Church In Real Life
Morning Prayer
Prayer is pouring out our hearts to God in praise, petition, confession of sin, and thanksgiving. This is how the New City Catechism answers the question, “What is prayer?”
Sunday at 9am
While we continue to encourage you to gather regularly for prayer during small groups and our corporate gatherings on Sunday mornings, we remain committed to pursuing additional opportunities to call God’s people towards unity in prayer. We invite and encourage you to join us at 9:00am to call upon the Lord.
Psalm 88:13
I, O LORD, cry to you; in the morning my prayer comes before you.
Practice ‘One Another’s
Our small groups encourage genuine relationships within the church, developing the kinds of relationships that will help us mature and persevere in the Faith together. Small Group is where we intentionally practice the “one another” statements we find sprinkled throughout the Scriptures. We will mature and persevere in our relationship with God as we grow in our relationship with people who are helping one another learn to follow Christ and His Word (Ephesians 4:11-16).
Practicing The One Anothers
Meetings occur in a home every 1st & 3rd week, splitting their time between affirmation, prayer, Bible study and discussion. While every group is unique, we all serve the same Jesus and hope to use our time throughout the week to pursue meaningful relationships that further point us to our great Savior.
Every 1st & 3rd Week
If you have yet to join a Small Group, please check out the available groups by clicking the button below to join a group!
Corinth, The Sequel
During the months of April and May the men and women will begin working their way through a two month study of Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth. The women will be meeting Thursday evenings beginning April 3rd, while the men will be meeting Monday evenings, beginning April 7th.
Women’s Study | Thursdays @ 7pm
Men’s Study | Mondays @ 7pm
We are excited for another opportunity to meet during the week, open and discuss God’s Word, and encourage one another in the Faith. There will be some additional resources available for those who desire to attend the study.
Register for the Study
Impossible Unity
This past Sunday, pastor Tim preached his way through Ephesians 4:1-16, a passage saturated with unity. We have just turned a corner in our study through the book of Ephesians - from what God has done, to what we now do in response. The Apostle Paul reminds the church in Ephesus of our calling to pursue unity. And this calling is just as true for the local church today as it was back in Ephesus.
Why does unity in the local church often feel impossible? Is unity an unrealistic expectation, or something confined to fantasy? Questions like these can often prompt tears and great agony. Disunity in local churches can lead to splits, member departures, and loud cries to God in response to this deep pain we feel.
Disunity in the local church that we know and love - between Christians we know and love - is an unfortunate reality we all sadly know too well.
Impossible Unity is Possible with Christ
Frequently this is not a disunity produced by disagreements over primary Christian doctrines. This is a far more common kind of disunity fueled by the endless variety of conflicts that break apart relationships, and even whole churches, because Christians fail to humbly, gently, and patiently “bear with one another in love” and cease being “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1–3).
You can listen to Pastor Tim’s sermon on unity from Ephesians 4:1-16
Perhaps you are lamenting the fact that you’ve seen too much of this, and you wonder, sometimes with tears, “Why is unity in the church so difficult?”
The truth is, apart from Christ, unity is impossible. Unity is something, by the Spirit of truth, we are equipped to pursue our whole lives. And we need the grace of Jesus to sustain us to the end. Unity is not something we give up on because it is hard, rather its something we pursue and maintain for the glory of Jesus and our good.
Popcorn & ByLaws
Come spend Sunday evening at Grace Hill. Sit back, relax, snack on some popcorn, and enjoy a night of polity as we carefully review an important document in the life of our church. As mentioned at our last member meeting, we hope that all of you will take time to read through the draft of the proposed bylaws and come ready to ask questions and engage in a helpful discussion. Nothing is off-limits.
Documents That Matter
Church polity matters; perhaps more than we will ever know. Therefore we endeavor to continue carefully working through a few documents that will ultimately shape the way Grace Hill functions as a local church as we desire to make much of the good name of Jesus in Merton and beyond.
February 23, 6pm - ByLaws
Come ready to ask questions and engage in a healthy discussion about this document and learn how it will help shape and guide our ministry, for our good and for Christ’s glory. We value your presence and your input. Together we can make polity discussions a joyful experience!
10AM
We love Sundays! One thing we observe throughout the New Testament, both from example (Acts 2:41ff.) and from command (Hebrews 10:25), is that we are to meet together regularly as a local church. Since the first century, Christians have made it their priority to meet weekly on “the first day of the week” (1 Corinthians 16:2), also called “the Lord’s day” (Revelation 1:10). This was not done out of obligation, but out of joy and reverence, as men and women eagerly anticipated their meeting with fellow brothers and sisters on the first day of the week.
Sundays | 10am
Beginning Easter | April 20th
Though the day of the week is clearly laid out in Scripture and church history, the timing for when each local church gathering occured would vary. There are occasions when any given local church has the freedom and flexibility to shift their worship time to accommodate the needs of their local body. This such occasion has become a recent reality for Grace Hill Church. Therefore, beginning Easter Sunday, April 20th, our worship start time will be moved to 10am for the foreseeable future.
School of Theology
We have the ambition to see the good news of Jesus spread throughout Lake Country, Wisconsin. We recognize the significant limitations for one small local church to take on this burden alone. Thus, we desire to raise up men and women who will serve the next generation of Christians in Lake Country, Wisconsin.
Lake Country School of Theology
We offer a number of opportunities for supervised theological training, ministry experience, and formal evaluation. It's a part of our church culture and a practical way we equip the saints for discipleship and deployment.
Theological Training For Everyday Life
Have you ever wanted to be mentored by a fellow brother or sister in-Christ? Do you desire to receive helpful feedback and evaluation while participating in an intentional and focused internship? Do you aspire to be a pastor or deacon in your local church? Are you regularly approached by hurting, needy people and wish you were more equipped to counsel and teach them the truths of Scripture?
Know, And Be Known
Come know and be known. A local church is where you know your pastors, and your pastors know you. One relational mark of our Chief Shepherd, Jesus, was that his sheep not only knew his voice but that their shepherd knew them. We expect nothing less for our local church, than to follow the model of Jesus.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
John 10:27
The local church is a place where men and women know one another, exhort one another, care for one another, and love one another. Many of the commands given throughout Scripture are nearly impossible to fulfill if we simply do not know one another. So we make it our ambition to know and be known.
Come Know and Be Known
The local church: A place where your pastors are more than just a voice you hear from a distant stage. A place where you can call or text your pastors at any hour. A place where you can share meals in member’s homes and engage in life-changing living room discussions. A place were everyone knows your name. A place to know Christ and to be known by Him.
We’re Growing
This Sunday we’ll welcome new members to Grace Hill Church! God has been faithful to build His church and continues to remind us of His goodness and kindness in the lives of those He leads through our doors. Come ready to celebrate as we affirm and welcome our new members during the service.
Christ Is Building His Local Church
Paul says in Ephesians 4:25 that we are “members one of another”. Church membership is more than a membership in a club. It’s an expression of our commitment to the people around us. The Scriptures are full of “one another” commands that show believers how to act in godliness toward other people. What Scripture makes clear is that these “others” refer to a specific group of people, not all people generally. These “others” are the men and women identified in a particular local church.
We Are Members One Of Another
As members of Grace Hill, we have the privilege of living out our lives with one another. We celebrate and grieve with one another. We build deep relationship with one another. We advance the joy of Jesus together. We help one another pursue holiness. We remind one another of the beauty of the gospel.