Officer Nominations

Dear Members of Trinity Grace - 

The Session of Trinity Grace is welcoming the congregation to submit nominations for ruling elder and deacon through the month of October. These nominations will be for the officer class of 2028.

Any communing member of Trinity Grace is welcome to make a nomination for the office of elder or deacon. All officers at Trinity Grace are elected to serve 3 year terms. At the conclusion of a term of service, an elder or a deacon may serve two consecutive terms if he is re-nominated, re-examined by the session, and elected by the congregation at the conclusion of each term. This means that our class of 2025 (including Deacons Jim DeVries and James Watson) will be rolling off the diaconate unless they are re-nominated and re-elected to serve another 3 year term.

As you may know, the office of elder is focused primarily on spiritual care of the congregation, guarding the vision and mission of Trinity Grace, and exercising oversight of the ministries and budget of Trinity Grace. 

According to our Book of Church Order (Chapter 8): “It belongs to those in the office of elder, both severally and jointly, to watch diligently over the flock committed to his charge, that no corruption of doctrine or of morals enter therein. They must exercise government and discipline, and take oversight not only of the spiritual interests of the particular church, but also the Church generally when called thereunto. They should visit the people at their homes, especially the sick. They should instruct the ignorant, comfort the mourner, nourish and guard the children of the Church. They should set a worthy example to the flock entrusted to their care by their zeal to evangelize the unconverted, make disciples, and demonstrate hospitality. All those duties which private Christians are bound to discharge by the law of love are especially incumbent upon them by divine vocation, and are to be discharged as official duties. They should pray with and for the people, being careful and diligent in seeking the fruit of the preached Word among the flock.”

The office of deacon is focused primarily on providing the ministry of mercy, service, and sympathy to those with physical needs in our congregation and community. The deacons will also be charged with leading the congregation in areas of practical servant leadership. 

According to our Book of Church Order (Chapter 9): “It is the duty of the deacons to minister to those who are in need, to the sick, to the friendless, and to any who may be in distress. It is their duty also to develop the grace of liberality in the members of the church, to devise effective methods of collecting the gifts of the people, and to distribute these gifts among the objects to which they are contributed. They shall have the care of the property of the congregation, both real and personal, and shall keep in proper repair the church edifice and other buildings belonging to the congregation.”

In order to be nominated, a candidate must receive at least 3 nominations from 3 different family units, excluding his own. Once nominated, candidates will engage in officer training and examination in hopes of them being presented to the congregation for election in early February 2024. 

As you prayerfully consider who you might nominate for the office of elder or deacon, please keep in mind the character qualifications required for each office as found in 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and Titus 1:6-9. 

It might also be helpful to think about men you might potentially nominate using these 3 broad categories:

Character - Does this man exhibit the character qualities outlined in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1? You will notice that both passages focus primarily on the character qualities required from church officers. As you consider who the Lord might be calling you to nominate, spend some time considering your potential nominee through the lens of these character qualities.

Competence - Does this man have the ability and competence to carry out the calling of this church office? Our calling is simply to recognize who the Lord has already gifted for each of these offices. Do you see a man already engaged in the work of an elder and a deacon in an informal and organic way? That is a good sign! The Lord is inviting us to recognize the men he has uniquely gifted for each of these roles and chances are the men God is calling to these formal roles are already engaged in the work of the offices in an informal manner.

Compatibility - Does this man embrace and promote the gospel-centered, gracious culture that Trinity Grace has cultivated over the past 7 years? We desire men to serve as officers who deeply believe in our philosophy of ministry and want to continue to cultivate the gracious, gospel-centered culture that has been established in our community. This is an often overlooked category when it comes to considering church officers, but a man who has the character and competence but doesn’t want to shape the same gracious culture in our community can be counter-productive.

So as you read through the biblical qualifications and consider these 3 broad categories, please be praying about who the Lord might be leading you to nominate to fill these important roles in the life of our church.

You can obtain a nomination form on Sunday morning or by clicking the button below. A table will be set up in the lobby area to receive nominations through the month of October. You can also submit nominations electronically to the following email address: session@trinitygracesa.org. 

We invite you to join us in prayer for this season of officer nominations. If you have any questions or would like to process officer nominations in any way, please do not hesitate to reach out to one of your current Elders at Trinity Grace. 

In the hope of the Gospel,

The Session of Trinity Grace Church

Introducing Janna Riggs

Dear Members and Friends of Trinity Grace,

Every week our music team faithfully leads us in worship of our kind and gracious God. Ever since we launched worship just over 6 years ago, Carlyle Aguren has served on part time staff as our Music Team Coordinator. Carlyle has done a great job at leading our music team and cultivating a reverent and joyful worship culture on Sunday mornings.

As Trinity Grace continues to grow, so does our music team. With more musicians interested in using their gifts to serve our church, there is an increased need to provide some more technical musical leadership for our musicians.

With this need in mind, the session of Trinity Grace took action last month to hire another part time Music Team co-coordinator. Janna Riggs is excited to step into this new role and work alongside Carlyle to provide more technical support and leadership for our musicians.

Both Carlyle and Janna will serve Trinity Grace side by side as part time staff members with responsibility for overseeing our music team and leading worship on Sunday mornings. Carlyle will provide leadership from the front, continuing to cultivate a gracious, reverent, and warm worship culture. Janna will come alongside Carlyle by handling some administrative work and providing more technical musical direction to our team.

We are excited to welcome Janna as a part time staff member at Trinity Grace, and we look forward to how God will use her gifts to bless our music team and our congregation in the coming months and years.

When asked what she loves most about worship at Trinity Grace, Janna said: “I appreciate the thoughtfulness our leadership puts into the liturgy. I love how the congregation participates. I leave our worship service having been reminded about the truth of who God is and who I am. In our worship, as I reflect on my own joys and struggles and those of my brothers and sisters in Christ, I appreciate the beauty of Jesus in all situations and circumstances.”

Janna is eager to step into this new role as she seeks to help our music team reach their full potential. She says, “We have many gifted musicians. I am excited about the challenge of helping the team to fit together cohesively. And excited to grow and learn with the team in  understanding, skill, and ability. And I love the humility of our team - both desiring to bring glory to God in excellence and also not taking ourselves too seriously.”

Please give thanks to the Lord for his provision and welcome Janna as she steps into this new role!

Sabbatical Communication from Pastor Michael

Dear Trinity Grace Church, 

As many of you know, the Session of Trinity Grace Church has gifted me with a Sabbatical this summer. I have been very encouraged by so many of you who have expressed support for this upcoming sabbatical over the past few weeks. I wanted to craft a letter in an attempt to better communicate the reasoning and plan for my time away. This letter will hopefully describe a sabbatical, the benefits of a pastor taking one, and the plan to implement a three-month sabbatical for me this summer. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to me personally or to one of our Ruling Elders.

What is a Sabbatical? 

One author describes a sabbatical as, “a carefully planned period of time in which the Pastor is granted leave away from his normal responsibilities in order to spend an extended period of time in rest, renewal and refreshment.” This cessation of pastoral ministry is intended to provide physical rest, spiritual renewal, and overall refreshment. It combines rest, retreat, and play to bless the pastor and his family. In the words of sabbatical coach Jim Smith, “a sabbatical is an investment in a pastor’s renewal.” 

The word “sabbatical” comes from the Hebrew word shabbat, which means “to cease or rest.” In the Scriptures, Sabbath is observed after the six days of creation (Gen 2:3), enshrined as a weekly day of rest and worship (Exod. 20:8), and prescribed as a year of release and debt forgiveness after seven years (Deut. 15). Sabbatical periods of rest were regularly observed by Jesus and were instrumental for both Moses and Paul in discerning the Lord’s calling (Gal. 1:17-18). While a strict sabbatical is not required for pastors, it is a wise investment in both pastor and congregation. 

Why take a Sabbatical? 

