"A lack of endurance is usually one of the greatest causes of defeat, especially in prayer. We don't wait well. We're into microwaving; God, on the other hand, is usually into marinating"

As we step into the year 2013, there are three things I can promise you will happen. Knowing these three things will help guide you through the year in the will of God.

The photo to the left was posted on our GH Facebook page by one of our single moms. She wanted to say thanks to our Couples N Christ and our preteens for helping them with Christmas. You can view more of the pics by clicking the link below (if you have a FB account). Here is her own words --

We will not meet on our normal Wednesday night schedule this coming Weds. night. However, as the 12 hours of daily prayer from 3:00 p.m. - 3:00 a.m. begins this Tuesday, January 1, there will be prayer and worship going on at Grace House on Wednesday from 3 p.m. til 3 a.m., so feel free to drop in and stay awhile during that time.

This past Sunday during the worship service there was such a powerful presence and anointing flowing. One of the ways the Spirit led was to gather round and pray for those who had experienced the death of a loved one in recent weeks. It was so beautiful seeing the body minister the comfort and love of God to those who were dealing with grief. Afterwards, a precious lady who had very recently lost her mother shared with me, that though the loss was great, God had given her such incredible peace. She also shared how she was touched by the way she had experienced God's love as people prayed for her. Another precious lady whose sister had just died, stated that she had no strength when she came, but she was full of strength by the time the service was over. Praise the Lord! We can all love and we can all encourage. When we do, God is at work.

Our congregation had the privilege of praying over caps and blankets this past Sunday supplied by our Crochet Small Group. The caps will be given to patients at the Cancer Center and the blankets will help provide warmth for babies of mothers who have been abused. We pray that God's healing presence will go with these articles we prayed over. Thank you small group for your ministry of love for others. It makes a difference in people's lives in both seen and unseen ways.

We are very excited about the forthcoming School of Power and Love which will be hosted by The ARK and Grace House. Registration is currently $60 but will go to $100 after January 9th. This is an awesome time of training and activation. It's a revival atmosphere where love abounds.

We need your help! We've got to have these remaining slots covered if we are going to be able to move forward with this years 12/7 in January.  If you are an SSMA student, please contact Carol Perry (256-740-2537) to schedule your set, all other volunteers please contact Micah Walley (256-762-5109). As a facility Leader your responsibilities will include:

• The on-site leader of the facilities
• Maximum of 2 consecutive hours
• Must stay awake and alert the entire time
• Can't leave the facilities, except for emergency reasons - in which case, you must call an Ark staff personnel
• Keep an eye out for people who are entering the facility, making sure things are as safe as possible
• You will assist in keeping the facilities clean (ie. Change overflowing trash cans, clean any spills or messes, pick up any trash that may be left behind, make sure toilet paper is stocked)

As you have read the last few weeks, the ARK will be leading 12 hours of prayer and worship each day throughout the entire month of January from 3:00 p.m. until 3:00 a.m. I encourage all of our congregation to participate in this throughout the month. You may be able to come for a few hours or just a few minutes but come. I also encourage all of you to join the fast. This is not a legalistic call to fast but a call for us to come together in unity purposefully laying aside some things and setting ourselves apart to seek God's heart for our lives, our church family, and our region. 

In the coming weeks you will be hearing more and more about Life Groups at Grace House. We have several groups that are currently meeting, but we are stepping into 2013 with an intention of helping each of you to become more connected with God and others. We are happy to announce that Hillard and Charlotte Matthews will be providing leadership and encouragement to those who lead our Life Groups. They have a lot of experience in small group ministry and certainly have a heart to help people connect and grow more deeply in the life of Christ. We desire to see new groups forming and new leaders emerging to lead them. Maybe it is on your heart to lead a group. We will share more details soon so stayed tuned....

For over 4 years now, we have been meeting as a group of men to connect more deeply with God and each other. I invite any of you men to join us any Tuesday morning. We meet at Grace House at 6:30 a.m. This is a very informal, interactive, and open time around God's Word. I always enjoy leading this group. Come and join us. Contact me with any of your questions about this group.

Each Wednesday, beginning at 9 a.m., we have a faithful group of people who meet and pray. This is a time of intercession. prophetic decreeing, and engaging God's heart through prayer and worship. You are invited to join with the ladies who lead this time of prayer for our congregations, city, region, nation, and the nations. Contact Charlotte Matthews for more information.

We have an excited married couples class that meets each Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. in the Grace House Children's Center. Bryan and Melissa Gregg lead this group and there is rich fellowship, an interactive style of Bible study, and an atmosphere of love and acceptance. If you are a 20 to early 40 something couple, jump on board and see your marriage enriched! Contact Bryan and Melissa if you have questions.

We are so excited about "Rooted" which is our ministry to preteens led by Allison Fisher. They are currently working on a human video which they will be sharing in one of our services soon. Each Wednesday they meet to study the Bible together and learn how to live a life rooted in Christ during this important transitional time in their lives. Our preteens are awesome.  All preteens are invited to attend this weekly gathering to build relationship with Christ and one another. Contact Allison Fisher with your questions.

Franie Deaton, who directs our children's ministry, does a great job of teaching our children truths that will help them build their lives on Christ and the truths of His Word. Each week's lesson is packed with object lessons, biblical truths, and lots of interactive fun. Our children begin the service with we adults at 9:00 a.m. and then transition to their own children's worship around 9:45 a.m. or so. See Franie if you have questions and to let her know if you would like to be one of her assistants occasionally. We also can use good helpers.

We have some awesome little ones in our nursery. Jesus instructs us to love these little ones and to create an environment where they are coming to him. Anna Laura Lawrence leads our nursery team. Please let her know if you would like to help with this important ministry at Grace House.

Our worship team does an awesome job leading us in worship week by week. If you have gifts and abilities in this area, and have been faithful in attending Grace House for a while, and are willing to meet with someone to help access your skill level, or if just would like to know more about our worship team, contact our Worship Pastor, Andrew Lawrence, and he will be glad to help you.

If you have a heart for missions, whether it is to go on a mission trip or to support those who are willing to go, stayed tuned for announcements about upcoming mission opportunities here at Grace House. Eighteen of us saw God do tremendous things in our lives and the people in Trinidad on our last mission trip. We are planning now for a possible trip to Carriacou this coming Spring. Sam Lerch is our point person for our missions trips, so contact Sam for more information.

Food is a staple for all our lives and some people have needs in this area, especially in these economically challenging times. We desire to help more and more people inside and outside of our congregation in this area. Larry Bullard is our point person in helping with this important ministry. We are building a list now of those who need help as well as those who would like to help in this area.