Escape From Captivity in An American City

The horrendous news that three young girls were kept as captives in a house in Columbus, Ohio, has gripped the nation and grieved our hearts. We learned that there are modern day slaves in our own cities and towns in America.

The news of Amanda Berry’s dramatic escape is a vivid reminder that human slavery is still a clear and present danger. Did you know that:

• Worldwide, nearly 2 million children are trapped in the commercial sex trade;
• There are an estimated 27 million slaves in the world today–more than any other time in history. (Source: www.ijm.org)

Justice Sunday at Grace Church of Alexandria

Because of ongoing injustice in the world, join us for Justice Sunday at Grace Church of Alexandria this Sunday, May 12, 2013. A Grace Church member who works for International Justice Mission (IJM) will present the work of IJM and show from Scripture what we can do as God’s people about grave injustices being perpetrated against children, women and families.

Come learn how to pray for and get involved in efforts of Christians that led to good news like these recent IJM headlines:

• “Desperate Call From Slave Trapped in Brick Factory Leads to Freedom For 50″
• Man Convicted For Assaulting 11-Year-Old Girl With Disability
• Justice Secured for 16-Year-Old Aveline

Speaking Up For Those Who Cannot Speak For Themselves

Scripture proclaims the heart of God for captives, starting with us who were spiritual captives to sin, Satan, and darkness. Through the glorious cross, the Son of God provided a way of escape from our spiritual bondage. And then, the Bible summons us who have experienced God’s redemption to do something about the plight of humans in slavery and captivity.

Seek justice, 
rescue the oppressed, 
defend the orphan, 
plead for the widow.

- Isaiah 1:17

Join Us For Justice Sunday, May 12, 2013

We cannot usher in the ideal conditions of Christ’s kingdom for him, but we can show what he is like and minister his mercy by standing up for the oppressed. So please join us this Sunday, May 12, to discover specific ways you can reflect God’s heart for the mistreated and speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.

Join us Sundays at 9:25 am for What The Bible Says About Money, a new Adult Bible Class starting Easter Sunday, March 31, 2013. Come get practical, real life advice about finances and learn what the Bible says about the following issues:

• Saving and spending
• Generosity
• How mortgages work; when to rent vs. when to buy
• Having an eternal perspective on money
• Assessing your financial tendencies & temptations
• Debt
• Teaching children about money
• Choosing a lifestyle
• Recommended books & resources about finances

When: Sundays at 9:25 am from March 31 to May 5, 2013
Where: At Grace Church of Alexandria in Alexandria’s West End

You’re welcome to come whether this is your first time at Grace Church or you’re a regular. The class is taught by Michael Collins, GCA’s Deacon of Stewardship who guides our church’s finances.

Grace Church of Alexandria invites all our attenders to hang out together at the Gunston Hall Kite Festival on Saturday, March 23, at 12 pm (runs till 5 pm). There’s something for everyone, families and individuals, adults and kids alike.

This celebration of spring includes kite flying (bring a kite, or buy a kite there), meet colonial actors, play 18th century games, see period puppet shows, sample hearth cooking, and tour historic Gunston Hall which was owned by signer of the Declaration of Independence George Mason.

Food: Bring a picnic lunch or buy food on site from several vendors, such as a BBQ truck.

Time: If the weather is good enough, the Matíases will be there from 12 pm to 2:00 pm. You’re welcome to meet up with them at that time, or show up anytime during the festival. It runs from 12 pm to 5 pm.

Cost: $10, adults; children under 18 are free! [This is a correction from the original post, as they recently reduced the price so kids no longer cost to get in].

Location: Historic Gunston Hall, 10709 Gunston Rd, Lorton, VA

Rain Date: Saturday, March 30th

Starting January 13, 2013, a new class called “Is the Bible Reliable?” is starting up at Grace Church of Alexandria. It’s at 9:25 am every Sunday in the Adult Bible Class room.