The first reason I welcome the Session’s offer of a sabbatical is that I am acutely aware of pastoral requirements. Unlike other vocations, my calling requires spiritual vitality. I cannot be a faithful pastor and remain busy and exhausted. I must, as the apostles put it, “devote myself to prayer and the ministry of the Word” (Acts 6:4). This includes periods of silence and meditation, reflection and prayer, and biblical study—essentially hearing from God. While I have practiced this “on the fly” over the past seven years at Trinity Grace Church and fourteen years in ministry, I feel the need to withdraw, evaluate, rest, and draw near to God to be refreshed and gain clear vision for the next season of ministry and life. 

A second reason for this sabbatical is the nature of pastoral work. While I would never make the case that my vocation and calling is harder than another persons, each of our callings and vocations do have unique challenges. Working away steadily at the complex task of caring for eternal souls, addressing sin and suffering, navigating unique unforeseen challenges, practicing the craft of preaching God’s Word, and leading an organization like a local church from its very beginnings, requires an energy that is not purely physical or mental. While many vocations are demanding, pastoral work has unique spiritual components. The Enemy prowls like a lion, sends wolves after sheep, and deploys snares at every turn. I need a break from the war and long for time “back home.” This sabbatical is an investment in pastoral health. I understand that a lifetime of pastoral ministry is a marathon, not a sprint, and this sabbatical will provide a chance to rest so that I can re-engage the race with renewed energy. 

Along these lines, sabbaticals benefit the church by helping to create the environment for a long-term pastorate. Sabbaticals contribute to the well-being of clergy and congregation through helping sustain pastoral leadership. Sustained leadership and long-term pastorates result in deeper and healthy relationships with congregants helping Trinity Grace fulfill our mission. The average tenure of a pastor in America is 3-4 years which doesn’t allow for the establishment of deep, trusting relationships. God works through sabbaticals in mysterious and providential ways to help pastors stay committed to one place over many years.

A third reason for sabbatical is family health. My strongest partner in ministry is my wife. Rachel is not just the mother of our kids, a dedicated community volunteer, and the day-in-day-out manager of the Novak family, she is my partner in life. Trinity Grace Church would never have been planted without her. We are a team. I want my teammate, and the love of my life, to be refreshed. I want my children to know that family comes first. While we practice these values regularly, a sabbatical will help us cultivate them as a husband and wife, father and mother. 

A fourth reason for sabbatical is church health. I do not want to fall into dutiful ministry, where you become the subject of me going through the motions. By God’s grace, I have avoided this trap so far. Rarely do I feel that ministry is sheer duty. But it is time to step back and evaluate, in a sustained way, what the Lord has been doing in me, and for you to see what God has been doing in you. By that I mean, with your lead pastor gone for a season, you will get to see just how much you have grown. 

You’ll also benefit from the challenge of being the church (which I think you already do quite well), without my help. It has been my prayer that, “you let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents” (Phil. 1:27–28). I believe my absence, in some unique ways, will unify and strengthen Trinity Grace Church in and for the gospel of Jesus. 

The Sabbatical Plan 

These details were communicated by Ruling Elder Matt Valdes on behalf of the session during our worship service on Sunday January 14. 

Length: Our policy at Trinity Grace offers our pastors a sabbatical every 7 years. Our policy provides for a 3 month sabbatical. My last day of work will be May 12, 2024 and I will return to work on August 12, 2024. I plan to be begin preaching duties again on Sunday August 25, 2024. 

Expectations: Michael will be expected to refrain from all Trinity Grace Church responsibilities. He will not be responsible for emails, texts, counseling, staff leadership, preaching, or any other church responsibility. He will worship with another church body during this time. Michael will clearly distribute his responsibilities across existing Trinity Grace Church leaders for the duration of his sabbatical. The elders will continue to lead the church with general oversight and pastoral care, assisted by the staff and deacons of Trinity Grace Church. 

We have a passionate and competent staff that is eager to help lead our church during my absence this summer. We also have humble and wise church officers who are committed to providing the needed oversight and pastoral care during my sabbatical. We will be working hard over the coming months to ensure details are in place that will allow for a smooth sabbatical experience for both myself and our church.

I want to reaffirm to you all my commitment to our church and thank you for allowing me this time away. I am excited for what the Lord will do among us all this summer! 

Sincerely in the Gospel, 

Pastor Michael

2024 Community Bible Reading

Dear Members and Friends of Trinity Grace - 

In 2024 we are offering an exciting new initiative that we are calling “Community Bible Reading.” If you’re interested, you can register to read through the entirety of the Bible in community through the year!

Our plan will be to assign interested folks to small “pods” of 4 individuals where they will read through the same chronological Bible reading plan. The group will also maintain a text communication chain where people can send brief encouragements and prayers as they read through the year together.

You can find a digital copy of the chronological reading plan by clicking this link.

Our hope is that this “Community Bible Reading” initiative will provide encouragement and motivation for engaging God’s Word in 2024. You can register to participate in the Community Bible Reading plan by visiting this site.

Here are some answers to questions we anticipate you might have:

Question: What if I miss a day or two of reading?

Answer: That’s OK! Don’t get discouraged. Give yourself a lot of grace. There will be days when completing the reading is difficult. If you miss a day or two, just pick back up with the current day’s reading. We can take Paul’s encouragement to the Philippians here very practically: “Forget what lies behind and strain toward what lies ahead!”

Question: What if I would like to jump into a group over the summer once Bible studies end?

Answer: No problem! You can register to jump in through the year. We will be able to create new groups as people register or add you to an existing group. If you can just participate for a season, that is OK. After all, a season of Bible reading in community is better than none at all!

Question: Will the Community Bible Reading text groups be co-ed?

Answer: They will not. Our text groups will be divided into groups of four women or groups of four men.

Question: What if I have questions or am confused by what I’m reading?

Answer: The Bible can be a daunting book, and oftentimes a little insight or explanation can help make sense of your reading. If you have questions about a verse or a passage, we’d recommend you consult the notes in a good study Bible like the ESV Study Bible or the Reformation Study Bible. You could also consult Matthew Henry’s commentary for free online. You can also reach out to your pastors who would love the opportunity to process what you are reading over coffee or a meal!

Question: How can I keep track of my reading?

Answer: Trinity Grace will offer a print and/or digital reading chart; whichever your preference. The digital chart is available at this link, which may be saved to your phone’s storage for you to track there. The printed hard copy will be available the last few weeks on Sundays by the book table for you to pick up.

Even if you’re not able to join a Community Bible Reading group this year, the new year provides an excellent opportunity for us to consider how we plan to engage God's Word privately through the year. Rather you've read through the Bible dozens of times or you've never attempted it before, we believe that God speaks through His Word. The new year is a great on-ramp to beginning an intentional Bible reading plan in an effort to know God more deeply. 

I remember what it was like dating my wife almost 2 decades ago. We were in college and had just begun a relationship that was new and exciting. I remember going on dates where we would spend hours getting to know each other better. It was a great season of life that we both look back on with joy. Over the years, as a married couple, we have continued learning new things about one another. Getting to know another person is a process that requires continual curiosity and self-disclosure. On one hand, we need to be curious about the other person if we hope to build a relationship. On the other hand, the person we are seeking to know must provide a certain degree of self-disclosure so that the relationship can grow. When it comes to the Bible, it is really a book that shows us how deeply God wants us to know him; it is a book where God engages in self-disclosure. The question for us becomes, “Are we curious about who God is and interested in building a relationship with him?”

The Bible is a collection of 66 books that was written by 40 different authors using 3 different languages composed on 3 different continents over a span of approximately 1,300 years. Despite the varied cultures, the gaps in time, and the location differences, the Bible is a unified book that tells a singular story. It tells the story of a God who is passionate about his creation, and who will stop at nothing in order to restore all that has been affected by humanity’s sin. It tells the story of a God who wants relationship with you. 

