Grace Point Community Church

PRAYER TOUR AROUND GRACE POINT

Here is a shortened preview of the prayers we will pray during tomorrow’s service. I post it now for those who are not able to join us in person. I encourage you to pray for this transition as well. And if you can think of other areas/ministries to bless, put it in the comments.

Psalm 84

PRAYER FOR THE NURSERY -- God, thank You for this nursery and for every baby, toddler, parent, and volunteer who will walk through these doors. Your Word says that children are a gift from You (Psalm 127:3), so we ask You to fill this room with Your peace and joy … As this building is given to Village Church, we ask You to bless both churches with unity and generosity … Amen.

PRAYER FOR CHILDREN’S CHURCH -- Jesus, thank You for every kid who will show up here—curious, loud, shy, excited, unsure, and everything in between. You said, “Let the little children come to me” (Mark 10:14), so we’re asking You to make this room a place where they feel welcomed and wanted … And as this building is passed to Village Church … make this a … space … where kids keep meeting You week after week. Amen.

PRAYER FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL -- Father, thank You for these Sunday School classrooms and for the chance to learn Your ways together … As this building is donated to Village Church, we ask You to keep Your hand on these rooms—use them to build disciples, strengthen families, and point people to Jesus for many years to come. Amen.

PRAYER FOR THE YOUTH ROOM -- God, thank You for the teenagers who will spend time in this room—the ones who feel confident and the ones who feel overwhelmed, the ones who show up every week and the ones who aren’t sure they belong … As this building is handed off to Village Church, bless the ministry that comes next … to raise up a generation that knows You, follows You, and shines Your light (1 Timothy 4:12). Amen.

PRAYER FOR THE MEN’S MINISTRY -- Father, thank You as men to gather, be honest, and grow … And as this building is donated to Village Church … let the same grace and truth continue in this room for years to come. Amen.

Joshua 4:1-7

PRAYER FOR THE WOMEN’S MINISTRY -- Lord, thank You for the women who will gather to worship, learn, and support one another … As this building is given to Village Church, bless the women’s ministry that follows—keep this space full of prayer, healing, and deep joy in Jesus. Amen.

PRAYER FOR THE PRAISE & WORSHIP -- God, thank You for this stage and for every voice, instrument, and serving hand that will lead worship from here … And as this building is donated to another church, bless the Village worship team that will stand here … and let Your name be honored in this house for a long time to come. Amen.

PRAYER FOR THE BAPTISTRY -- Jesus, thank You for the baptistry and for the stories of changed lives that will be told right here … As this building is donated to Village Church, we ask You to … Let the good news keep being preached, let faith keep being made public, and let Your family keep growing as people follow You with their whole lives. Amen.

PRAYER FOR THE LOBBY & COFFEE BAR -- God, thank You for this lobby and coffee bar—the first place so many people will step into when they come … And as this building is donated to Village Church … let this space stay a doorway into community, discipleship, and the joy of Your family. Amen.

PRAYER FOR CELEBRATE RECOVERY -- Jesus, thank You for Celebrate Recovery and for every person who will walk in carrying hurts, habits, and hang-ups … As this ministry continues, bless every leader, sponsor, and participant; keep the doors open wide, keep grace at the center, and let many lives be made new for Your glory. Amen.

PRAYER FOR THE KITCHEN AND FELLOWSHIP HALL -- God … We ask You to bless every potluck, fellowship meal, and late-night cleanup that happens here … And as this building is donated to Village Church, bless the meals and fellowship that will continue here; use this kitchen to build community, heal relationships, and remind people they are loved. Amen.

James 3:17-18

PRAYER FOR THE PULPIT -- Lord, thank You for this pulpit area—the place where Your Word will be read, explained, and believed … And as this building is donated to Village Church, bless the preaching that will continue from this spot; let truth and grace keep being proclaimed, and let many people come to know and follow You. Amen.

GRACE POINT COMMUNITY CHURCH NEWSLETTER
Final Edition

NOW IT’S TIME TO SAY GOODBYE

"Parting is such sweet sorrow". This is a line from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. It was spoken by Juliet to Romeo during the famous balcony scene. It means that saying goodbye can be painful (sorrow) but also pleasant (sweet) because it brings anticipation of seeing each other again.