We’ll be grappling with questions asked about the Bible, by believers and skeptics alike, questions like–

• Are the 66 books in the Bible the right books? What about the Gnostic Gospels and the Apocrypha?
• How can we know that the Bible is really from God, and not just a human document?
• Does the Bible have errors in it, or is it inerrant?
• Is the Bible complete, or might God still give new books of the Bible?
• Did Jesus trust his Bible (the Old Testament) or did he have any doubts about it?
• How should I choose a good translation so I have God’s words accurately?

Long-time believers, newer Christians, and those uncertain about Christianity are invited this class as we wrestle with these profound questions together. These questions ought not be swept under the rug, for they concern the foundation of the Christian faith–the Holy Scriptures. Thankfully, the Bible itself guides us to answers on these vital questions, so we’ll be examining the answers God has given to these questions.

Join us Sundays at 9:25 am before our 10:30 worship service as we ask, “Is the Bible Reliable?”

Giving Praise to God
On October 27-28, 2012 Grace Church of Alexandria celebrated our first five years as a local church! Check out the audio testimonies and photo gallery below.

We held this celebration weekend to honor our church planting team members, give thanks to the churches and individuals who partnered with GCA, unify our church family for the next five years, and give thanks to Christ the Head of our church.

Photos Gallery of the Testimony & Thanksgiving Service 

Testimonies from Grace Church’s First Five Years
Click on any of the links below to listen in on (or download) testimonies from that weekend about God’s work at our local church–

• Welcome & Reason For the Celebration
• Partners in the Gospel: A Devotional from Philippians 1
• Testimony by Jen, a new believer at GCA
• Testimony by Dave Ruse, GCA church planting team member
• Testimony by Ryan Johnson, a GCA member
• Testimony by Ron Bean, GCA elder 

As a church family, we give thanks to God for causing our church plant to flourish in the five years since we first began meeting. 2012 has been a monumental year for us, as this year we became self-supporting and transitioned from church plant to a fully-planted local congregation.

Why a celebration?

This weekend we’re celebrating Grace Church of Alexandria’s first 5 years, and our financial independence which we just achieved this fall. Come celebrate God’s faithfulness to our church family and give honor to those who’ve helped along the way.

BBQ Dinner RSVP is now closed, but join us for everything else! All our members and attenders are invited, and all friends of the ministry, including former church planting team members, prayer partners, and financial suporters.

Saturday, October 27

What will the celebration include?

Saturday will include a Dinner and Thanksgiving Service where we’ll hear from residents of the community and church members how God worked in their lives through the church plant. We’ll also give recognition to those who contributed in all sorts of ways to plant GCA.

Sunday will include a 9:25 am talk by Will Arndt of Heritage Bible Church on what’s next for Grace Church as an urban church plant. Then during the 10:30 am service, Pastor Eric Sipe who oversaw the planting of GCA, will be our guest preacher, and we’ll have a panel discussion reflecting on God’s faithfulness to GCA. A 12 pm free pizza lunch for all will be provided.

Thank You

Thanks to everyone (supporters, prayer partners, church planting team members, and all our members & attenders) who has been a partner with us for gospel growth here at Grace Church of Alexandria!

Sundays at Grace Church of Alexandria begin at 9:25 am with the current Adult Bible Class Two Ways To Live evangelism class. Two Ways to Live equips believers to share the life-giving gospel of Jesus Christ to people in your life.

What: An interactive class about how to give a clear, effective presentation of the gospel
Who? For everyone who comes to GCA, whether you’re a long-time believer or new Christian.
When: Sundays at 9:25 am
Where: In the Adult Bible Class area at Grace Church of Alexandria
What about Kids? Kids are welcome in the class! Parents are also welcome to drop their children off in the gym and also volunteer to help watch the children there. See the Deacon of GraceKids, Jessica Beninate, for details.

Two Ways To Live iPhone and iPad App

Download the free app that contains the gospel presentation we’ll be learning. Use it in class to follow along and carry it along with you as a witnessing tool.

