News From Grace Fellowship!

January 20, 2014

Thank you for being connected with Grace Fellowship, whether as a member, attender or as a supporter! We are grateful for your support during the last year, and look forward to great things for this brand new 2014!

During the past year we are thankful to God for blessing us in many areas! Some of the things we are grateful for are:
  

• During 2013, 17 people have been baptized in water! This represents 17 people who have committed their lives to Jesus, and the angels rejoice in heaven when even just one person repents and is saved (Luke 15:7).
• Nine people were filled with the Holy Spirit, with the evidence of speaking in tongues!
• We continue to have good attendance of between 20 and 30 each week at the Friday morning Crossroads Bible study. Currently we are working our way through Paul's first recorded letter to the Corinthian church, and examining the richness of its relevance to us today, as well as understanding more about the early church.
• Men's camp this year was attended by a record number of men from our fellowship!
• A number of our youngsters had encounters with Jesus and the Holy Spirit at tween camp, along with all kinds of exciting fun activities. Summer camp is an awesome time when our kids relate with other Christian kids, make healthy connections, and cement their relationship with Jesus!
• We had a church camp-out during the summer, and it was a blast! It was so much fun to relax together, enjoy each other's company, and just have a good time! A highlight for us personally was the potluck meal and the singalong afterwards!
• Our church parking lot sale this summer did well again! While this is a way of raising money for special projects, it is also a way for us to interact with our community.
• Our sound system was upgraded this year, we have a new soundboard and additional loudspeakers! This has made a marked improvement in the quality of our audio system – no more unexpected pops and bangs! Many thanks to all who worked to make this possible.
• Teen Challenge staged a prayer ministry training during last Fall, where many in our community came to receive training and anointing for prayer ministry. It was encouraging to see so many desiring to serve in this vital area of church life! A number from our church attended and are using their training, in ministry at Grace. Our prayer team is a developing ministry, please pray for the Lord's guidance in this.
• Our church continues to support Crossroads Ministries as they reach out to the homeless and needy of our community. They are a blessing to Susanville. We are also involved in Teen Challenge bringing healing from addiction through Jesus' intervention.
• Grace Fellowship participated in the nation-wide Billy Graham “My Hope For America” outreach. While direct results were not immediately evident, seed was sown and we intend to build on this experience during 2014.
• This year we have supported missions in Japan and Haiti, disaster relief after the Oklahoma Tornado disaster and the Philippine Typhoon disaster, World Vision, as well as ongoing support for Foursquare Missions International.
• During the last year attendance has remained steady in the upper 30's, and church operating income is actually 10% higher than last year! Thank you to all who have contributed to this!
• We have plans for the coming 12 months, to plant more seed in our community, and that the Lord will draw people to Him. More information about this will be given at the church business meeting on February 9.
• This month (January) we started a monthly healing service, on the second Sunday at 6 pm. The Lord was gracious in giving words of knowledge and in already healing one person of her frozen shoulder. There have also been other healings during the year, including a healing from fibromyalgia, and pastor Dianne's healing from hydrocephalus! God is good!

We are grateful for all of you, for your love and faithfulness! This is a wonderful church, a family, and this is evident each week as we meet together. We also love this city, and each individual in it, and we pray for God's grace to be poured out, that many hurting people will find healing through a vibrant relationship with Jesus!

Prayer requests:

• Please continue praying for Kingdom growth and that many in our community would be led to accept Jesus into their life and allow Him to bring healing in their areas of pain and hurt.
• We thank God for His provision for our church, through our faithful members and supporters.
• We are grateful to Lynn for her faithfulness in standing in by leading worship. However, her main gifting is as a prayer warrior and church servant, and we are asking the Lord to call a worship leader to our church.
• Finally, please pray for the youth of our city, that they would be drawn to Jesus!

Thank you for your faithfulness, and we pray for God's blessing over you and your family during the coming year. Know that we love you.

In Christian love,

Pastors Gerry and Dianne