Despite the varied authors, the gaps in time, and the different locations, the Bible is a document that demands our reverence and esteem. “The heavenliness of the matter, the efficacy of the doctrine, the majesty of the style, the consent of all the parts, the scope of the whole, the full discovery it makes of the only way of man’s salvation, the many other incomparable excellencies, and the entire perfection thereof” prove that this is a book unlike any other. It is a book authored by God in order to reveal himself to you. As we read the Bible and build a relationship with God, it is important to remember a few things about the nature of the book we are reading…

The Bible is a Book about Jesus

First and foremost, the Bible is a book that points to Jesus. Despite the varied authors and the long span of time in which it took to author, the Bible is a cohesive story about the promised Savior, Jesus Christ. After his death and resurrection, Jesus appeared to many people in bodily form. One such instance is recounted in Luke 24:25-27 where Jesus leads two disciples in a remarkable Bible study, "He said to them, ‘How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.”

As we read the Bible, it is important to keep in mind that all of the Scriptures concern Jesus. Whether we are reading about the sacrificial system in Leviticus or the monarchy in 1 Samuel or the moral demands of the Law, we need to ask the question, “How does this portion of Scripture point me to Jesus? How does this portion of Scripture reveal who Jesus is and how deeply I need him?”

The Bible is a Book that Re-Aligns our Hearts

In Psalm 19:7 we read, “The Law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.” In our culture, we are all looking for something in our lives that is “perfect” and “sure.” As we look over the landscape of our lives, we are constantly being told a number of different stories from a number of different sources. These sources may be parents, social media, friends, or even your own inner voice. These sources are telling us a number of different stories about who we are, what is important, and what we should believe. In the midst of all of these competing voices, the Bible cuts through the noise in order to re-align our hearts to the true story. The Bible tells us the true story of who we are, who God is, and what is important in this world. 

Every once in a while I have to take my car in to have the wheels re-aligned. Over time as I drive, the wheels get knocked out of alignment due to bumps in the road, potholes, and general wear and tear. In order to get my car driving straight and true again there must be an intentional re-alignment appointment made. In much the same way, our hearts need realignment in order to live straight and true. Over the course of our lives we experience unexpected bumps, relational potholes, and the wear and tear of sin on our hearts. If we aren’t re-aligned our lives have the potential to swerve out of control. As we read the Bible our hearts are slowly but surely being re-aligned with God’s truth about who we are, who God is, and what is important in this world. 

The Bible is a Book that Reveals God’s Grace

Many people tend to have misconceptions about the main thrust of the Bible. Imagine if someone pulled you off the side of the street and asked you, “What is the Bible about?” I wonder how you would respond? Maybe you would describe the Bible as a list of rules that Christians are meant to live by. Maybe you would talk about the heroes that the Bible tells us about and how they’re there to give us examples of what a holy life looks like. Maybe you would describe some of God’s characteristics and how we can learn more about them in the Bible. 

Rarely do we think of the Bible as a grand story of God’s grace in this world and our lives; a story of restoration and renewal. The Bible primarily tells a story - the true story of who we are, what is wrong with this world, what God is doing in the world to set things right. The Bible is not primarily about what we do. Instead the Bible is all about what God has done on our behalf. It’s all about God’s grace. 

As we understand this it has the ability to transform the paradigm through which we read the Bible. Tim Keller, a pastor in New York City who has gone to be with the Lord, highlights this aspect of Scripture in a profound way when he says, “There is, in the end, only two ways to read the Bible: is it basically about me or basically about Jesus? In other words, is it basically about what I must do, or basically about what he has done? If I read David and Goliath as basically giving me an example, then the story is really about me. I must summon up the faith and courage to fight the giants in my life. But if I read David and Goliath as basically showing me salvation through Jesus, then the story is really about him. Until I see that Jesus fought the real giants (sin, law, death) for me, I will never have the courage to be able to fight ordinary giants in life (suffering, disappointment, failure, criticism, hardship). For example how can I ever fight the ‘giant’ of failure, unless I have a deep security that God will not abandon me? If I see David as my example, the story will never help me fight the failure/giant. But if I see David/Jesus as my substitute, whose victory is imputed to me, then I can stand before the failure/giant. As another example, how can I ever fight the ‘giant’ of persecution or criticism? Unless I can see him forgiving me on the cross, I won’t be able to forgive others. Unless I see him as forgiving me for falling asleep on him (Matt.27:45) I won’t be able to stay awake for him.” 

Knowing that Scripture is meant to point us to Jesus, that it is meant to re-align our hearts, and that it is meant to show us God’s amazing grace has the potential to change the way we read the Bible. With this new paradigm in mind, you can practically implement these suggestions next time you read the Bible…

Read Humbly. If the Bible is the grand narrative of who we are and what God has done on our behalf, then it requires us to read the Bible with humility.  As we read the Bible we must submit our beliefs and our actions to it’s authority. As long as we think that we know best, we will never have the correct posture for reading the Bible. As we come to the Bible we approach as weak and needy. We are the ones who need guidance, we are the ones who have lost our way, we are the ones who need rescue. Instead of approaching the Bible looking to correct it, we must approach the Bible with a willingness to be corrected ourselves. As we approach the Bible with a posture of humility and teachability, we will find that God graciously wants to change us and enable us to experience life as it was intended to be experienced. 

Read Prayerfully. Ask God to open your heart and mind to what he might want to say to you through the Bible. As we read the Bible, the ultimate goal is not to obtain more knowledge about God, but to actually know God in a personal way. We desperately need God’s supernatural power to properly understand and apply his Word to our lives. As you read, it is also a good idea to use what you are reading in order to craft and cultivate your prayers. As you read about God’s promises, you can pray that God would make those promises manifest in your life. As you read about the sin that has vandalized this world, you can pray that God would continue to push back the curse of sin. As you read about the commands of God, you can pray that God would enable you to obey out of a spirit of gratitude. 

Read Redemptively. Since the Bible is the story about God’s grace in our lives we can read the Bible with the goal of seeing the beauty of God’s grace. There are some questions you can ask as you read in order to maximize your experience of God’s grace in his Word: What does this passage teach me about God? What does it teach about me and humanity? How does this passage point to or reveal the Savior, Jesus Christ? How does this passage point to or reveal my need for Jesus? As we ask these questions of God’s Word we will begin to experience God’s grace for us even in the act of reading the Bible. 

For those who are not able to participate in our “Community Bible Reading” plan, here are some good 2024 Reading Plans so that you can connect more deeply with God through His Word this upcoming year:

Five Day Bible Reading

M’Cheyne Reading Plan

Chronological Reading Plan

ESV Bible Reading Plan

As always, give yourself plenty of grace as you set out on any annual reading plan. There will be hard days and seasons. When I personally encounter these inevitable realities, I try to just get back at it and forget about what was missed. Even if portions are missed, God still speaks through the portion of His Word that is set before you today. It may even be helpful to remember Paul's encouragement to the Philippians when we miss some days: "Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

Praying that God uses His Word to bring comfort, encouragement, and refreshment to your soul in 2024!

Pastor Michael

The Goodness Project

Projects funded by the Goodness Project to date:

Homeless Care Packs for the Car

Breakfast & Coffee for 1st Responders

1 Hope Christmas Gifts for Children

Gift Card for Postal Worker

Coffee for Children’s Teachers

Supplies for Grace House Ladies Class

College Student Exam Goodie Bags

Teacher Gift Bags for Local Elementary School

Dear Trinity Grace Members,

I wanted to make you aware of a new initiative that is being made possible by a generous member of Trinity Grace. We are calling this initiative “The Goodness Project.” This creative idea was inspired by a sermon delivered at Trinity Grace earlier this summer on the topic of goodness from our Fruit of the Spirit sermon series. You can listen to that particular sermon by visiting this link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/154104/12889666

“The Goodness Project” has been seeded with a $10,000 gift with the hope of encouraging our congregation to engage in acts of gracious goodness toward our neighbors and neighborhoods.