Join us this Sunday at 9:25 am for Two Ways To Live!

Watch a short summary of the gospel which we’ll be learning in the class here.

Are you looking for ideas to help a new believer become grounded in the Christian faith? Would you like to know where to start in forming a one-on-one discipleship relationship with another believer? Would you like ideas to help you enter the lives of others so they see and savor Jesus with you? Here are 8 tools to help you in discipleship. We discussed these tools in Discipleship 101, a recent 12-week Adult Bible Class taught at Grace Church of Alexandria.

1. Relationships: A Mess Worth Making
Tim Lane and  Paul David Tripp penned this book to give a hands-on guide to befriending, discipling, confronting, and praying for other believers. I love it so much that I have a stack of these in my office and give them out for free. Relationships: A Mess Worth Making is a must-read if you’d like to take the next step in discipling.

2. The Trellis and the Vine
Colin Marshall and Tony Payne’s book The Trellis and the Vine is perhaps the best starting place to learn how to come alongside another believer to help them grow, and receive the same kind of help growing from them. It’s written to average believers, and especially to church leaders, to help spart a discipleship revolution in your church. I’m working on reading and discussing it with most officers and ministry leaders at our church in Alexandria, Virginia. At it’s heart, it’s about how to speak the Word of God through the Spirit enablement to one another.

3. The Vine Worker’s Monthly Digest
This practical, to-the-point monthly email gives real life suggestions for helping others to grow. It’s sent out by Matthias Media, the publishers of The Trellis and the Vine and follows the Trellis’s ministry approach. See a sample and sign up here.

4. 9 Marks e-Journal on Discipleship
Our friends at 9Marks have written eleven short, helpful articles about discipleship, coming at it from various angles. Well worth reading if you’re a believer burdened for friends in your church to grow, or if you’re a ministry leader hoping to make an impact in others’ lives.

5. John MacArthur Study Guides
If you meet regularly with another believer and are looking for an idea of what to talk about and study with them, pick up one of John MacArthur’s Study Guides on the books of the Bible. Each study guide includes discerning and probing questions to help believers study a passage of Scripture together.

6. Pathway Bible Guides
Just like #5 above, Matthias Media has written a collection of handy Bible study guides to help a small group of believers get the most out studying the Bible together. These guides form the basis for many of Grace Church of Alexandria’s Community Group studies

7. Christianity Explained
Say you know someone is open to learning how to become a Christian, or they’re not sure if they’re a Christian. Christianity Explained is a resource we at Grace Church often go through with attenders who want to learn how to become a disciple and want to know what is the gospel.

8. Discipleship Explored
When a person becomes a Christian, we at Grace Church of Alexandria link up a couple believers with them to go through Discipleship Explored together. This 8-session DVD and study guide series gives a new believer a firm footing to walking as a disciple of Christ.

Are there additional tools and ideas you have for discipling other believers, and being discipled yourself? Share them in the comments below.

You’re invited to the free Alexandria Community Picnic on Saturday, September 29. We’re having a cookout, kids and adult games, Rock Wall, Air Jumper Extreme, Train Ride, Bounce House, a Fairfax County fire truck, a free gift bag, free carnival food, and much more.

Check it out: www.alexandriapicnic.com

When: Saturday, September 29, 10 AM – 2 PM (rain date October 13)
Where: The grounds of Franconia Baptist Church, 5912 Franconia Road, Alexandria, VA 22310
Cost: free!

Five Alexandria churches are coming together to host this festival to say thank you to the community! Everyone is welcome to attend, whether you’re from Alexandria, Springfield, Franconia, Kingstowne, or another neighborhood. Come by on September 1 for a fun family time at the 4th Annual Alexandria Community Picnic!

Grace Church attenders, if you’d like to help, 40+ volunteers are needed.

• Volunteer to help here.
• Invite Friends using the Facebook Event here.