To my Grove family,

Rummage Sale

Hold on to your hats ladies and gentlemen, it is blowing like crazy out there. I hope you don’t have to do many things outside today as you might just get blown away. I am thankful we didn’t have this wind last week during our Rummage Sale! I want to thank you once again for making such an impossible looking task with that huge pile of “treasures” turn out to be such an organized, successful sale. Jennifer Reed did another amazing job, as did the hundreds of you who volunteered to price, organize, pick up, sort, clean, and sell the thousands of pieces of merchandise we went through. It is a wonderful sight when God’s people are working together…Thank You! And the $53,500 gross income will help us purchase a much needed van for our church. You and your gift of service are such a blessing!

Daylight Saving Time Begins

Please remember that Daylight Saving Time begins and we SPRING FORWARD this Sunday. The bad news is we will be losing an hour of sleep on Saturday night, but the good news is it will be light for an extra hour each day after work! I’m thinking giving up an hour of sleep for a season of light is worth it!  

Weekend Message

For this week’s message my title is a bit different, “Dirty Thoughts and Sexual Choices Prove Allegiance,” and it comes right out of the first half of Ephesians 5. Most people when they read Ephesians 5 think it is a chapter on submission, which I will deal with, but the real emphasis is in the first half of the chapter. If you will read chapter 5 you will be ready for the messages that will be shared this weekend. Pastor Daniel will also be preaching on this passage at Sunday Night at The Grove this weekend.

Easter

Can you believe that Easter is going to be here soon? We need some help for our closing song which will be spectacular! Here is a note from Adam and Christina:

Next Tuesday, March 13, we are filming a video for a portion of our Easter services and would love for you to be a part of it. Would you please let Christina, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , know if you are available from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.? We’ll be meeting at a few locations and if you can also bring a flashlight with you, that would be awesome!

The Hub Needs Volunteers

The Hub is seeking smiling faces to serve the Lord through our food service. No experience is necessary, and service is needed in many areas. With our expanding hours during the week we would also love more volunteers a few times per month on Tuesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. as well as our regular hours at our weekend services on Saturday nights and Sunday mornings, afternoons, and evenings. If you are interested in volunteering stop by the Hub to pick up an application or e-mail Roy Pedersen at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or Adrienne Bardos at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Grove Website

Remember on our Grove website you can check out job opportunities (Click Here), the Hub menus (Click Here), the Read Through the Bible blog (Click Here), or post and pray for requests listed on our Prayer Wall (Click Here).

See you this weekend,

An extra email to our Grove Family,

In talking to Jennifer Reed, the rummage sale is ready and organized; an unbelievable feat if you saw the chaos on Monday!  We do have one more need before this huge event is completed.  At 1:30 p.m. on Saturday we are going to need 100 to 200 guys, some with pickup trucks, to help tear down anything that is left.  With many hands this last leg of the sale can be done in an hour or two.  If you are free Saturday afternoon and are willing to come down and load the haul-away trucks, you would be such a blessing to the team that has worked so hard all week long.  Today we still had so much to finish, but God brought more volunteers than we had during the rest of the days this week, and we got the job done.  Now we are praying for enough hands to finish the project.  We’d love to have your help if you have the time.

Thanks so much for always being willing to help where there is a need!

See many of you this Saturday,

To my Grove family,

Brace yourself for this year’s rummage sale as it is bigger than ever! This Friday at 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. the doors will be opened for you to come down and find the perfect treasures.  Special thanks to Jennifer Reed, Lori Schubert, and all the incredible volunteers that have unloaded the bins, sorted, priced, and worked so very very hard to make all of this possible.  We are hoping to make $50,000 (so says Jennifer!) and a major portion of that will go to purchase a new church van.  Ironically, the shade for the preschool has just been installed this week which was the major purchase from last year’s rummage sale.  There is no way to properly thank all those who have worked so hard to make this happen again this year.  Our youth and children will be riding in style and thanking you each time they buckle up inside the new van!

This week my message is from Ephesians 4 and is titled, “Working Out the Core.”  Chapters 1-3 of Ephesians deal with theological issues and chapters 4-6 tell us how to take that knowledge and use it practically for God.  I look forward to seeing each of you this weekend.

You can have an immediate and impactful cross cultural ministry, without leaving Riverside or learning a foreign language. You can help take the gospel to the world just by befriending an international student. Riverside Community College has new international students from 16 different countries including China, Saudi Arabia and India who have specifically asked for an American friend. God has brought these students to Riverside; let’s take advantage of this and make a difference for eternity.

·         Come to the “Welcome Party” to meet these students. This Saturday night, March 3. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to receive more information.

·         This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to sign up to be an American Friendship Partner with an RCC student.

