"If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; be kind anyway. 

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and true enemies; succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; be honest and frank anyway.

I always look forward to our monthly communion around the Lord's table. There is no greater act of worship than participating in this commanded but privileged ordinance. Come with your hearts prepared and with a desire to enter into the mystery of union with God through the finished work of Christ. His Holy Spirit will be present as we eat and drink together.

As we begin this new year together, what better way than to meet at the Lord's table and be reminded of what the Christian life is all about. We will learn that the Spirit's presence during this sacred meal is much greater than you might have imagined. We will also learn how much more this is than a "ritual", it is such a powerful testimony and powerful encounter with God when we understand what takes place. Grace comes to us when we enter into the Lord's upper together.

I have really enjoyed going to 12/7 prayer time at our facility this week. I have been amazed at the numbers of people just showing up, coming and going, worshiping and praying. Most of the sets I have attended have been more geared toward soaking time, which we all need. So, drop in and experience an atmosphere saturated with His presence and peace. Last night a worship team from a church in Greenhill was leading the worship and I also saw people from other churches. This is one of those special opportunities to see the body worshiping together. You can read more about the details a below in this email. This will make a difference our lives and our region.

Even though we are having 12/7 prayer throughout the month of January, we will have our regular schedule for Wednesday night service for the rest of the month.

I recently witnessed God's love in action in such a beautiful way. A dear lady who was in need and at the end of her wits about what to do approached some of our people. I saw them reaching out in love and care. A little while later, I saw others carrying boxes of groceries and supplies to her vehicle. Her face was aglow and she kept saying, "I'll pay you back!" But she kept being reassured that she was being blessed because God loved her. I saw kindness relieve her anxiety and lift her spirit. Thank you Grace House for being such loving people. And....I see you doing this in different ways all the time for others. It matters.....

Also, I hope you were able to read the letter I sent out earlier concerning our gratitude for your giving and some details about your contribution statements and year end giving for 2012. If you missed it, you can read it here:

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.