Winter Bible Study Schedule

Adult Bible Studies

Day Study Time Location

Sunday Experiencing God 4 pm 818 Salem St.

Monday Experiencing God 7 pm 818 Salem St.

Monday Men’s Group 7 pm Men’s House

Monday Marriage: Love 4 Life 7 pm Call for info

Tuesday Heroes of Faith: Heb. 11 7 pm 2331 Notre Dame Blvd.

Wednesday Men’s Prayer Group 7 pm Men’s House

Wednesday Young Adult Study 7 pm 1265 Orchard Ln.

Thursday Spanish Study 6 pm 818 Salem St.

Saturday Spanish Study 6 pm 818 Salem St.

**College/Young Adult Dinner Night meets every four weeks. The next Dinner is Friday, February 1 at the Culp’s, 2331 Notre Dame Blvd.**

Please get involved in a study and grow in your faith and trust of God. For more information, check out www.ocrootworks.blogspot.com . If you need information about any of our Rootworks studies, please call the church office at 342-7692.

Student Ministries

Day Study Time Location

Sunday Kids’ Clubhouse 10:45 am CCDS

Tuesday WE Youth ASP 3:00 pm 818 Salem Street

Wednesday Soccer @ Pine Tree 3:30 pm Pine Tree Apts.

Thursday Kids’ Club Midweek 2:45 pm 818 Salem Street

**Second Saturday of each Month is Wilderness Experience Saturday…Next months trip will be on February 9.**

If you need information about any of our Student Ministries, please call the church office at 342-7692 or Kristen at kristen@orchardchurch.com.

For more info, check out http://wildernessexperience.blogspot.com

Recovery/12-Step

Day Study Time Location

Monday Women’s 12 Step 6:00 pm Jesus Center (1297 Park)

Wednesday Women’s 12 Step 7:00 pm 987 Ellene Ave.

Wednesday Spiritual Journey 8:30 am Jesus Center (1297 Park)

Thursday Spiritual Journey 7:00 pm Men’s House

Friday Boundaries 7:00 pm 818 Salem St.

**Watch for new meetings beginning soon**

If you need information about any of our Recovery Meeting, please call the church office at 342-7692 or the Men’s House at 891-6781.

New Bible Studies Starting in September!!

Marriage and Monday Night Football

Invest in your marriage and family by joining a group of people seeking to live out family life according to God’s plan.

The group will follow go through the Bible and look at topics of communication, Godly relationships, parenting and more.

Meets: Monday Nights from 6 pm on at the Culps (2331 Notre Dame); Dinner at 6:30; Study starts at 7 pm. Begins on Monday, September 10.

Come anytime after 6 pm, watch the MNF game, hang out with other OC couples, eat dinner together. After the study feel free to stay and talk, watch the end of the game, eat more…

We’d love to have you come and seek God’s best for your Marriage!

Hope to See you Monday Nights this Fall!

Christian Basics

Studying to Know God and to Know How to live for God

Meets Tuesdays from 6:30 pm to sometime after 8 at the Culps’ (2331 Notre Dame)

As a group, we will discuss the attributes of God and His nature. We will discuss who Jesus is and what His life means to each individual life. We’ll explore the work of the Holy Spirit and the life of a Christian. Come and grow in your faith with other like-minded believers.

Come at 6:30 pm and eat together. The study will start at 7 pm. August 28, we will have and introduction night and BBQ at 6:30 pm. Christian Basics begins on Tuesday, September 4.

The Way to Grace...The Way to God

Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No comes to the Father except through me." With that statement we see Jesus establish Himself as the way that we can come to God. Romans 3 tells us that we can be made right with God because of His grace which came through Jesus Christ.

Some people think because Jesus said, "I am the way..." that Christianity is exclusive. But the grace of God is very inclusive, because Christ died for all the sins of the world, including anyone who would receive the gift of grace provided them by a loving God.

Jesus is the way to God. Follow Him and you will follow to an eternity with God the Father.

Peace found in the Richness of God's Grace

In Monterey there is an area called Restless Sea, where waves converge from different angles and make the sea look angry and in turmoil. I have stared at the sea and thought of how often my life has felt like that...Restless, without peace.

I was talking with some people this week and we got talking about the fear, the restlessness, the guilt that comes from living life our way...making sinful decisions apart from God. So often we trade the peace of doing things God's way, living in God's grace for the restlessness of making our own way.

In Philippians 4, we are told that in Christ we can have "peace beyond all understanding". To be so peaceful in the midst of the restlessness around us that even we can't explain except to say it is the grace of God. Choose Christ...Choose peace. Let me know what you think about this. E-mail me at jim@orchardchurch.com.

Season of Grace: The Throne of Grace

My son, Ben, loves the movie "A Knight's Tale". He loves the chivalry, the jousting ("bonking" as he calls it), the action. I love the relationship between Sir Ulrich (a man posing as a Knight so he can compete in the Joust) and Prince Edward. Everyone is afraid of Prince Edward, intimidated by his presence and position, except Ulrich. Ulrich seems to have an understanding that Prince Edward is looking for the opportunity to have relationship with people, to compete, to like "just one of the Knights".
This week I realized that often I have been intimidated by God, his position and presence, and feared being open with Him. But we have a God who so desires relationship that He did become "one of us" through the life of Jesus. And now He welcomes us as friends, children to His presence to know Him and to be known, honestly, just as we are. When we go to Him, He gives us His grace, mercy and forgiveness that we need to keep on living a to build a "rich" relationship with Him.
Those are my thoughts this week as I try to get a grasp on God's amazing Grace. E-mail me your thoughts at jim@orchardchurch.com.

Receiving God's Grace...Giving God's Grace!

All last week my thoughts cenetered around our ability to give away the grace and love that we have received from God. Jesus tells us (and the religious law expert) that we are to be like the Samaritan, who shower mercy to the man in need. We have the opportunity to touch people's lives with the hope of Christ be being the hands and feet of God, giving away grace, mercy, and love.
The great thing about Jesus' desire for us to be His instruments of love is that we don't (we can't) do it on our own. We are to be filled by the Holy Spirit who brings God's love into our hearts and through Him we can love others.
We can't give away what we haven't received. Make sure you have received God's great gift of Grace and then you can give it away to friends, family members who desperately need it.
See you at communion on Wednesday at 7:30 am at the office. Let me know you thoughts. You can e-mail me at jim@orchardchurch.com.

God's Grace Provides All You Need

Do you ever think, "No way I can pull through this situation" or "this is hopeless and totally impossible"? Somedays I see things through my eyes and they look impossible, hopeless. What I want to do is start looking through eyes that look through the lenses on trusting God. Jesus said "with God all things are possible". He also said, "My grace is all you need. My strength is best in your weaknesses." My hope is to really begin looking at all situations through the sufficiency of Christ, believing that their aren't hopeless situations, only opportunities for me to trust God to do the impossible. Sometimes the impossible is for God to show me why things didn't work out the way I wanted them to. God always is faithful to work in our lives even in hard circumstances. This week, I hope you will look through the lenses of trust and see God working in your life to do the impossible.

See you Wednesday morning at 7:30 am for communion and prayer. I'd love to hear your thoughts and comments, so comment here or e-mail me at jim@orchardchurch.com.