We have another great outreach opportunity with Riverside’s Annual Good Friday Prayer Breakfast on April 6 at the Riverside Convention Center.  This is a great event and something you can take a friend to who does not know the Lord. For more information or to print out the flyer/registration form for this event, click here,  or pick one up at the Outreach credenza this weekend.

Is this a beautiful day in Riverside or what?

See you at the rummage sale and in the service this weekend.

To my Grove family,

Weekend Message

This weekend Pastor Daniel Bishop will be preaching in all of our services. His message is called, “Maxing Out Your Potential.” If you will read Ephesians 3, you will be ready for the sermon this weekend. It will be a sermon you will not want to miss.

Blood for Missions Blood Drive

This weekend we will also be holding a blood drive to support missions right here in the courtyard of The Grove. For every pint of blood given, $20 will be donated to support our 2012 Grove Global Treks. It’s a two for one deal, not only does the gift of blood help someone in Riverside it also helps our members going to places like Tibet, Uganda, Japan, and Cambodia. And you’ll get some cookies and juice, too! Avoid the long lines by scheduling your appointment today! Just click on Blood on The Grove’s main webpage or use this link, http://bloodformissions.eventbrite.com/.

Rummage Sale

This coming Monday begins a great week that many of you have been looking forward to. Monday morning, February 27, at 9 a.m. we hope to have hundreds of volunteers join our staff as we all help unload the wonderful treasures everyone has been dropping off in our back parking lot. We currently have three sea trains packed to the ceiling! Please show up with work gloves and dollies and we’ll put you to work. My back and I will be eternally grateful to each of you who shows up to help with this mammoth project. We would love to have 200 to 300 people here!

The rest of the week we will be organizing and pricing the thousands of treasures we unload on Monday and we can use your help throughout the week (9 a.m.–3 p.m.). Last year the funds we raised helped purchase the preschool shade structure that is being installed this month, and we hope to raise enough this year to retire one of our oldest vans and purchase a much newer one. Our transportation fleet is so important to our ministries and your help on this fundraiser will benefit the church for years to come. Thank you in advance!

Grove Website

Remember on our Grove website you can check out job opportunities (Click Here), the Hub menus (Click Here), the Read Through the Bible blog (Click Here), or post and pray for requests listed on our Prayer Wall (Click Here).

See you all this weekend and enjoy this great weather.

To my Grove family,

Weekend Message

This weekend we continue the series in Ephesians, “Find Strength --- Grow Strong.” Please read Ephesians 2 to be ready for my message, “Is God Proud of You, His Trophy?” I am going to focus most of my attention on the first 10 verses of chapter two. Verse one says: “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins.” What do you think Paul meant when he said dead? Do you think he was talking just about spiritual death or was he talking about physical, spiritual, and eternal death? Take some time in the next few days to remember what you were like before Jesus came in to your life and changed you forever. What was that life like? What controlled your thinking and behavior? How are you different today?

Family Night

You don’t want to miss Family Night tonight. The Women’s Bible Study will be covering Revelation 13 and the Men’s Study will be covering Revelation 16. See you at 6:30 p.m.!

Sunday Night at The Grove

We had a tremendous first night last week as we kicked off Sunday Night at The Grove. I could not have been more proud of the teams who worked so hard to get this service started so well. God, as He always does, showed up in a powerful way and great things happened. We did have one problem, or I guess we should say blessing. We had a ton of kids and we need more volunteers to love and care for them. Here is a request from Pastor Kerry and Maxie Gibson:

Sunday Night KIDS Quest – Sunset Service

KIDS Quest was busting at the seams with over 70 little ones and 90 elementary kids! The worship center had nearly 500 people in it for the inaugural service. With that tremendous growth we are in need of loving adults to work with our youngest members of The Grove. If you can give an hour a month or more on Sunday nights, we need to hear from you! We have openings in all areas: babies, toddlers, preschool, and elementary. All training and materials will be provided. Won’t you help our young families by loving their children on Sunday nights? Please contact Maxie Gibson or Pastor Kerry at 571-9090 Ext. 2189 or 2185 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Grove Website

Remember on our Grove website you can check out job opportunities (Click Here), the Hub menus (Click Here), the Read Through the Bible blog (Click Here), or post and pray for requests listed on our Prayer Wall (Click Here).

See you all this weekend,

To my Grove family,

Sunday Night at The Grove

This is a very exciting week for us and one that ushers in a new era at The Grove. We will be adding another service to the four we already have every weekend and we are simply calling this one “Sunday Night at The Grove.” The purpose for this new service is to attract, keep, mature, and prepare a new generation of believers at The Grove, a generation that will have a great impact in our city and our world. We are deeply committed to the next generation and feel this service, which will feature our young pastors, young leaders, and artists in key roles of leadership, will be very special. The service will begin at 5 p.m. and will have a young feel to it but at the same time be “all Grove.” I am very thankful to Pastors Trevor Christmas, Daniel Bishop, and Matt Furby who have taken the lead on this and have put countless hours along with their great teams of volunteers to make this service one that will meet the needs of many. These three pastors will share the speaking the first night and will all have a part of the message. Please pray that God will not only bless the very first service but will have His hand on this service for years and years to come. Each week all five Grove services will have the same text, the same topic, and the same theme; the only difference will be the Sunday Night Service will be taught by one of our younger pastors who I know will do an excellent job in preaching and sharing God’s truth whenever they speak.