While we all know that goodness does not require monetary resources, we also understand that acts of goodness can be magnified as we steward resources well and intentionally use those resources to bless our friends and neighbors.

With that in mind, we are inviting members of Trinity Grace to get creative in how they might extend goodness to their neighbors or neighborhoods over the coming months. We want this generous gift to help you accomplish your creative ideas! We are inviting people to dream up random acts of goodness that might need some monetary resources to accomplish. Once you have an act of goodness in mind, you can then request resources to fund that initiative from “The Goodness Project” fund.

We anticipate releasing funds for random acts of goodness in amounts between $25-250.

Here are some ideas to get the gears turning and hopefully inspire ideas in your own mind:

Take a group of college students to lunch after church ($150)

Create and pass out homeless care bags ($200)

Coffee for teachers at your kids school ($50)

Neighborhood Cook Out Hosted by YOU ($250)

Holiday Party for Neighborhood Hosted by YOU ($250)

Gift card for service workers (trash man/postal person) - ($30)

Free lemonade stand in the neighborhood ($75)

Christmas gift card for needy families ($100)

Youth invites friends to their home for a pizza party ($100)

Gift card to a teen mom ($150)

We have set up an email address - goodness@trinitygracesa.org - where you can submit a proposal for your goodness initiative along with a specific request for funding. Upon approval, we will release those funds so that you can engage your random act of goodness and bring small tastes of blessing to our city. These funds can be used by both individuals or families.

We would love to see the following things with each request: a detailed description of your goodness initiative, when you plan to engage your goodness initiative, and how much it will cost to accomplish your goodness initiative.

We would also encourage people who participate to document their initiative with pictures or short stories of how they experienced others receiving blessing through this initiative.

As always, if you have any questions, you can reach out to Pastor Michael at michael@trinitygracesa.org.

Introducing the Lopez Family

Dear members and friends of Trinity Grace - 

Many of you know that our church has been engaged in a conversation over the past few months about what it would look like for us to come alongside the South Texas Presbytery and the Reach South Texas Church Planting Network to help establish a new PCA church in the Alamo Ranch area over the next few years. 

Toward the beginning of August, we made the congregation aware that the Reach South Texas Church Planting Network has been engaged in conversation over the past year with Adam and Kindell Lopez, who feel called to church planting in South Texas. This summer, the Lopez family was interviewed and approved by our church planting network and by our denominational church planting assessment center.  

A few weeks back the session of Trinity Grace, along with a few invited guests, had the chance to interview Adam and Kindell Lopez. We were very encouraged by what we heard and believe that God may very well be laying the foundations for a new church plant in the Alamo Ranch area. 

After that interview with the session, you might remember that we also had the Lopez family join us for worship on Sunday August 20. We were able to carve out some time after that service to hear more from Adam Lopez about his desire to plant a new church in the Alamo Ranch area. We were also able to take questions from the congregation at that meeting. 

It seemed that everyone in attendance was excited about this potential opportunity and we received some very positive feedback on our plan to help establish a new gospel-centered church in the Alamo Ranch area. 

When a new church is planted in the Alamo Ranch area we want to do everything we can to help it flourish. With that in mind, Reach South Texas and our Presbytery has asked our church to host the Alamo Ranch church planter for a 2 year church planting residency. 

At our last session meeting, the elders of Trinity Grace voted to extend a call to Adam Lopez to serve as a 2 year church planting resident beginning September 1, 2023. We are excited to welcome the Lopez family to Trinity Grace, and we look forward to what God will do through them as they seek to serve us and make plans to establish a new church in Alamo Ranch!

Adam will serve on staff at Trinity Grace for those 2 years in order to learn our church culture, explore what it could look like to plant a healthy church, shore up some areas where growth is needed, and begin laying the foundation for launching in the Alamo Ranch area in the fall of 2025. The Lopez family is very excited about the potential of helping establish a new church in the Alamo Ranch area.

Once the Lopez family is able to get a bit settled in the San Antonio area, we will make plans to formally introduce them on a Sunday morning. For now, here is a bit about the Lopez family: 

Adam and Kindell Lopez are high school sweethearts from Bridge City, a small southeast Texas town near the Gulf coast. They both earned business degrees from Lamar University in Beaumont. After graduating, they moved to Houston, where Adam served as a police officer from 2006 to 2016. In 2016, Adam and Kindell moved their family to St. Louis to attend Covenant Seminary, receiving an MDiv 2020 (Adam) and Master of Arts in Ministry - Counseling 2023 (Kindell). Adam and Kindell have four children - Fallon - a new Baylor Bear (2005), Asher (2009), Shaylee (2012), and Ezra (2019).

In 2020, Adam took a call at Emmanuel Presbyterian Church in Cedar Park, where he served as Assistant Pastor. In 2023, Adam and Kindell are moving their family to San Antonio to labor as Assistant Pastor of Church Planting at Trinity Grace in hopes of planting a new church in the Far West Side of San Antonio. 

Adam enjoys running and exercise, listening to and playing music, enjoying new and diverse foods, reading good books, hIking and outdoor activities with family, family board game nights, cheering on our favorite sports teams. hanging out with friends and family, and traveling to new places as they have the opportunity.

Please be praying for the Lopez family transition. They are in the midst of selling a house in Austin, transferring schools for their children, and searching for a home in San Antonio. 

TGC Nursery Update

Trinity Grace Church has seen much growth in the past couple of years, especially in our younger nursery class. We are blessed to be overflowing with bouncy babies and joyful toddlers. This growth has led us to open another nursery class to accommodate our ever growing young population. We will now have three rooms starting on September 10th: Nursery, Walking Toddlers, and Preschool. 

Our Nursery room will have children ages 1 and under. If you have a child who is still crawling and over the age of one, we suggest they remain in this room until they are walking. The children in our Nursery room will still have two paid sitters to care for the youngest in our congregation. 

Our Walking Toddler room will have children ages 1 and 2. This room is for children who are independently walking. Our Preschool room will have children ages 3 and 4. We are blessed to have enough volunteers from our congregation to staff both of these rooms. The kids will enjoy some free play time, a snack, and bible lesson and activity using The Gospel Project curriculum. Both of these rooms will be located in the two science rooms in the Nursery hallway. 

Security

We take the security of the kids who walk through our doors very seriously. We are not only caring for their hearts, but the kids themselves. In an effort to keep all of our kids safe we will be requiring all kids (newborn-4) to receive a name tag at our sign-in table and the parents receive a security tag. This tag will be required to sign out your child. You will receive your child’s tag at the welcome table and then sign in with your child at the clipboard located at the desk when you enter your child’s classroom. We hope this brings peace of mind to our members and our guests as they entrust us with their children.

2023 Bible Reading Plan

Dear Members and Friends of Trinity Grace - 

As we enter a new year, it provides an excellent opportunity for us to consider how we plan to engage God's Word privately through the year. Rather you've read through the Bible dozens of times or you've never attempted it before, we believe that God speaks through His Word. The new year is a great on-ramp to beginning an intentional Bible reading plan in an effort to know God more deeply. 

I remember what it was like dating my wife almost 2 decades ago. We were in college and had just begun a relationship that was new and exciting. I remember going on dates where we would spend hours getting to know each other better. It was a great season of life that we both look back on with joy. Over the years, as a married couple, we have continued learning new things about one another. Getting to know another person is a process that requires continual curiosity and self-disclosure. On one hand, we need to be curious about the other person if we hope to build a relationship. On the other hand, the person we are seeking to know must provide a certain degree of self-disclosure so that the relationship can grow. When it comes to the Bible, it is really a book that shows us how deeply God wants us to know him; it is a book where God engages in self-disclosure. The question for us becomes, “Are we curious about who God is and interested in building a relationship with him?”

