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Oct 26

Prayer for Those Coming and Going

2018 | by Asher Griffin | Category: Elders Q&A,Prayer

On Wednesday night of this week, we held a Members Meeting & Elder Q&A where we brought in 16 new members, said goodbye to 5 members, and the elders fielded questions from the congregation.

After the bringing in and sending out of members, Drew Hodge prayed for those who were “coming and going.” Below is the prayer that he gave. We decided to post his prayer because it was a good, guiding, and helpful prayer, but also because it serves as a earnest reminder of the fellowship that we have, through Christ, in a body of covenanting believers.


O gracious God, we thank you for these your people, our brothers and sisters. You know us and call us by name, and are acquainted with all our ways. We Thank you for those who have been with us many years and now move on. Bless and keep them in your grace. May they find fellowship and friendship, and guard their way in your Word. Thank you for the good church families they are going to and/or will soon find.

Lord, we praise you for these 16 souls you have added to our family to share in our work, worship, and witness.

Thank you for their voices now added to the choir of our congregation, for their hearts being knit together with ours in life and love.

May they always hold fast to their confession in faith as they live out their professions of faith. May they walk in a manner worthy of their calling, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. May we be of the same mind and same judgement in Christ.

Watch over your servants, establish faithful families, and enable them by your Spirit to be rooted in the steadfast love of Christ.

Deepen their understanding of the gospel, strengthen their commitment to follow the way of Christ, and keep them in the fullness of faith, and in the consistent communion of your church.

Father, guard them from temptation and deliver them from evil.
May sin be sour and holiness sweet.
Increase their compassion for others, and send them into the world in witness to your Word and your worth.
Multiply your grace and peace to us all, for Your glory and our good.

In Jesus name, amen.

Oct 16

Jacobo Piñeda’s Passing

2018 | by admin | Category: Announcement
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Pictured from left to right: Jaco and Sandy (son and daughter-in-law), Dr. Jacobo Piñeda, Jeanette (wife), Majo (daughter).

Dear Church,

We have received the sad news from Guatemala that our dear brother, Dr. Jacobo, went to be with the Lord at about 9am this morning. He had been recovering from an emergency surgery that went late into last night, and this morning he suffered from a cardiac event as he was recovering. The doctors were unable to revive him.

Dr. Jacobo had been struggling with a battle against kidney cancer. He was in remission earlier this year, but then they recently discovered that the cancer had metastasized and spread to other parts of his body. Yesterday, he went to the hospital suffering from extreme abdominal pain. Doctors discovered that his bowel had ruptured, and he was sent to emergency surgery to repair his bowel. He was recovering in ICU this morning with sepsis, when he experienced tachycardia, and the doctors were unable to stabilize him. His family is deeply saddened and shocked, as not so long ago it seemed hopeful that Jacobo would recover. They are also comforted knowing that Jacobo is now in the presence of his Savior.

Please pray for his family, especially: his wife, Jeanette; and his son, Jaco, and Jaco’s wife, Sandy; his daughter, Majo, and Majo’s husband, Arol; and for his three grandchildren.

Pray also for our Achi brothers and sisters who have lost a man who so faithfully served them and loved them for the glory of our great God.

Our hearts are broken when we consider the loss of two beloved brothers his year, of Jacobo this morning, and Rodrigo in January. We are blessed to have known these great men, to have seen their love for the Lord and their passion for making His name great among the Achi. We also trust that, though the Lord’s plans are mysterious and unfathomable to us, we can rest knowing He accomplished His good purposes in their lives and will continue to grow the seeds planted by these brothers.

We are all deeply saddened to say goodbye for now to Dr. Jacobo. He will be missed by many. But we do not mourn as those without hope. May we, with heavy hearts, thank the Lord for Jacobo’s life and salvation and find refuge and comfort in the God who saves.

Oct 2

Elder Q&A | Members Meeting

2018 | by Asher Griffin | Category: Announcement,Elders Q&A

Each year, the DSC elders host an evening to take questions from DSC members called “Elders Q&A.” This year, it will take place in addition to our quarterly Members Meeting.

This Elders Q&A will take place on Wednesday, October 24, at 6:30 PM, with a church-wide dinner together at 5:30 PM.

Also, this meeting will serve as a regular Members Meeting where we’ll be affirming new members into the church. If you haven’t been to a Members Meeting this year, October 24 is a great night to begin!

If you have a question, you’re encouraged to submit it. Here are four ways to ask your questions:

  • Write: Submit your question using your bulletin Comment Card on Sunday and drop that in an offering box.
  • Email: Email your question to info@desertspringschurch.org.
  • Tell: Communicate your question for the Q&A to an elder in person or through email. Click here for their emails.
  • Show: Show up with your question on the 24th. In addition to written questions, the elders will take some questions from the audience that evening.

It would be helpful to receive your questions early. This helps the elders notice recurring themes, know how to devote time to particular questions, and spend time in a way that best serves the church. Questions that are not addressed at the Q&A will be answered through the DSC Blog or by email.

Also, audio from previous Elder Q&A evenings is available at our Messages Page under the topic “Elder Q&A.”

See you at the Q&A on October 24 at 6:30 PM.

Apr 17

Members Meeting Reminder

2018 | by Asher Griffin | Category: Announcement

Members Meeting April

If you’re a member, we hope you will plan to attend our Members Meeting, Wednesday, April 25 from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM. Childcare will be provided (nursery to four years old). We’ll also have our usual church-wide dinner at 5:30 PM.

Members should have received this email two weeks ago. If you didn’t receive it, please email Ron@desertspringschurch.org.

We’ll use these meetings to pray together, affirm believers into membership, and to talk about things like the present and future of DSC, or missions and local outreach opportunities.

Apr 17

Paul’s Missionary Journey

2018 | by Asher Griffin | Category: Sermon Follow-Up

In Sunday’s sermon from Acts 28, Ryan Kelly showed a map of the Apostle Paul’s missionary travels throughout the book of Acts. The map he showed is available below.

Paul's Missionary Journey

A couple of ways you can use this map:

  1. Print it out and keep for reference.
  2. Search, in your Bible, through each stage is Paul’s missionary journeys using headings or key words.
  3. Think of crafts or chalk drawings to do with your children that would visually help them see all the places the Lord led Paul.
  4. Remind yourself of what God said would be done in Acts 1:8 and compare it with what He did throughout Acts.
  5. See Acts not just as some stories about Paul’s adventures, but as God’s sovereign plan unfolding before our eyes.
  6. Praise the Lord with others in seeing His grace and mercy extending to the end of the earth.