What is happening is that Juliet is reluctant to end her meeting with Romeo because of the bittersweet nature of their love and parting. This phrase combines the contrasting emotions of sweetness/love and sadness/pain to show how deep feelings make even painful moments cherished.

Of course, this is why we are using that quote in today’s newsletter. To describe our bittersweet feelings of saying goodbye to our much-loved Grace Point. The sadness of our parting is alleviated by the hope and love that will make our subsequent meetings special.

By now, many of you know that Grace Point will be merging withVillage Church. They will be moving into our building and be responsible for all the church programming from now on. If you did not already know that, I apologize that you have to find out this way.

While our attendance has been fairly stable over the life of mine and Karen’s tenure here, just dipping a bit in recent months, the financial strain of maintaining this beautiful, but large, building has taken its toll. We simply were no longer in the position to continue beyond the summer months.

You know, there are many preachers who are called to be church “planters”. Folks who are able to start a church from scratch and see it grow and succeed. I have a friend who started his church with 8 people. 30 years later it is a multisite mega church averaging multiple thousands every weekend. I was blessed to be a part of that congregation and auxiliary staff.

Then there are others who are known as church “builders”. These guys can go into almost any church circumstance and build the relationships, programs, and even the buildings necessary to see a church grow and thrive. My uncle was one of those. I do not know of a church that he did not build in terms of attendance, finances, and facilities. So was a friend of mine, who I was also privileged to work for. He took a church of 97 and turned it into a church of nearly 1,000 in only 5 or so years.

Then there are church “savers”. Ones who can go into a dire circumstance and turn it around and leave a thriving church behind. There is hardly a church situation too dramatic that a church saver cannot “fix”.

Well, when one looks at my career, I think they might get a picture of a church “slayer”. The “grim reaper” of the church-world, so-to-speak.

So, I guess you can just call me “Andrew”. To understand that you need to think back to the old TV show “Touched by an Angel”. I would prefer to be called Andrew to some of the other “angel-of-death” names one could use: Azrael, Malak al-Maut, Samael, Malakh ha-Mavet, Nasirdîn, Sejadin, Saureil, or maybe Mot.

I hate it. But I truly believed I did my best. I did everything I knew to do. And the best thing that can come out of this, besides Grace Point continuing and growing, would be for a church that is meeting in a temporary space to receive our facility so it can grow.

Having once served at a church plant meeting in temporary spaces, I can tell you what a blessing that would be. And that is what I believe will happen with Village. I truly believe that they are primed to explode. I will not be a bit surprised if it doubles by the end of 2026. And I will be proud that some of the 3 people we baptized over the last 4 years will be a part of that.

As for Karen and I, we are staying in the area. I will take early retirement through Social Security. I will also be sending out letters to local churches in order to hopefully generate some area preaching appointments. Maybe even work on a few more books. When we are not preaching, Pastor Franklin of Village has graciously opened the door for us to continue worshipping here. That was an important endorsement for me because I would not want to be a point of conflict or division. So, we look forward to seeing many of you again.

But for now, in the words of the Von Trapp children:
So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye
I leave and heave a sigh and say goodbye
Goodbye
Goodbye
Good ... Bye

Much Love and Many Blessings,

Pastor Tim and MRs Karen

PS – We WILL have Wednesday Night services THIS WEDENSDAY, April 22 and NEXT WEDNESDAY, April 29.

It is MEXICAN DINNER night this Wednesday and DOMINO’S PIZZA next week.

Plus, our FINAL WEDNESDAY will be a PRAYER TOUR AROUND GRACE POINT. Praying a blessing on all the ministries and people who will continue where Grace Point left off.

TOMORROW is the BIG DAY. I have a thought, come to Grace Point tomorrow ready to take pictures. We will NOT have any special background or anything like that. But we want to get PICTURES of our lovely and wonderful church family. Take pictures with each other. Take pictures with us. And send whatever pictures you take to us!

So, come TOMORROW at 9a for BREAKFAST to honor our High School graduates Jathyn Reynolds and Sarah Selvage and be prepared to ….

SAY CHEESE!

Please keep one more thing in mind, Grace Point still has bills to pay. So, consider bringing your best offering this Sunday. Or, if you would rather give online, just click this link: gracepoint.info/give.