The Bible is a collection of 66 books that was written by 40 different authors using 3 different languages composed on 3 different continents over a span of approximately 1,300 years. Despite the varied cultures, the gaps in time, and the location differences, the Bible is a unified book that tells a singular story. It tells the story of a God who is passionate about his creation, and who will stop at nothing in order to restore all that has been affected by humanity’s sin. It tells the story of a God who wants relationship with you. 

Despite the varied authors, the gaps in time, and the different locations, the Bible is a document that demands our reverence and esteem. “The heavenliness of the matter, the efficacy of the doctrine, the majesty of the style, the consent of all the parts, the scope of the whole, the full discovery it makes of the only way of man’s salvation, the many other incomparable excellencies, and the entire perfection thereof” prove that this is a book unlike any other. It is a book authored by God in order to reveal himself to you. As we read the Bible and build a relationship with God, it is important to remember a few things about the nature of the book we are reading…

The Bible is a Book about Jesus

First and foremost, the Bible is a book that points to Jesus. Despite the varied authors and the long span of time in which it took to author, the Bible is a cohesive story about the promised Savior, Jesus Christ. After his death and resurrection, Jesus appeared to many people in bodily form. One such instance is recounted in Luke 24:25-27 where Jesus leads two disciples in a remarkable Bible study, "He said to them, ‘How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.”

As we read the Bible, it is important to keep in mind that all of the Scriptures concern Jesus. Whether we are reading about the sacrificial system in Leviticus or the monarchy in 1 Samuel or the moral demands of the Law, we need to ask the question, “How does this portion of Scripture point me to Jesus? How does this portion of Scripture reveal who Jesus is and how deeply I need him?”

The Bible is a Book that Re-Aligns our Hearts

In Psalm 19:7 we read, “The Law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.” In our culture, we are all looking for something in our lives that is “perfect” and “sure.” As we look over the landscape of our lives, we are constantly being told a number of different stories from a number of different sources. These sources may be parents, social media, friends, or even your own inner voice. These sources are telling us a number of different stories about who we are, what is important, and what we should believe. In the midst of all of these competing voices, the Bible cuts through the noise in order to re-align our hearts to the true story. The Bible tells us the true story of who we are, who God is, and what is important in this world. 

Every once in a while I have to take my car in to have the wheels re-aligned. Over time as I drive, the wheels get knocked out of alignment due to bumps in the road, potholes, and general wear and tear. In order to get my car driving straight and true again there must be an intentional re-alignment appointment made. In much the same way, our hearts need realignment in order to live straight and true. Over the course of our lives we experience unexpected bumps, relational potholes, and the wear and tear of sin on our hearts. If we aren’t re-aligned our lives have the potential to swerve out of control. As we read the Bible our hearts are slowly but surely being re-aligned with God’s truth about who we are, who God is, and what is important in this world. 

The Bible is a Book that Reveals God’s Grace

Many people tend to have misconceptions about the main thrust of the Bible. Imagine if someone pulled you off the side of the street and asked you, “What is the Bible about?” I wonder how you would respond? Maybe you would describe the Bible as a list of rules that Christians are meant to live by. Maybe you would talk about the heroes that the Bible tells us about and how they’re there to give us examples of what a holy life looks like. Maybe you would describe some of God’s characteristics and how we can learn more about them in the Bible. 

Rarely do we think of the Bible as a grand story of God’s grace in this world and our lives; a story of restoration and renewal. The Bible primarily tells a story - the true story of who we are, what is wrong with this world, what God is doing in the world to set things right. The Bible is not primarily about what we do. Instead the Bible is all about what God has done on our behalf. It’s all about God’s grace. 

As we understand this it has the ability to transform the paradigm through which we read the Bible. Tim Keller, a pastor in New York City, highlights this aspect of Scripture in a profound way when he says, “There is, in the end, only two ways to read the Bible: is it basically about me or basically about Jesus? In other words, is it basically about what I must do, or basically about what he has done? If I read David and Goliath as basically giving me an example, then the story is really about me. I must summon up the faith and courage to fight the giants in my life. But if I read David and Goliath as basically showing me salvation through Jesus, then the story is really about him. Until I see that Jesus fought the real giants (sin, law, death) for me, I will never have the courage to be able to fight ordinary giants in life (suffering, disappointment, failure, criticism, hardship). For example how can I ever fight the ‘giant’ of failure, unless I have a deep security that God will not abandon me? If I see David as my example, the story will never help me fight the failure/giant. But if I see David/Jesus as my substitute, whose victory is imputed to me, then I can stand before the failure/giant. As another example, how can I ever fight the ‘giant’ of persecution or criticism? Unless I can see him forgiving me on the cross, I won’t be able to forgive others. Unless I see him as forgiving me for falling asleep on him (Matt.27:45) I won’t be able to stay awake for him.” 

Knowing that Scripture is meant to point us to Jesus, that it is meant to re-align our hearts, and that it is meant to show us God’s amazing grace has the potential to change the way we read the Bible. With this new paradigm in mind, you can practically implement these suggestions next time you read the Bible…

Read Humbly. If the Bible is the grand narrative of who we are and what God has done on our behalf, then it requires us to read the Bible with humility.  As we read the Bible we must submit our beliefs and our actions to it’s authority. As long as we think that we know best, we will never have the correct posture for reading the Bible. As we come to the Bible we approach as weak and needy. We are the ones who need guidance, we are the ones who have lost our way, we are the ones who need rescue. Instead of approaching the Bible looking to correct it, we must approach the Bible with a willingness to be corrected ourselves. As we approach the Bible with a posture of humility and teachability, we will find that God graciously wants to change us and enable us to experience life as it was intended to be experienced. 

Read Prayerfully. Ask God to open your heart and mind to what he might want to say to you through the Bible. As we read the Bible, the ultimate goal is not to obtain more knowledge about God, but to actually know God in a personal way. We desperately need God’s supernatural power to properly understand and apply his Word to our lives. As you read, it is also a good idea to use what you are reading in order to craft and cultivate your prayers. As you read about God’s promises, you can pray that God would make those promises manifest in your life. As you read about the sin that has vandalized this world, you can pray that God would continue to push back the curse of sin. As you read about the commands of God, you can pray that God would enable you to obey out of a spirit of gratitude. 

Read Redemptively. Since the Bible is the story about God’s grace in our lives we can read the Bible with the goal of seeing the beauty of God’s grace. There are some questions you can ask as you read in order to maximize your experience of God’s grace in his Word: What does this passage teach me about God? What does it teach about me and humanity? How does this passage point to or reveal the Savior, Jesus Christ? How does this passage point to or reveal my need for Jesus? As we ask these questions of God’s Word we will begin to experience God’s grace for us even in the act of reading the Bible. 

Here are some good 2023 Reading Plans so that you can connect more deeply with God through His Word this upcoming year:

Five Day Bible Reading

M’Cheyne Reading Plan

Chronological Reading Plan

ESV Bible Reading Plan

As always, give yourself plenty of grace as you set out on any annual reading plan. There will be hard days and seasons. When I personally encounter these inevitable realities, I try to just get back at it and forget about what was missed. Even if portions are missed, God still speaks through the portion of His Word that is set before you today. It may even be helpful to remember Paul's encouragement to the Philippians when we miss some days: "Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

Praying that God uses His Word to bring comfort, encouragement, and refreshment to your soul in 2023!

Pastor Michael

Introducing Ben Tharp

The session (board of elders) of Trinity Grace Church is pleased to announce that Rev. Ben Tharp will be joining Trinity Grace as the new Assistant Pastor for Youth & Families beginning January 1, 2023.

As many of you know, our church has experienced significant growth over the previous year. Along with growth comes the need to consider how we can best spiritually care for the people God has brought to our church community. If you have been around Trinity Grace for any length of time you have likely noticed that the Lord has blessed us with many children and youth. We are grateful for the way these younger members add vitality and bring their various gifts to our congregation.

