Arise, shine, for your light has come... Our 90th anniversary year is about to end. This exciting year has been one where God has enabled us to touch lives for Jesus here in Riverside, in neighboring communities, and around the world. So many of you, and our church body as a whole, have been so faithful to pray, to give, to go, and to serve. In 2017, we hope to reach more people for God in exciting new ways while we continue to support missions already in progress. We live in a time that seems increasingly troubled. In a world where it can be difficult to know what to stand for, we at The Grove Community Church believe God is calling us as believers to stand up and point the world back to Him. God wants to use us as bright lights in an increasingly dark world. He wants us to RISE UP, to live loud lives that SHINE BRIGHTLY, and to put the focus on GOD S GLORY. In the midst of our broken world, rise up with us as we begin to anticipate how God will continue to lead The Grove to reflect His light and glory in the year to come. Reflect on the following pages. Pray that God would lead you in supporting what we believe He is calling us to do. How will He call you to reflect His glory?
NEW GLOBAL PROJECTS New Missionaries In addition to the 80+ missionaries we already have in the field, The Grove will support first-time long-term missionaries in North Africa and Southeast Asia. Remember Nhu The Grove s partnership with Remember Nhu began with the 2016 Love Offering. Remember Nhu and The Grove are working in close partnership to end sex slavery through prevention. This year, we will help Remember Nhu take children and staff in Thailand to school and church by purchasing them a brand new truck. Printing Bibles in Iran Many Iranians are disenfranchised with the radicalized Islam by which they are surrounded, and they are searching for the real Truth. To introduce them to the Truth of God s Word, the Elam organization prints and provides Iranians with copies of the Bible in their language.
International Justice The Grove wants to prevent human trafficking, rescue & restore victims, and see legislative & judicial reform to end it for good. IJM is a Christian organization that works alongside police, lawyers, and judges to create lasting change in the lives of sex trafficking victims. The Grove will partner with their South Asia office to assist in investigations, rescuing victims, and legal proceedings. Church Construction The Grove will help fund construction on a permanent building for a church in Melipeuco, Chile, in partnership with our long-term global partners in South America, Doug and Shelly Kallestad. Turkey Refugees As refugees return to Turkey from Europe, there is a significant need for basic resources. The Grove will provide funds to create and maintain three mobile sanitation stations which will include showers, bathrooms, and washing machines to care for these people who would not otherwise have access to these facilities.
Help for Tibetans The Grove will continue to support one of our global partner s ministry in Tibet. Our next initiative in doing so is purchasing winter jackets for over one hundred widows and children, as well as providing him with a motorcycle to assist him in more effectively carrying out his ministry. Kids in Belize The Grove is just beginning a partnership with a ministry in Punta Gorda, Belize, called Machaca, through which local believers impact wayward youth in the community. The Grove will purchase a Quonset hut that will serve as living units for 50 kids who have nowhere else to go. This March, the Men s HANDS trip will assist in building the hut for Machaca. NEW LOCAL PROJECTS Care Portal Often, the difference between a child entering the foster system and staying at home with a healthy family is a simple need like a bed or fresh clothes for school. In supporting the Care Portal, The Grove will help keep children from unnecessarily entering into foster care, meet families physical needs, and share the Gospel in the Inland Empire.
Rebirth Homes Rebirth Homes provides homes for human trafficking victims in the Inland Empire and is committed to a holistic healing approach that focuses on spiritual, physical, emotional, mental healing. Two homes are now in place and this year The Grove will financially support their first five human trafficking victims with room and board. New lives, hopes, & dreams will be coming to these women. Mayor s Initiative In partnership with Riverside s Mayor Rusty Bailey, we will take a responsible but compassionate approach to loving and serving homeless people in our community. We will purchase an apartment building to house 24 homeless people, through which we can demonstrate the selfless heart of Jesus and carry out the Biblical responsibility to care for the least of these (Matthew 25:40). Riverside Life Services Riverside Life Services comes alongside women experiencing unplanned pregnancies, offering them support, resources, and alternative solutions to abortions. Last year s Love Offering provided RLS an ultrasound machine for their mobile medical unit. This year, we re taking the unit to the streets of Riverside to care for the unborn and their expectant mothers.
