in congregational satisfaction and spiritual growth. I’ll be telling you more about that later.
It is a joy and privilege to serve you as pastor!
In Christ Alone,
Clay Peck
P.S. Selene and I scheduled a trip to Israel during spring break (for Thompson Valley School District) next year because a number of people who missed the last trip have been asking us to lead another Holy Land adventure. We really need all of you who are planning to go with us to go online right away and get your deposits in. There is a link on the GP website or you can go directly to www.inspirationcruises.com/gp. This is the trip of a lifetime. If you are interested and there is anyway you can make it work, sign up soon! Let us know if you have questions.