In an effort to more faithfully care for our youth age members - and in light of how many of our children are about to enter middle school - we are excited that Ben feels called to provide leadership for our growing youth ministry and pastoral care for our students and their parents. Ben will also provide leadership in other areas of our church including regular liturgical leadership, occasional preaching, and assimilation of guests and new members.

Many of you hopefully had the chance to meet and get to know Ben and Elisa during their visit this past October. They also have a daughter named Nora who is almost 2 years old. Ben has been ordained as a Pastor (Teaching Elder) in the PCA for the past 5 years, and he is coming from St. Louis where he has served as Assistant Pastor of Youth & Families at Trinity Presbyterian Church. He brings years of experience and a deep passion for youth ministry to Trinity Grace.

When asked what he and Elisa appreciated most about Trinity Grace during their visit, Ben responded, “One of the things we enjoyed most about Trinity Grace during our visit was how welcoming and warm everyone was. It was so great to talk with folks before and after the service. The middle and high school students during the Christian Education hour were great! The students were fun and engaging.”

Ben and Elisa have a number of details to take care of as they transition to San Antonio over the coming weeks. We can be praying for this transition, specifically that the sale of their home in St. Louis and buying a new house in San Antonio would be a smooth process.

As they prepare to settle into San Antionio and ministry at Trinity Grace, Ben says, “One of the things I am looking forward to as I begin at Trinity Grace is getting to know students and their families. I am looking forward to starting to build those relationships.”

We’re grateful to the Lord for bringing the Tharp family to Trinity Grace and we look forward to their ministry to our congregation over the coming years. As Ben considers what makes youth ministry exciting and challenging in our current cultural moment he says, “One of the things that makes youth ministry exciting for me during this cultural moment is that students desire to make an impact in the world. They want to help make the world better. The challenge during this time is that the idea of universal truth is under attack. Youth ministry today has the difficult task of bringing the universal truths of the Bible to bear in a loving way.”

Please begin praying for the Tharp family during this season of transition. We look forward to welcoming the Tharp family at the beginning of 2023.

As always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the session at session@trinitygracesa.org.

Grateful for the Lord’s provision for our church,

The Session of Trinity Grace

Trinity Grace Shepherding Groups

Dear Members of Trinity Grace,

Happy November! It is hard to believe that we are nearing the end of another year. As we approach the holiday season, it is an opportunity to praise God for his care and provision through 2021. God has promised to work all things out for our good because He loves us and wants what is best for his people. Of course, it is sometimes difficult to discern how God might be caring for us through difficulties and challenges. Yet we believe God’s promises to us. We see God’s care and provision most clearly in the gift of Jesus. It was Paul who encourages us with these words from his letter to the saints in Rome: “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32) As we approach the holiday season, it is worth remembering that God is extravagantly gracious in the way he provides for all of our needs, both spiritual and physical. 

One of the ways we practically experience God’s care is through one another. As the body of Christ, we are able to act as the “hands and feet of Jesus” as we intentionally serve each other. The fact that we are members of Christ’s body is evidence of God’s gracious care in our lives. 

As many of you know, we recently established formal leadership at Trinity Grace with the election and installation of Ruling Elders this past February. Our Ruling Elders are called to spiritually nourish and care for those who call Trinity Grace home. According to our Book of Church Order (Chapter 8): “It belongs to those in the office of elder, both severally and jointly, to watch diligently over the flock committed to his charge, that no corruption of doctrine or of morals enter therein. They must exercise government and discipline, and take oversight not only of the spiritual interests of the particular church, but also the Church generally when called thereunto. They should visit the people at their homes, especially the sick. They should instruct the ignorant, comfort the mourner, nourish and guard the children of the Church. They should set a worthy example to the flock entrusted to their care by their zeal to evangelize the unconverted, make disciples, and demonstrate hospitality. All those duties which private Christians are bound to discharge by the law of love are especially incumbent upon them by divine vocation, and are to be discharged as official duties. They should pray with and for the people, being careful and diligent in seeking the fruit of the preached Word among the flock.”

One of the blessings of being a member of Christ’s Church is that we receive spiritual nourishment and care from those whom Jesus has placed in positions of servant leadership in his church. In an attempt to be faithful to the structures and intentions God has for his church, and to provide spiritual care for the members of Trinity Grace, the session (board of elders) has prayerfully engaged in a process of dividing our congregation into what we are calling “Shepherding Groups.”

If you are a member of Trinity Grace then you have been placed in a “Shepherding Group.” Each of our current Ruling Elders (Matt Valdes, Dave Sisk, and Garfield Green) have been assigned a “Shepherding Group.” Our Ruling Elders are eager to spiritually care for the members of Trinity Grace Church. They have committed to serving their Shepherding Group through prayer, encouragement, and relational engagement. 

In the coming weeks, you should expect to hear from your shepherding Elder so that you know who has committed to pray for you and offer any spiritual care and guidance you might desire. It is our hope and prayer that splitting our congregation into different Shepherding Groups prevents the possibility of members from “slipping through the cracks.” These groups will also give our Ruling Elders a defined trellis upon which organic care and service can begin to grow in our church family. Over the coming months, it is our hope is that your shepherding Elder will be the person you can reach out to for prayer, for spiritual encouragement, and for practical ministry needs. These groups will also give our Ruling Elders a specific portion of our church that they can be praying for and connecting with on a regular basis.

We long to see one another conformed more and more into the image of Jesus. We long to see our church continuing to serve and love one another. We long to reach and renew our friends and neighbors with the hope of the Gospel. As we move toward those worthwhile goals, please know that your church desires to see you flourish and experience spiritual health. With that in mind, we are excited to put this structure in place and pray that God would use our efforts to accomplish our mission of reaching and renewing San Antonio with the hope of the Gospel. 

As always, if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at michael@trinitygracesa.org. 

Grateful to be a part of what God is doing through us,

Michael

New Children's Ministry Coordinator

Dear Members and Friends of Trinity Grace,

This past February at our annual congregational meeting, we discussed our hopes of hiring a Children’s Ministry Coordinator in the next year. This person would help craft discipleship opportunities for our children, coordinate volunteers, support families as they nurture their children in Gospel growth, and organize outreach events such as Vacation Bible School. With COVID-19, the year has certainly not looked the way any of us would have imagined, but God has provided for us in so many ways, and one of these ways has been in bringing someone to fill this role.

We’re thrilled to announce that Brittany McCanlies will begin as the Children’s Ministry Coordinator as we launch into a new fall ministry season. 

Jan Dunlap and Missy Watts, who have graciously been volunteering their efforts for the past couple years, are excited to pass the baton to Brittany and follow her leadership in this transition. 

Brittany and her husband, Jacob, have been with Trinity Grace from the very beginning. When asked what she appreciates most about our church Brittany says, “I have loved the community and friendships that our family has developed over the last two years. I appreciate the emphasis on theology and educating all ages.” 

Brittany was born and raised in San Antonio. She married Jacob in 2015, after they graduated together from Schreiner University. She spent 4 years as an 8th grade teacher in the Northside School District before transitioning to work at home after their first child (Gus) was born. 

When asked what she hopes God will do through our Children’s Ministry Brittany says, “In the coming months and years, I hope the kids of Trinity Grace come to know and give their lives to Christ. It would be so wonderful to see our kids find joy in learning more about Christ and his Word. I hope that we can supplement the great work our Trinity Grace parents are building at home. When we can gather kids together again, we desire to bring community and spiritual formation to our kids in a fun and safe way.”

I am thankful for the Lord’s provision in leading Brittany to this position, and I am excited to see how God will use her efforts over the coming months and years to cultivate a deeper love for Jesus in the hearts of our little ones! Please welcome Brittany to this new role next time you see her. She will likely be in touch with many of you over the coming months as she invites members to plug into our children’s ministry. 

As always, if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out to me personally. 