Worship Center AV In the past two years, we have been able to replace important video, lighting, and projection equipment. This year we look to upgrade our speakers in the Worship Center which will improve the quality of our services. We want to ensure that our worship and praise is the best it can be. NEW GROVE PROJECTS Help with Adoption The Grove loves helping families adopt children and how it mirrors the Father s heart of accepting the lost into His family. The Grove will come alongside several adoptive parents, prayerfully and financially, as they navigate the process of adoption. Painting the Church God has blessed The Grove with such an awesome facility where we come to worship and fellowship. As we enter our second decade here, it s time to repaint the outside of the church. We are committed to being good stewards of our buildings and grounds so that they reflect His glory.
Children s Ministry We love to love on our children at The Grove. Each year we work to make the kids areas more fun and engaging, and to always improve safety. This year we will work on several projects: adding shade to the preschool north-playground, replacing some of the more heavily used carpeting, and adding artificial turf to the preschool south-playground. Easter 2017 Production Every few years The Grove plans to host an Easter production to bless our church members and to create an opportunity to share the story of Christ s love for us all. In 2017, we will create a very special event and encourage all of our church family to ask friends and neighbors who have yet to invite Jesus into their hearts or who perhaps need to be drawn back to Him again. 83 Global Partners ONGOING PROJECTS There are currently more than 80 global partners (missionaries) serving nearly 30 countries who are supported by The Grove church family. These are men and women who are called to live out the Great Commission overseas and face cross cultural challenges. We consider them our partners as we support them financially and cover them with prayer.
Remember Nhu The Grove is sponsoring two homes for children in Chiang Mai, Thailand, who are at risk of being sold into the sex trade industry. Children with little to no shelter, food, or basic medical care are at great risk of being sold. In addition to funding this home, The Grove will continue to send teams of women and global partners to visit and work with these children first hand. Uganda Church Plant Through previous Love Offerings, The Grove successfully planted two churches in Northern Uganda with the goal of confronting the southward spread of Islam through the continent. Both Anaka and Lira Bible Community Churches are vibrant and growing. We have helped them purchase land and will still come alongside them as they continue to grow. Tunisia Family Place The Family Place is a Tunisian community center that serves as a fitness center, an educational center, and a coffee house. It is a place where many come to practice their English and build relationships. The Grove will continue to support the work being done through the Family Place in order to reach more Muslim people for the Kingdom.
Sustainability in Uganda The Grove will assist in building a chicken and egg farm as a sustainable enterprise that will help support the church. Mobile Medical Unit The Grove will continue to share God s love with people in our local communities who have no access to healthcare or basic medical necessities. Our mobile medical unit allows us to further meet a community s medical, dental, and other specific needs, taking the care to them. Bridge Events The Grove will continue to host exciting bridge events that invite the community to engage with our church family and will share God s love with them through service and fellowship.
Perris Outreach The Grove will continue to show God s love to children and families in Perris who need food, clothing, and the Gospel through food distributions, clothing drives, exciting giveaways, and after-school Bible Clubs. Help Other Churches Often, The Grove can come alongside a small church to encourage and assist them in ways that make all the difference. A modest investment of resources, and often the work of some of our volunteers, provides the church the list it needs to take steps forward and become healthy again. We know it pleases God when we work together as His Church. Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. ISAIAH 60:1
Responding to God s voice... Just as the people who started our church did in 1925, it is now our time to respond to God. God has given us some great opportunities to make a difference in the lives of people. He is asking The Grove family to provide real hope for eternity, as well. How will you respond? Love Offering Goal On the weekend of November 19 and 20, 2016, we will receive the 2017 Love Offering that is dedicated to accomplishing these initiatives. The goal for the Love Offering is $1,000,000. That is what it will take to get it done. Falling short of the goal will simply mean that the most important projects get funded but others will have to wait. One-Time Gift As you pray about making a gift to the 2017 Love Offering, there are two options you might consider. The first is simply making a one-time gift. This gift can be made on the weekend of November 19 and 20 or any time up to December 31, 2016. 12-Month Pledge The second option is to make a Faith Pledge to give over the next 12 months. You can complete a Faith Pledge Card and put it in the offering. This is a commitment to give based on your faith that God will enable you to give even if you don t see how today. Many have found this method to work best and discovered they can actually give more when they give systematically. It is a spiritually stretching experience. $1,000,000 is a big goal. It will take the commitment and faith of the whole Grove team plus God s power and provision to make this happen. Don t miss out on what God will do in your life as you trust Him and respond to the opportunities He has given us.