Grace Church Blogs

In 2000, at the end of his 40-year political career, Senator Patrick Moynihan said, "The biggest change [that I've seen] is that the family structure has come apart all over the North Atlantic world." The change has occurred in "an historical instant," Moynihan said. "Something that was not imaginable 40 years ago." A recent State of Our Unions report (December 2012) concludes that things have gotten even worse. The report notes the following statistics:

More than 40% of children are born out of wedlock.

The divorce rate today is about twice that of 1960 (although it has declined since peaking in the early 1980s).

More than 25 percent of all children live in single-parent homes, compared to only nine percent in 1960.

The number of unmarried couples has increased seventeen-fold in the last 50 years.

The study concluded that we are "witnessing a striking exodus from marriage." The distinguished historian Lawrence Stone noted, "The scale of marital breakdown in the West since 1960 has no historical precedent. . . . At no time in history, with the possibility of Imperial Rome, has the institution of marriage been more problematic than today."

On that note, I am delighted to announce that Grace Church will bring on a Pastor of Marriage & Family in these coming months! Pastor Bob Chaffee came to me a month ago with an idea. He has been facing increasing family pressures with caring for aging parents, and also has the joyful opportunity to invest in his grandkids! All this while his responsibilities at Grace have called for a significant investment of time.

Pastor Bob offered to take an early draw on his retirement (even thought he won't be retiring!) and forego his salary, allowing those finances to be utilized for a new pastor of Marriage & Family Ministries. Pastor Bob will continue to serve full-time as an Associate Pastor with oversight of Men's ministries...plus some teaching of Adult Classes. We're grateful for Bob's generosity, and that he & Linda will continue to serve at Grace!

The Elders approved a search committee that will be led by Pastor Steve Harper. If you have input or ideas, feel free to be in touch at Steve.Harper@gracecma.org. Thanks in advance for praying for the Lord’s clear guidance!

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It’s Global Outreach Sunday, with a special focus on how we can “Serve the World.” Here are some statistics that reflect what’s happening in terms of people’s faith commitment.

According to a recent report published by the International Bulletin of Missionary Research, Christianity continues to thrive with about one third of the world population professing to be Christian. According to the research, it is estimated that there are about 2.3 billion Christians in the world with about 1.5 billion of them attending church on a regular basis. It is also estimated that there are 5 million congregations around the globe compared to about 400,000 in the year 1911.

The annual bulletin, released each January, also reveals that:

The world population includes 1.6 billion Muslims, 951 million Hindus and 468 million Buddhists.

Atheists are in decline globally with a current number of 137 million, and their number drops each day by about 300.

Each day, about 80,000 Christians and 79,000 Muslims are added to the worldwide totals.

In 1900, about 9 million Christians resided in Africa, compared to 475 million today.

What difference does all of this make? For followers of Jesus who value their relationship with him, we want to let others in on the Good News of grace and forgiveness. We want others to know him, and to give him the honor that he deserves…knowing that a day will come when “every knee will bow…and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Philippians 2:10-11).

We also know that heaven and hell are real destinations, and the Bible teaches that all of us will be in one of those places…forever (see 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10). As I’ve told many people, “I want to know that when I get to heaven, I’ll see you there…”

May the Lord stretch and shape our hearts so that we have the same compassion he does for people who have yet to know him. To take your next step, check out the tables in the Lobby for lots of ideas. Pick up some prayer cards at our Missions Info Center. Plan to come to the Feast of Nations tomorrow evening (tickets available in the Lobby today), and Family Night on Tuesday. And consider how you might invest financially…Mary & I consider our missions giving one of the best investments we make. Thanks for being Jesus-followers who care!

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When we become part of God’s family, our mission is given to us by God himself—to help others join that family, too. According to 1 Timothy 2:4, there is no one in the entire world our Heavenly Father doesn’t want to be in his family.

Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).

When Jesus tells us to go to “all nations,” he isn’t just talking about countries; he’s talking about people groups (the Greek word is “ethne”). He tells us to go to every people group and make disciples. Yet, there are still—by most estimates—about 3,800 people groups that, 2,000 years after Jesus’ death on the cross, still have no church in their language.

It’s a huge task, but it’s not mission impossible; it’s mission inevitable. The Great Commission will be fulfilled. The Bible gives us a picture of its fulfillment in Revelation 7:9: “There before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” It’s going to be an incredible time!