Weekend Message

In the other four services this weekend I have asked Dr. Chris Morgan, dean of Christian Studies at CBU, to share the message he is calling “The Trainer’s Workout Plan.” The new six-week series in Ephesians which begins this weekend is called “Find Strength … Grow Strong.” This weekend’s message comes from Ephesians 1 and I would ask you to read that chapter before you come to the service so you will be prepared. I asked Dr. Morgan to share because of his expertise with the book of Ephesians. He has written two chapters about the theology of Ephesians that will be published in the two books he is currently editing. One of his chapters is on the unity in the church according to Ephesians and the other is on God’s glory and the church in Ephesus. You won’t want to miss Dr. Morgan’s input on this great letter to the Ephesians.

YouTube Video

Well, I have had too many requests to count for the YouTube video I showed last week in service. Remember showing this video had nothing to do with my research on YouTube but this video was sent to me by Merla Turner who thought it would go well with my series. She said she first saw it on the Facebook page of Norma Traver who also is a great member of our church and stays up on such matters of importance. So thanks to those two ladies here is the video for your pleasure and for sharing with others: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x37VSSLo2go

Siblings Needing Adoption

We just found out that there are a brother and sister who are looking for a forever home through adoption. If you are interested in more information, contact Pastor Joe Hobbs who has all the details.

Hope you are all doing well – stay dry today and I will see you this weekend,

P.S. Our stage is going to look very cool and very different this weekend – you will not want to miss seeing it!

To my Grove family,

Weekend Message

This week my final message in the series, “Live Holy Even When Life Is Hard,” comes from 1 Peter 5. The message is called, “The Tension of Leadership.” Someone from church sent me one of those YouTube videos that fits my message perfectly and it is one you will want to see and hear for sure. Chapter 5 is one of the greatest chapters in the Bible on instructions for those who lead in the church. This will be a very special weekend and one where we will be sharing communion as well.

The HUB

Did you know we are creating a monthly coupon for the HUB? It can be found on The Grove’s Hub page, or you can check in through Facebook and get the same coupon on your phone. The offer will be changing monthly, as will the menu specials. Check us out  here   to see what we’re offering. The HUB will also be open for lunch on the following Tuesdays and Thursdays this month: February 7, 9, 21 and 23 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. This is for all the groups who are meeting at the church on those days or any of you who would like to come down for a great lunch. For those of you having trouble getting to the Hub page, select “More” on The Grove’s home page then the third dropdown is The Hub.

Weekly Video Prayer Moment

Beginning tomorrow you will receive my very first weekly video prayer moment. I want to take a few minutes each week to let you know of one or two important things we can all be praying for as a church. I am recording this on my phone and sending it on to you so we will see how that works. I know what happens when we all pray together and I want to keep us praying together throughout the year.

Grove Website

Remember on our Grove website you can check out job opportunities (Click Here), the Hub menus (Click Here), the Read Through the Bible blog (Click Here), or post and pray for requests listed on our Prayer Wall (Click Here).

Have I told you lately how great you are? In the staff prayer time today I prayed thanking God for the blessings of having a church family like you along with our staff and unity we enjoy! God is so good and you are fantastic May God richly bless you on this warm first day of February – you are the best!

To my Grove Family,

This weekend we will be looking at 1 Peter 4, for the message, “The End is Near.” In the opening remarks of this chapter Peter tells his readers to “arm themselves.” As you read this over think for a moment and ask yourself if you are “armed” today in the proper way.

Tonight is family night and the men and women continue their study of Revelation. The Women are on chapter 10 and the men will be in chapter 14.  Come early and enjoy dinner at the HUB with your family and friends.

Are any of you looking for a small part-time job that would be a ministry as well? Our great MOPS program (Mothers Of Pre-Schoolers) has had to put young moms on a waiting list for 2012 because we don’t have enough nursery workers to take care of their children. If you would be willing to work from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday mornings, you would be blessing these young moms and their little ones.  Please contact Amy Tillman if you are interested in helping with this vital ministry, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or 951.653.9292.

Check out our website for our Read through the Bible blog, our Prayer Wall, the HUB menu, job opportunities and much much more.

See you this weekend.

