Welcome to Gratia Community Church
Luke 19:1-9
“Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.”
Gratia church members had a graceful farewell dinner fellowship together on October 19. Pastor Thomas and Judith’s family and Gonzalo and Joanne’s family are departing to the new mission place. Pastor Thomas’ family will be leaving for Denver in Colorado to planting a church and Gonzalo’s family to Melbourne in Australia.
Members testified their humbleness and passionate hearts to serve the Lord and blessed their new beginning. Two families also shared their reflection upon a new mission that is given to them and shared their thankfulness to the pastors and members. Members prayed for them to be a greater blessing for the people who they will meet and May God’s grace and love be with them in the new land.
Ephesians 2:11-22
“Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands) remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”
On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them.
Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”
Gratia members enjoyed baseball outing on the grass field of the SF State University Campus after the Sunday service on June 23. It was a nice fellowship time where members got to know each other better. Patrizia and Mario JR invited any church members who were willing to come and all had a beautiful time outside, enjoying the sunny weather that Sunday. They were refreshed and it was a fun way of exercising. They want to organize more outside activities, in particular baseball, and hope to have a bigger team next time.
While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came by. When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him. “You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus,” she said. But he denied it. “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about,” he said, and went out into the entryway…..
The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands.
Gratia Community Church had a graceful Thursday fellowship. Pastor Walker preached message on Romans 1 and also talked about the sins. Today many members gathered together and had a warm fellowship dinner afterward.