This Sunday, there will be a congregational meeting at 11:00 AM in the Social Hall for members to reaffirm the Executive Board of Elders’ recommended list of elders for service in 2012.  In addition, there will be a vote to approve a recommended change to the current Statement of Faith. The Executive Board of Elders is recommending a newly worded Statement of Faith to replace the Statement of Faith currently in our Bylaws. The meeting agenda will consist of the reaffirmation of elders, the ordination of Kurt Victor, and the affirmation of an amendment to the Statement of Faith in the Bylaws.

View the Proposed Statement of Faith here.          View the Current Statement of Faith here.

Note: Sunday’s Schedule
Due to the congregational meeting this Sunday at 11:00 AM in the Social Hall, there will be only one service, at 9:30 AM.  Overflow seating will be available in the Chapel. Check with your Adult Bible Fellowship as to whether your group will be meeting.  Seka Coffee House will close at 10:50 to accommodate those attending the meeting.

Liquid “Heisse Liebe” Returns!

Our favorite February drink is back on the menu!  Heisse Liebe raspberry mochas are incredibly delicious and will be waiting for you at Seka Coffee House this Sunday.  Of course, Seka will be serving its usual amazing coffee and non-coffee beverages too, along with some delectable fresh baked-goods.

Arts and Sacred Space:  Spatial Encounters With God
Thursday-Sunday, March 1-4, 2012
Calvary Chapel, Biola Campus

Join Biola’s Visionary-in-Residence, Roberta Ahmanson and her invited guests for a free, four-day symposium bringing together some of the most intriguing artists and thinkers of our time. This year’s art symposium will examine ways that sacred space is being experienced, created, shaped and discussed today.

This is the seventh in a series of symposia created and hosted by the Biola University Department of Art. Over the years these events have engaged both the Biola academic community as well as the larger Southern California arts community in stimulating and thoughtful dialogues regarding contemporary art and Christian faith. The goals of these symposia are four-fold:

1. To create a compelling forum for artists to gather to discuss and think about their vocation in a contemporary context,
2. To open space for dialogue between Christians and non-Christians regarding the relationship between art and faith,
3. To foster rich cross-disciplinary discussions concerning contemporary visual culture, and
4. To positively contribute to a broader regional Christian academic discourse.

Click here for additional information.

Men’s Breakfast

The next Men’s Breakfast will be held on Saturday, February 11 at 8:00 AM in the school lunch room.  Enjoy a hot pancake breakfast with other men from Grace.  Guest speaker will be Joe McGuire, with testimony by Joe Davis.

Night of Worship

The College Community and Embody high school ministry will have a Night of Worship this Tuesday, February 7, from 7:00-9:30 PM in the Chapel.  Because of the joint worship night, Embody/high school small groups will not meet this Wednesday.

You’re Invited!

The next all-church Fellowship Lunch will be held on Tuesday, February 14, at 12:00 PM in the Social Hall.  Join with others from Grace for a delicious, catered meal for just $7 per person.  You’ll be glad you came!

Poetry Reading and Discussion:  February 12
Have you ever read a poem and wished you could talk to the poet about it?  Well, here’s your chance.  The Grace Writer’s Workshop is hosting a second hour elective on Sunday, February 12, for a reading and talk given by poets and UCI faculty James McMichael and Susan Davis (both are Grace attendees).  Two poems written by the presenters will be discussed at this elective and can be viewed below.  If you plan to attend, please read the poems a few times prior to the event so that the discussion might be informed and fruitful.

The Believed In, by James McMichael

Gravity, by Susan Davis

Have a Question?
“Ask a Question” is for people in the Grace community to ask questions and receive answers about the proposed Statement of Faith.  We will be voting to ratify the proposed Statement of Faith as recommended by the Executive Board of Elders on February 5 at a members meeting.  Our desire in this space is to reflect a healthy, gospel-oriented dialogue, so we ask that questions be posed in such a way as to promote clarity and conversation.  Disagreement is permitted but we ask that questions first seek to understand before demanding to be understood.  This space is for questions and clarity and will not serve as a forum for anonymous, vitriolic arguing as is seen so often on the internet.

Click here to Ask a Question.

View PROPOSED Statement of Faith here.

View CURRENT Statement of Faith here.

The MOPPETS Program Needs YOU!
The Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) program at Grace will begin its spring session on February 22. MOPS gives young moms a chance to recharge and get connected to each other and to Jesus. One of the ways these moms recharge is to have some time to connect with other moms…without their kids. We’re looking for 7-10 people to serve with the MOPPETS program for the children of MOPS moms. There are several paid positions. MOPS meets every other Wednesday from 9:00-11:30AM, on the church campus. Interested? Contact Marlene Alvey.

NOTE:  The MOPPETS program is in particular need of people to help in the toddlers room.

CALLING ALL STORYTELLERS!

Have a great story to tell about a personal Romance Fail?

We’ve all been there.  Whether you’ve prepared a succulent duck l’orange, only to find out your date is vegetarian… or left your special someone stranded in a dangerous neighborhood while you’re heading out on foot with an empty gas can… none of us are immune to the old relationship “whoops.”

The theme for this February’s StorySLAM event is, appropriately, “Romance Fail”.  If you have a great story to tell about a romantic moment-gone-wrong (or if you know someone else who does, inside or outside the church), you’re invited to perform in the upcoming SLAM event on Saturday, February 25, at 7:00 PM at SEKA Coffee House.

November’s StorySLAM was such a blast, we had to do it again.  Based on a popular and spontaneous story telling event called The Moth (founded in New York in 1997), storytellers will be sharing their 10 minute true stories. Get in line early, as spots for writers and spectators alike go quickly.

Contact Jeremy Bear for more information.

Hallelujah! Our God reigns!
If the truth of the Resurrection of Jesus makes you explode into song, come join us on Monday nights as we rehearse for the Easter Service. We’ll sing in 4-part harmony music by composers from several different centuries to help us proclaim the glory of our Risen King!  Rehearsal start date is Monday, February 13.  Click here to sign up.