Grace Point Community Church

04/28/2026

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.

04/27/2026

Here's the current, weekly calendar of events for Village Church. This calendar will be effective from today through June 7th.

We will issue a new calendar on the week of June 7th. Until we move to the new building, ALL Sunday morning activities will happen at Redland Middle School.

The only remaining Grace Point service is “A Prayer Tour Around Grace Point” THIS WEDNESDAY at 630p. We will eat some pizza and walk around the church blessing every room and ministry.

04/26/2026

What a great day today at Grace Point. Pastor Pat from Village Church and about 50 or so of his friends joined us for a preview of what is to come.

Interestingly, he preached a message very similar to one of the first 2 I preached at Grace Point 4+ years ago. “Great minds …” I guess.

He also laid out the ministry schedule for Village Church and invited all of us to join their mid-week and Sunday small group ministries in the month of May: Men, Women, children, youth, 4th-6th graders, and 18-28 year olds.

And as I led some of their folks in a tour of the building, I got to see and hear firsthand their excitement over the gift they are receiving. They, as well as Pastor Pat, expressed much gratitude towards all of us, understanding how difficult this process has been for us.

As I told him before church, Karen and I are very excited to see what God is about to do with us all.

04/22/2026

04/20/2026

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.

04/19/2026

Pictures of “The Little Church That Could” GRAND FINALE!

If you have any pictures from today, send them to us.

04/19/2026

God Bless

04/18/2026

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.

04/17/2026

Grace Point Community Church Newsletter
SPECIAL EDITION

THE GREATEST TREASURE

In seasons of change, our hearts can hold more than one feeling at a time—gratitude, sadness, uncertainty, and even hope. As we prepare to donate our church building to Village Church, we do so with tender hearts and open hands, asking the Lord to steady us and to remind us what cannot be taken away. One short verse from Jesus should be especially comforting: Matthew 13:44 -- God’s kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field. One day a man found the treasure. He hid it again and was so happy that he went and sold everything he owned and bought the field.

Just imagine for a moment: you are walking across a field and stumble upon an ancient treasure—forgotten by the whole world. You realize the plot of land is for sale. What would you do? How quickly would you sell everything you have to buy the field with the treasure? Of course you would move quickly. You’ve found something of great value—worth so much more than what you had before.

There is a true story from Northern California helps this picture feel even more real. A couple walking on their own property noticed an old, rusted can protruding from the ground. When they pulled it out and opened it, they discovered gold coins inside—and, over time, several more buried cans filled with coins dating back to the 1800s. What looked like an ordinary hillside held an unexpected treasure, the so-called “Saddle Ridge Hoard”.

Jesus says God’s Kingdom can be like that: hidden in plain sight, worth more than we imagined, and able to reshape what we’re willing to hold onto. The man’s joy is not in the field itself, but in the treasure hidden within it. In the same way, church buildings matter—they carry memories, prayers, and years of worship—but they were never the treasure. The treasure is Jesus Himself, His gospel, and His living people. And that treasure goes with us.

Here is a brief timeline of the events that led us to where we are. Starting at the very end of February, Grace Point leadership receive three unsolicited inquiries concerning our property. One offer was for selling the property, another included swapping buildings with another church, and the third involved us merging with another congregation and donating our building. One offer came to me, the other two to members of the Leadership Team.

The first time our Leadership talked to the church was following our service on March 29. By that time, the offer to sell had been dismissed. To sell the property allows for the possibility of it not being used to the glory of God by a so-called “like-minded” church or ministry, which our bylaws require.

The offer of a swap had been withdrawn by then as well, before we had the opportunity to poll the congregation about how many of our current attendees were of a mind to stay with the church, even if it meant a move to a surrounding community.

And we did not even have our first meeting with the third church until after our March 29 church meeting and potluck. We had determined not to make any permanent decisions until after Easter. But that week following Easter, things began to move pretty quickly.

By that time, the decision was not a matter of “who”, but “if”. Did we want to consolidate with another congregation or continue as things were? Our Leadership Team made the decision that to donate our building was the best course of action.

What is very evident in this process is that at least three organizations saw the value of our “treasure” and made plans to acquire the “field”. So, as we donate our building, we should see it as an act of generosity, making room for worship to continue, for ministry to grow, and for God’s work to carry on within these walls.

When we say “yes” to Jesus, the value of everything else is put in its proper place. Matthew 13:44 does not pretend that letting go is easy—but it does show us where lasting joy is found. The man sold what he had not because the sacrifice felt small, but because the treasure was greater.

So, we walk forward with open hands—grateful for what God has done in this place. And trusting Him for what He will do next. May the Lord comfort every heart, strengthen our unity, and fill us with quiet courage. And may the congregation receiving this building be blessed with worship, discipleship, and fruit that remains. The treasure is Christ, and He is with His church.

And that is what we will celebrate THIS SUNDAY, April 19. We will celebrate the treasure Grace Point has been. And the treasure our building will be for Village Church. Come at 9a for BREAKFAST to honor our High School graduates Sarah Selvage and Jathyn Reynolds. Then join us at 10a as we hear testimonies of what Grace Point has meant to so many of us.

If you want to provide a testimony by video, please text it to us. Or come prepared to speak for a minute or 2 about your experience here.

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, scan the QR Code to give online or click this link: gracepoint.info/give.

Much Thanks and Many Blessings,

Pastor Tim and Mrs Karen

04/15/2026

Tonight: "Keep the Faith".

04/15/2026

KEEP THE FAITH, tonight. Turkey sandwiches, too. Starts in an hour.