Grateful for God’s provision to us and our Children’s Ministry,

Michael

New RUF Campus Minister at UTSA!

Dear Members and Friends of Trinity Grace,

As many of you know RUF at UTSA will be undergoing a transition of pastoral leadership this summer. After 3 years of faithful ministry and launching a new RUF chapter on the campus of UTSA, the Castleberry’s will be leaving RUF on May 31. We thank God for the Castleberry family and the meaningful Gospel ministry that was accomplished through their efforts. 

Beginning June 1, Rev. Lee Wright will transition into the role of RUF Campus Minister at UTSA. Lee and Sarah Wright are coming from Orlando where they spent the past 6 years serving with RUF at the campus of University of Central Florida (UCF).  

Lee and Sarah both attended Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis where they each earned a Master of Divinity and a Masters of Arts in Counseling degree. They have three beautiful children - Tillie, Margot, and Max.

We are thrilled that the Wright family will be joining us in San Antonio this summer. Please be praying for them as they make the transition from Orlando to San Antonio in the coming weeks. You can friend them on Facebook (Lee Wright and Sarah Wright) and let them know you’re excited to welcome them to Trinity Grace and San Antonio! 

We look forward to how God will continue to use the ministry of RUF at UTSA under their leadership to reach students for Christ and equip them to serve the Church. 

Below is the letter Lee sent to his supporters at UCF to let them know of this transition. You can learn a bit more about the Wrights below. 

As always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at michael@trinitygracesa.org. 

In the Hope of the Gospel,

Michael

——

One of the nice benefits of the current quarantined state for our family has been the adventures. Typically we take a fun, family adventure in the summer but in the current stage of the world, we are taking adventures daily. Thanks to the nature preserve 0.5 miles from our house, we can be in nature and see great animals very easily! Above: Max and I are on one such adventure.

In the midst of all of this, we informed our children that we are set for a bigger adventure and one that sadly will conclude our time in Orlando. At the end of March, Sarah and I informed the RUF students at UCF that Spring 2020 would be our last semester with them and that we'd be moving at the end of May. It was such a sad evening. Not only are we leaving students we love and a campus we love, but we had to tell them on a Zoom call. The process has been very sad and we continue to grieve without saying goodbye in person.

However, in sadness, there is great hope. We look forward to a new adventure both for our family and for the ministry of RUF at UCF. The RUF Committee in Central Florida has hired my replacement, and he will be communicating via email in the coming weeks. And we have a new adventure to share with you.

Sarah and I have been praying for the past two years to discern what was next. We felt that the Lord wanted us to continue working for RUF and with college students, and desired to be closer to family. I was also interested in starting a new ministry in RUF in a place where we could also contribute to the local church. Our time in Orlando has proven that a strong connection to the local church has been a huge benefit to our family, the ministry of RUF, as well as the local church itself. It was my desire to co-labor closely with a local church, possibly a new church plant, so we began exploring calls toward this end.

To our amazement, the Lord opened an opportunity in our home state! We will be working alongside friends Michael and Rachel Novak in San Antonio, TX as the Novak's continue planting the Trinity Grace Church and we continue the RUF ministry at the University of Texas-San Antonio (UTSA). UTSA is a growing and thriving school in the rapidly growing city of San Antonio. The RUF ministry is three years old, but still very much at a young and moldable stage of its life. We had the privilege to meet a handful of RUF at UTSA students on a Zoom call last Monday and are excited to invest in them! 

With this move comes changes in our finances. Some of you love UCF and want to continue supporting the ministry of RUF at UCF. If you give monthly, your giving will continue going to RUF at UCF. Some of you want to follow the Wright family and give where we will be going in our ministry adventure to UTSA. There is a link below that will direct you to our giving site. For those writing checks, the Memo line will say "UTSA-0333." If you have any questions about any of this transition from the financial side of things, or anything else, please reach out to me via email or phone (205.541.4078).

As for housing, we would love your prayers. Our house in Orlando is under contract (!) but we are one month from our close date and still working to secure a house in San Antonio. Pray for us as we prepare to make this move with all of the details up in the air. My prayer broadly is for peace as we make this transition.

Thank you all for your love and care and kindness in our time at UCF and in Orlando. We will miss many of you so much, and I look forward to co-laboring with many of you in the future!

Lee Wright, RUF Campus Minister at UCF

Christian Humility & Charity in the Time of Covid

With all the uncertainty and stress that surrounds the coronavirus epidemic, there is increased potential for relational tension as we disagree at times over the appropriate response. Among those who follow Jesus, there can be a spectrum of opinions when it comes to how we think about the virus and our society’s response. On one end of the spectrum there are those who believe that the fear and caution surrounding the virus has been overblown. On the other end there are those who believe that we are not doing enough to curb the spread of the virus and should be doing more. What can make it more confusing is that data and experts can be found to support any position or opinion. 

When it comes to something that affects us so profoundly on a personal and global scale, it makes sense that we carry strong views on the issue. However, when these views begin to affect the way we engage and treat our brothers and sisters in Christ, we need to listen to the call of the gospel to “pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.” (Romans 14:19)

Through the centuries, the Church has encountered many topics where good Christians have come to different conclusions. When these issues don’t touch on the essentials of the Christian faith, we label them matters of Christian liberty. 

Paul spends much time in his letters addressing how we think about Christian liberty and the fact that followers of Jesus can hold different opinions on important issues and topics while still maintaining Christian love and fellowship. In fact, it is often in these places of disagreement, that the work of the Holy Spirit is most evident in shaping our communities around the message of the Cross. 

In Romans 12 we see Paul exhort the church with these foundational words: 

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” (Romans 12:9-10)

Here Paul is addressing a group of Christians from different backgrounds (rich and poor, free and slave, man and woman, gentile and Jew) that carry many different views on tangential issues (politics, diet, holidays and festivals). He is encouraging this diverse group of people to go out of their way to yield to one another in matters of conscience and preference. 

Further on in chapter 14, he builds on this idea to address the doctrine of Christian liberty directly.

“As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but do not quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another?” (Romans 14:1-4)

You might be convinced the response to Covid19 is overblown, but how do you show love and care for your brothers and sisters in Christ who don’t share the same conclusion? You might be convinced we aren’t doing enough to curb the spread of Covid19, but how do you show love and care for your brothers and sisters in Christ who don’t share the same conclusion? 

How do we keep from despising and passing judgement on the one who holds a different opinion than us? How do we continue to love those who have different opinions when it comes to tangential issues? It can only happen as the Spirit gives us humility and the supernatural ability to engage brothers and sisters in Christ with listening ears characterized by charity. 

Paul continues his encouragement:

“Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother...Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God.” (Romans 14:13, 20)

If I could paraphrase Paul given our current context, I might say, “Do not, for the sake of Covid 19, destroy the work of God.” In other words, don’t let a matter of Christian liberty and disagreement drive a wedge in Christian community and the unity of the Church. 

Our church community and family is one centered on Jesus. He is the cornerstone of the Church; the one that we build our lives upon. We have freedom to hold (and even change) our opinions and convictions about Covid19 (along with many other issues), but the call to Christian charity and humility are unchangeable and nonnegotiable. 

As we continue to engage and relate with one another—through virtual small groups, on social media, or in person—let us “love one another with brotherly affection and outdo one another in honor.” As we continue to pray for God’s healing and a return to normal, let’s pray that he will guard us against “despising and passing judgement on each other” over matters of Christian liberty. May the name of Jesus be lifted high and may the world know us by our humility and charity, especially with one another.

The Already & Not Yet of Advent

This Sunday, December 1, marks the first Sunday in the season of the church calendar known as Advent. That statement likely brings up a few questions in your mind. The first of which likely has to do with the Church calendar. You may be wondering, “What in the world is the church calendar?” 