To my Grove family,

Weekend Message
This weekend we continue the series in 1 Peter called, “Live Holy Even When Life Is Hard.” This week’s message comes out of chapter two and the title is “God and Satan Both Have a Plan for You.” I want to take a moment to thank Pastor Kerry and everyone from last week who made the weekend so special. Thanks also to all the great new volunteers who signed up to help with our Special Needs Ministry – The Grove is just the best!

Prayer Videos

Beginning tomorrow and hopefully most Thursdays throughout 2012 you will receive a short prayer video message from me sharing one or two major prayer needs of our church. Our 60 Days of Prayer was so effective at the end of 2011, and we all know that prayer is the key to anything we accomplish that will really matter here at The Grove. Throughout the year we are going to be sharing different avenues of prayer offered at The Grove and how you can play an important role in this critical ministry.

World Vision Marathon Runners

Thanks to all our Grove “World Vision” runners who ran last Sunday in the ½ marathon and raised over $30,000 for clean water in Uganda. That was an amazing effort and the results of all your hard work will have a lasting impact in several Ugandan villages for years to come. Clean water for people who don’t have any today – that is so fantastic. Carol and I would love to buy all of you who trained and ran so diligently a specialty drink, coffee, or soda for your months of hard work. Just wear your Orange World Vision jersey this weekend and the folks at the HUB will give you your drink order free. Just say Carol wants to pay for this one and we will do it with joy. 

Extreme Makeover “Grove Edition”

Here is another very cool happening. We have over 200 people who are going to “get on the bus” this Saturday, drive to an undisclosed location in the city, and help fix, restore, make beautiful a “place, organization, or location” that needs a little TLC. The destination has been a well-kept secret; I don’t even know where we are going. We have incredible people who just want to help in Jesus’ name and all this will make a lasting difference in our community. Yes, The Grove “makes a difference!”

Baptisms and New Members

Did you know we baptized 170 people in 2011! And we have over 50 people joining the church this weekend, with over 20 from our deaf community – that is wonderful and exciting!

Remember to check our website for the Prayer Wall, Reading Through the Bible (and the Bible blog), HUB menu, and new job opportunities.

I know it will probably be wet and cold this Sunday but please don’t let that stop you from coming to church this weekend. We need each other and need to be together each week—Hebrews 10:24-25.

To my Grove family,

Weekend Message

This weekend Pastor Kerry Warren will be preaching and his message is “Celebrating Differences.” The theme will be on disabilities in the body of Christ. Not only will Kerry’s message be great but he has special video and a closing that will be incredible. This will be a weekend you will not want to miss and one which people will be talking about for a very long time.

Team World Vision

This Sunday many of our Grovites will also be running a half marathon in L.A. for World Vision in order to provide clean water for Uganda. These folks have been working really hard and many of you have seen them on Saturday mornings taking off from our Grille and Bookstore parking lot and running all over the city in preparation for this half marathon. Last Saturday was their 12-mile run. Wes Kriesel who has led the charge shares the following information below about the team and the upcoming race. Go Grove!

• It's less than a week from the half-marathon and we've raised over $29,600 for clean water in Uganda.  
• We've involved 139 officially registered runners and walkers (we'll find out on race day how many make it to the start line). 
• Many have encountered injury or financial hardship handling the fees and related expenses but all have impacted the team with their encouragement, team spirit, and enthusiasm for the cause. Many have struggled through and will be there in spite of setbacks. I'm so impressed and blessed by our church's team!!!
• I'm looking for 20 runners to continue on to the full marathon (right now, we have about eight committed to the full marathon).  
• If anyone wants to donate to the team's total or to an individual member, you can find all the team info and donation links here: http://support.worldvision.org/site/TR/TeamWorldVision/General/837215081?pg=team&fr_id=1510&team_id=25262

Apologetics Class

Last week was the first lesson of our eight-week class on Apologetics (learning why we believe what we believe). This class is being held on Sundays at 10:45 a.m., and because of the huge response to this class, the location will be moving to the Chapel starting this weekend, January 15, where it will stay for the remainder of the class. Most of the members in the Legacy class, who were meeting in the Chapel, will join this Apologetics Class, with a few members continuing to meet for the Legacy Class which has been moved to D-2. For the next three Sundays the Apologetics class will be having a special guest speaker, Alan Shelmon, then ending with several weeks by another special speaker, Brett Kunkle. Come join us for some great teaching.

Weekly Prayer Videos

Starting next week I am going to send, in addition to my normal Wednesday weekly e-mail, a prayer video every Thursday. I want to keep our focus on prayer and let you know the one of two critical needs or concerns of the church. I will shoot the video on Wednesday and hopefully it will come to you every Thursday, just like the Pray Where You Are video came to you at the end of last year. Prayer is the answer to everything and I want to use this as just one more way we as a church family will pray together.

Please continue to check our website for: Read Through the Bible, Prayer Wall, the HUB menu, and job opportunities.

Have an incredible day and see you this weekend,