by Pastor Patrick Cho
As Grace Life wrapped up another year last week, it was great to reflect back on the past year. The Thursday night Bible study tried something new this year having the men and women meet on separate weeks. This change stretched the staff a little as some of them got an opportunity to help teach the weekly lessons. It was an enriching in-depth study taking a closer look at the opening chapters of Genesis. By year’s end, we were able to study up through the Great Flood and Noah in Genesis 6-8. One of the highlights of the year was listening to the various staff members walk through their observations of the text. It was clear that each prepared diligently to deliver helpful lessons and it was refreshing to hear from different teachers each week.
The accountability groups also continued to meet each month throughout the community, which afforded families a more flexible means of receiving accountability and prayer while also enjoying some focused fellowship. There were about a dozen groups that met periodically. Some of the groups chose to work through a Christian book together while others spent time working through passages of Scripture. Mostly though, the men and women seemed to enjoy having that time to share with and pray for one another.
During Sunday School this past term, I have had the opportunity to walk through a parenting class. We have not had a parenting class in years, so it has been encouraging to see the interest and good attendance. Grace Community Church put out an excellent curriculum entitled “Parenting for Life,” and it has been a tremendous joy walking through it together. A number of singles and collegians have joined the class as well so hopefully the class will have a long-term effect.
The plan for the summer is to take a break from our regularly scheduled midweek meetings. The staff is evaluating how the past year has gone and will think through what would be best for the upcoming fall quarter. Grace Life can be a challenging group to plan for since so many are at various stages of life. We are constantly thinking through what would be the best way to shepherd this group. We are excited, though, about the opportunities that we have to continue to grow as a ministry. This past year, we saw a number of new families join the church, and we know Grace Life is a great way for them to get plugged in and find fellowship and care.
Praise God for a wonderful year! We hope all those who came out truly benefited from the study of God’s Word. As always, our endeavor has been to stimulate more spiritual conversations in the home and thereby strengthen marriages and parenting. May the Lord continue to cause us to mature in faith and may we find each year more joyful and edifying than the last.