Next Sunday, we have our Global Outreach Sunday, with special events those next days. This is a great time to become more aware of what God is doing around the world. I hope you’ll be able to join us…and dinner is even included on Monday and Tuesday. See details in today’s bulletin.

Next Sunday also marks the start of our new Adult Classes! Take a look at the insert in your bulletin for a listing and description of each class. So many at Grace are taking advantage of these opportunities to grow to new levels of understanding and maturity, plus get to know some other folks in the process (note that most Wednesday classes begin on March 13 because of our Global Outreach events on March 6).

Finally, thanks for your prayers for my Dad, who was recently diagnosed with lymphoma and begins chemo this coming week. We will know the extent of the cancer these coming days and will let you know. They feel very loved by their church family…thank you!

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I’m still pondering the news out of India last month…

Multiple stories involving young women restrained and repeatedly assaulted by numerous aggressors and left for dead have been reported. One particularly brazen assault aboard a city bus captured news time around the world.

In even the most industrialized cultures, the stigma of rape plays a significant role in the value (or lack thereof) that is placed on a woman…so such assaults often go unreported. According to official statistics from India in particular, CNN reports that rape and assaults against women have increased drastically over the last 40 years (from just under 2,500 reported in 1971 to over 24,000 reported in 2011). While the increase in reporting is encouraging, what remains unsettling is the frequency of these crimes.

It’s not only in India, and it’s not only these crimes…

Throughout Asia, there is gender-based abortion, infanticide, inadequate healthcare … all of these pointing to institutionalized patriarchy and misogyny – the subtle, yet pervasive mistreatment of women. Gender-based abortion, for example, has led to an alarming gender gap in India, where there are now 1000 men for every 850-915 women.

Hostility toward women is nothing new. Stories with similar themes (e.g. rape, mistreatment of women, etc.) even appear throughout Scripture. Rather than condoning this, the Bible gives clear testimony to how Jesus showed compassion to women, and treated them with value (check chapter 4 of John Ortberg’s new book, “Who is this Man?”, for an excellent window into Jesus’ counter-cultural treatment of women).

What can we do? Let’s make sure that we show value to all people. For us married men, the Bible is clear that gentleness and respect toward our wives is essential if we want our prayers to be heard (1 Peter 3:7). We can also pray for those in other cultures, or our own, who have suffered mistreatment. We can be certain that our loving, faithful and just God is ever present and ever compassionate when people are being treated in ungodly ways. Finally, we can speak up against injustice (Proverbs 31:8-9). May we have the heart of Jesus.

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“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” Psalm 133:1

I love walking into the Café on a Sunday morning or evening (yes, there’s lots of activity after the 6 pm Service!) like I did last week and seeing all the interaction and friendship around tables. Or looking around the Lobby and hearing the buzz of conversation. Or walking through a hallway on the lower or upper level and seeing all the children, youth, and adults who are growing together. Or seeing groups throughout the week that gather to encourage each other in their spiritual walk.

I’m convinced all of this brings joy to the Father’s heart, too! He didn’t create us for a relationship with Him only. His design is for us to be part of His family, to be in relationships with others who are following Him.

That’s why we have a few times throughout the year when our church family gathers simply to enjoy each other’s company. Our Annual Winter Funfest next Sunday, February 17th, is a great time to beat the cold weather in a fantastic environment with your Grace family. We have the highly rated Strongsville Rec Center all to ourselves after it closes (6:00-11:00 pm, located just behind Target on Royalton Road), and we’d love to see you there!

Stop by the table in the Lobby today to get your tickets (and a meal voucher, if you’d like). Folks have given great reviews about past Funfests; we hope you can join us next Sunday. It’s come when you can, leave when you must. I’ll look forward to seeing you there!

Also, you might want to mark your calendars for these upcoming events at Grace…

Laura Story—Grammy Award winner & accomplished song-writer (220b will open for Laura): this Thursday, February 14

Global Outreach Week—our hearts will be enlarged and stretched! March 3-6

Easter Services—always a highlight for us: March 30-31 (Sat: 5 & 7 pm, Sun: 9, 10:30, 12)

Image of God Women's Conference—with Brit Nicole & Danita Harris: Saturday seminar, April 20

Christopher Yuan—professor & author (“Out of a Far Country: One family's story of homosexuality, hope, and healing”): Saturday seminar, April 27

Image of God Men's Conference—with Lee Strobel: Saturday seminar, August 24

Church Picnic and Baptism—Beulah Beach (Vermillion): Sunday afternoon, August 25

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