I’m glad you asked. We all live according to some type of calendar; a system that orders our days and seasons. In the western world we live according to the Gregorian calendar which was instituted in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII. Over the course of our normal calendar year we experience certain seasons like summer and winter in San Antonio (it’s rumored other areas of the country also experience spring and fall). And we celebrate certain special days - we call them holidays - like President’s Day and Memorial Day and July 4th.

Just like the society we’re apart of orders its life around a calendar - looking forward to certain days and seasons - the Church throughout history has also ordered its life together around a calendar known as the Church calendar. While we can fully engage in our society’s calendar and enjoy it, we also have our own special calendar as the Church. This calendar very intentionally follows along with the life of Christ through the year. From the anticipation of his arrival known as the Advent season, to his birth known as the Christmas season, to remembering his journey to Jerusalem to die which is known as Lent, to his final week where we celebrate Palm Sunday and Good Friday and Easter, to the season of ordinary time where we focus on growing in normal, mundane life as followers of Jesus. The Church has always ordered it’s life according to a calendar that is intended to shape and form our focus as the Church through the year. 

This Sunday marks the beginning of the season of Advent. Advent is a word that means arrival. It is a season where the Church around the world patiently waits and longs for the arrival of the Savior. In this season we look back at Christ’s once in history coming in humility and we look forward to when he will come again in glory. Advent is meant to be a season characterized by hopeful longing.

As Christians that live in a time where Christ has already come in humility but has not yet come in glory, we look back at Christ’s first coming with joy and thankfulness. We also look forward to Christ’s second coming with expectation and anticipation. Over the course of the next 4 Sundays we will sing hymns that both express the longing for Christ to come fully make all things new and express our joy over the fact that Christ has already come to truly begin his work of renewal with his incarnation. 

Over the next four weeks, we will throw ourselves into the season of Advent as a church on Sunday mornings. We would also love to invite you to jump into this season of eager expectation at home. With that in mind, below are a few links to some resources that you might find encouraging and helpful as you enter the season of Advent.

Jesus Storybook Bible Children Advent Devotional

Village Church Advent Guide

Trinity Grace Church Advent Guide (Written by Pastor Michael - Sundays not included since we gather to worship as a community that day.)

It Takes a Village

“Do you as a congregation undertake the responsibility of assisting the parents in the Christian nurture of this child?”

If you’re a regular at Trinity Grace Church then chances are you’ve heard the question above during a worship service where one of our covenant children received baptism. If you’re a member at Trinity Grace then you’ve actually been asked to respond to this question with joyful consent! The question above is the one posed to the congregation as a whole when one of our covenant children are baptized. It’s an important and a beautiful responsibility to care for one another as members of the same church family. Isn’t it a comforting thought to know that our children have different “voices” in their lives pointing them to the beauty and grace of Jesus? Isn’t it encouraging to know that our children are being cared for by the teenagers as well as the grandparents in our congregation? Isn’t it exciting to think of the role you can play in blessing the future generation of the Church?

It’s an important and beautiful responsibility we have as the family of God to care for one another, especially the littlest among us. One of the ways you can jump in to serve and love our church family is by volunteering in our nursery. As we continue to grow, there are more children in our nursery on Sunday mornings. It’s not always glamorous, serving in the nursery isn’t always a “walk in the park”, some Sundays are more smooth than others. Yet, the cumulative effect on the hearts of our children from hearing the Gospel week in and week out cannot be overstated.

We’d love to invite you to consider volunteering to serve our families and our children in the nursery. The goal is for you to serve in our nursery 4-5 times per year. We have a group of Nursery Team Leaders that take care of the teaching every week. So if the idea of teaching a lesson to a group of toddlers is daunting, you can breathe a deep sigh of relief. Although, if you’re interested in teaching our children we’d love to discuss that too!

As you consider serving in the nursery, please know that you are tangibly serving the families of Trinity Grace Church. As you care for our covenant children, you are coming alongside our parents in cultivating a love for Jesus in their kids’ heart. Also, as you serve in the nursery, please know that you are offering a warm welcome to our guests at Trinity Grace. There are many young families that live in our area of town. Our hope is that as they walk through our doors on Sunday morning that they will find a warm, safe, and Christ-centered nursery for their children. In short, service in our nursery is crucial to our mission of seeking to reach and renew San Antonio with the hope of the Gospel.

We hope that you’ll consider volunteering in our nursery. We’re committed to meeting our need in the nursery through willing volunteers - not compulsory obligation. So consider this your invitation to join us in loving and serving the family of Trinity Grace. Whether you’re a young professional, a parent with multiple children, or an empty nester there is a place for you in our nursery. Our children will be blessed by your smile, your encouragement, your presence. As we seek to cultivate a love for Jesus in our children, it’s good to be reminded that it takes a village. I am personally grateful to be a part of this “village” - this church family called Trinity Grace!

In order to volunteer with our children, we do ask that you move through a background check. This helps us ensure the safety our children. You can complete the background check by following this link.

And for your viewing pleasure, I wanted to share this video that really captures what we hope becomes true with members at Trinity Grace. If you call our church home - if Trinity Grace is your family - then we want you to be a host! This is your church, and we want you to be excited to welcome our guests as their host.

https://youtu.be/8avSrGj6JzU

Who Is Your One?

Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain. (Psalm 127:1)

As we launch into a new ministry year at Trinity Grace, it provides a great opportunity to pause and thank the Lord for his goodness to our new church plant over the past year. We have much to be thankful for in the way God is building this local expression of his Church in northwest San Antonio. We also have much to look forward to as God continues to work in our midst over the coming months and years.

As we continue the work of planting a new church for San Antonio, one of our prayers is that God will use us to reach those who are searching for truth, those who are spiritually starving, those who haven’t been to church in years. Our hope is that our friends and neighbors will experience the love of God in Christ for them. We want to be a new church that seeks to reach and renew San Antonio with the hope of the Gospel.

As we enter a new fall season, we’re beginning a new sermon series on the book of Acts, we’re launching Neighborhood Groups to build friendship and cultivate Gospel growth, we’re starting Bible studies so that we might dig into the Bible and know God better. As we enter into the fall season, it’s a perfect time to invite someone to be a part of what God is doing at Trinity Grace.

I know how daunting the prospect of inviting someone to church can be. It is especially hard when we consider the call of evangelism and outreach in large, theoretical ways. If we don’t make outreach practical, we may never get started. So, in an effort to make outreach and invitation practical - in hopes of making it doable for you - I would love to invite you this fall to consider the question: “Who is your one?”

If you were to spend 5 minutes thinking about the relationships in your life, who is the one person that comes to mind that would appreciate being invited to Trinity Grace? It’s likely that someone comes to mind fairly quickly. Maybe it’s a neighbor, a coworker, a friend from your child’s school, a family member. It may be that multiple people come to your mind. That’s great! Now, a good question to process as you consider inviting them to join you at church is: “What am I most excited about when I think of Trinity Grace? What do I appreciate most about this new church plant?”

Maybe for you it’s the beautiful, formative liturgy on Sunday mornings. Maybe it’s the rich songs we sing during worship. Maybe it’s the amazing children’s ministry opportunities we have on a Sunday morning. Maybe it’s the Gospel centered messages on Sunday mornings. Maybe it’s the warm community and friendships that are being built in our church. What attracted you to make Trinity Grace your home church? Excitement is contagious. As you think about how to introduce our new church to your friends, spend some time thinking about how you can communicate your excitement with an invitation.

You can pick up one of our small invitation cards on the welcome table and use it as a simple way to convey the details about when and where we meet.

This isn’t meant to be a “gimmick” or a “church growth” strategy. Outreach and invitation can be scary, but it’s what we’re called to as a new church for San Antonio. As we launch into a new ministry season at Trinity Grace, we want to make an intentional effort to be an outward facing church that seeks to love our neighbor. After all, we are the ones who have been loved so well by God himself. One simple, practical way you can love your neighbors through the fall season is to ask yourself: “Who is my one?”

We would love to welcome them into the life of Trinity Grace!