From Missions Team Director, Shannon Sawatsky:We are here! The whole team is here and things are getting rolling. Today we had the opportunity to bless a Christian school in the area with tons of yard work, repairs, and general clean up. Then this evening we hit the neighbourhoods to begin the survey process. The weather has been fabulous and we have groups from California, South Carolina, Iowa, Ohio, us, and Surrey. It’s been great seeing people we haven’t seen in a while and meeting people that have had connections with Grace for many years. I actually met someone from South Carolina that knew my old pastor from Maine! Go figure! Tomorrow we have more training, surveying and helping at the Salvation Army. You can keep track of us on this web site www.canadianadventure.org. Thanks for keeping us in your prayers. I’ll keep you posted. Shannon 

Creating a “Pack” Mentality in Your Home In many ways we have abandoned a “we” mentality in the Western world for an “I” mentality. What are some ways that we can get our families back to a “we” mentality, and focus on the family instead of individuals?

a) Limit number of activities that individuals in the family do. Allow one child to play one sport per year and have to go and watch the other child’s sport in the next season.

b) Attend church as a family.c) Serve together as a family.

d) Do ministry together. (Even leading a community group can be a family activity. In my house house, everyone participates to prepare for the meeting, including the kids. This creates a real sense of common mission and teamwork.)

e) Go on a missions trip together as a family.

f) Protect vacation time. Make it sacred.

g) Have family devotions together, and family night.

h) Eat supper meals together at least 3 times per week.

i) Do chores around the house together at a set time of the week. These kinds of activities ensure that we’re all just not running in our own direction, but actually working together as a unit.

I’d love to hear other ideas that you have, as would a lot of people. Please post them here!

The Kid Whisperer is a teaching series currently being held at Grace Community Church.  Sunday mornings, April 11, 18 & 25, 9:30am and 11:00am.

Read the article here>>>

From one of my favorite speaker/teachers Mark Beeson:

The Early Church from Granger Community on Vimeo.

Marcos Casadei sent this one in today!  Awesome!

Current update on FGBC and Haiti relief, sent by Dan O’Deens, as of Sunday afternoon, January 17:

A new Haiti earthquake response video is now online and is viewable and downloadable at http://www.convoyofhope.org/go/videos.

Current facts and statistics:  Some power, communication, and water systems are still down, but open lines remain unreliable. According to the Haitian Prime Minister, 100,000 casualties of the earthquake are expected. The Haitian President is projecting a more conservative number of 30,000 to 50,000.  Three million people have been left homeless. Eighty percent of structures have collapsed. As of 7 a.m. Friday, the Port-au-Prince airport is fully operational. The ports remain closed due to collapsed cranes and debris. Armed looters are scavenging the city.

[READ MORE]

Thanks to some diligent work from Marcos Casadei, we have a new tool online for promoting and communicating items going on at the Grace Centre.  This will also serve as a portal for groups outside our church community who are looking for space to rent or a place to hold other community service activities:  check out www.grace-centre.ca

Watch Grace’s Student Ministries Intern, Andrew Wood, take a New Year’s Day Polar Bear dip in support of World Vision:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-AGXk4QTR0

Don’t forget to bring sock, gloves and mittens on Sunday for our contribution to the Salvation Army. We are collecting these items in support of the Gateway Shelter in Toronto.

Just a reminder to leaders who missed last weekend’s Leadership Central meeting; it can be downloaded from sermon.net: www.sermon.net/grace-inside