Weekly Update | June 1, 2023

Weekly Newsletter 06/01/2023

Greetings!

What an incredible year we’ve had at Grace Kids Bible School! It is truly a blessing to have such a wonderful children’s ministry. We had the privilege of having over 50 volunteers who dedicated their time to serve more than 140 students. Our ultimate goal and heartfelt desire at GKBS is to bring glory to God by sharing the good news of salvation with children, supporting and encouraging their parents, and equipping our servants to effectively minister to them. We firmly believe that the greatest need of every child is to be born again, for from the moment of their birth, they are spiritually dead in their sins (Romans 3:23). Scripture makes it abundantly clear that the only path to God is through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ (John 14:6). That’s why each and every lesson taught this year was centered around the gospel, aiming to help children recognize how every passage points to Jesus and His saving grace. This year we were able to cover the Book of Acts and Revelation.

This past Thursday marked the final Kids Bible School night for this year. It was an incredibly special occasion where our church came together to celebrate the amazing work of God through His Word. Each group actively participated by singing songs, reciting memory verses, presenting poems, and performing skits. The highlight of the evening was the graduation of the Class of 2023. As a yearly tradition, our 6th graders were assigned a task. They had the opportunity to choose their most memorable lesson, memory verse, Bible character, or Scripture passage and write a brief essay about it. The purpose was for our students to share their personal interaction with God’s Word and reflect on their response. These essays hold precious insights that we wanted to share with the entire church. It is truly awe-inspiring to witness the work of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of these young individuals. Attached below, you will find a picture of our graduating class along with their essays. We ask you to take a moment to read through these essays and rejoice in what God has accomplished in the lives of these children. Additionally, we humbly request your prayers for the upcoming continuation of Grace Kids Bible School this fall

On behalf of the elders of GFC,

Andrey Kobzar

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Continue supporting the churches working among the people who have suffered from the war in Ukraine: gfchurch.com/ukraine/

A great celebration is awaiting us this Saturday – the church picnic, starting at 10:00 AM. The jumping houses will open at this time and everyone will also have the opportunity to socialize and walk around the park to invite people to our service. The service begins at 11:00 AM. Please don’t be late! Invite your friends and neighbors.

* The address of the park is lower in the letter.

The deacons of the church are asking everyone coming to the picnic to do four important things:

Prepare $6 for the park entrance
Bring your own camping chairs
Something sweet for tea and fruits/berries for the potluck table
Personal drinking water for before and after lunch

The team will prepare lunch 🙂 After the service and lunch, we are planning to have games and creative activities in groups for kids. Everyone else will have a great opportunity to watch the most interesting soccer tournament between young men (College) and church deacons, followed by the game between winners of the first game and elder board.

The Scripture memory text – Ephesians 2:8-10

⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

⁹not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

¹⁰For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Important upcoming events:

VBS (summer day camp for children) – June 12-16

Below are the services and meetings for this weekend:

Thursday (6:00 PM) – Christology Class (the teaching on Jesus Christ). Open for all, but mandatory for VBS volunteers. The class is in English.
Friday (6:00 PM) – VBS volunteer training.
Saturday (10:00 AM) – Church Picnic (Ancil Hoffman Park, Carmichael)
Sunday services:
- Worship Service in Russian at 9:00 AM
- Worship Service in English at 11:15 AM
- Family Evening Service at 6:00 PM