Latest News of Grace of Aiken...

Men's Breakfast — February 9, 2008

The Men of GPC are having a breakfast at 8 a.m., Saturday, February 9, 2008 in the fellowship hall. There will be a short devotional given by Rule Elder Kevin C. All are invited to attend.

Sanctuary Restrooms Almost Complete

The remodeling of the restrooms in the sanctuary building is almost complete. The two rooms have been repainted and had the new ceramic tile put down, grouted and sealed. All that is left for the project is to replace the plumbing fixtures. The project should be completed by the end of February.

Men's Breakfast — October 13, 2007

The Men of GPC are having a breakfast at 8 a.m., Saturday, October 13, 2007 in the fellowship hall. There will be a short devotional, breakfast and then some time hanging the mini blinds that the Women in the Church have purchased for the fellowship hall. All are invited to attend.

Painting the Sanctuary!

The deacons and elders have decided it is time to paint the sanctuary and replace the carpet. The old carpet had turned several shades of grey, to the point that some people confused it with a light blue.

Therefore, a committee has been put together by the Session and hopefully they will begin painting before the end of the year. The carpet will go down after all the painting is complete. This is done for two reasons: 1. So that no paint gets on the carpet, and 2., so that money can be set aside in next year's budget for the the carpet. The committee is looking for well-qualified (volunteer) painters to help with the project.

64!

Yes, GPC broke a new attendance record on Sunday. At least an attendance record for Pastor Hammons' tenure. We had 64 people August 5, 2007. In the past two years, we have hit 60 twice, but never gone above that mark. The LORD really blessed us with a handful of visitors on Sunday. One family came with nine of their 10 children, which really pushed us over the edge.

Part of the problems in growing a small church is that many people may come and visit because they hear the word of God is faithfully preached. But upon seeing so few in the sanctuary, it often causes them to desire another church. If just half the visitors would remain, the problems they had with the small numbers would eliminate themselves over time. Many people give up too quickly.

Fortunately, the hope for small churches is that we know it is God who sustains us and grows us. Here at Grace Presbyterian Church, we are seeing just that. It is by His hand that we are sustained, and fed, and matured. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3, God gives the increase. Our responsibility is to remain faithful to our calling, and be grateful where we do see the increase of God.

While 64 may not seem like a lot, we know that it is from God's hand that we had that many to worship with on the LORD's day. He truly is good.

Vacation Bible School -- We finished up Vacation Bible school for 2007 with a visit from the Couchton Volunteer Fire Department. We has about 19 children attending the classes, and more helping with the skits. The entire event was a blast.

This year's theme was on rescue, with the over arching emphasis being that we need to be rescued from our sin, which only Christ can do.

The children learned how God rescues His people, and has done so throughout history. They learned of Moses and the Red Sea, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abendigo being thrown into the fiery furnace, and Jesus calming the storm. Just as the people of God have needed to be rescued physically throughout history, we are all in need of being rescued spiritually from sin and death. Only Jesus Christ can do so by His atoning sacrifice on the cross. When we believe in Jesus Christ for salvation, our sins are imputed (given) to Him so that the debt of sin is paid, and His righteousness is imputed to us.

This is called doubled imputation, and is at the heart of justification. The end result is that our sin is paid for, and we are seen as righteous before God. This comes about by belief in Christ alone for salvation.

ABOVE Photo: Andrew Hammons gets his first chance to hold a fire hose with Firefighter Mark Humphreville, while Carver Griffin looks on.

VBS work is accelerating

Members of the church are gathering together daily now, as we work to hold our annual Vacation Bible School. The props are being painted, the set is being constructed and rehearsals will begin Wednesday, June 27 in the sanctuary. Here are two of the workers that helped paint some of the props.

There is still a lot of work to be done, but everything is coming together. We expect 40-50 children this year.

Men's Fairway Fellowship -- Follow Up.

We had 13 men from the church join us for the Fairway Fellowship tournament on Saturday, June 16. That was enough to form four teams.

Team Waldrop won the event, scoring a combined 78 for 18 holes. Team Vuick came in second place with an 84, followed by Team Hope at 95 and Team Conklin finished with a 97.

Overall, the event was enjoyable and we hope to hold it again next year.

Men's Fairway Fellowship...June 16th!

Men of the Church! You are invited to participate in the GRACE Fairway Fellowship Golf Tournament out at South Edisto Golf Course, formerly known as Bogeyville, on June 16^th at 9:30 a.m. The cost is $25, and this includes the cost for cart, green fees, and a hamburger after the tournament.

We will be playing with Captain’s choice rules (which means that if you are really lousy at golf, or have not played in years, that you should come out anyway. Your score is based on the best shots of your team. No one will really notice how bad you are, promise! This is more for fellowship than competition,  unless of course, the pastor’s team ends up winning. There will be prizes for the winning team. Please sign up in the foyer TODAY if you have not done so. If you have any questions, speak to Pastor Timothy.