We have three options this year for you to answer that question!
Then Jesus Came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20
GraceWorks Alaska
Background
For those called to Mission but not to Africa, there is another opportunity!
Amy (who was on our team), has been a leader with GraceWorks Alaska a couple of times now. When I (Angie) came back from Kenya and shared a few stories with the Battle group a few of the youth expressed wanting to go on a trip. So, I gathered more information.
You have to be 12 years old to go on the GraceWorks Alaska trip.
It would be best for an adult (parent/grandparent) to attend with the youth partner. (Think of it as a trip to service alongside them!)
In addition to this you can attend as an adult without a youth as well.
PRICE
Pricing is $850 per person to GraceWorks and estimated flight is around $1,700 per person.
Trinity Ablaze in Kenya
Vision Clinics
Trinity Klein and other participating churches address both the spiritual needs and physical vision of Kenyans through short term mission trips.
Our mission teams conduct vision clinics while spreading the Word of God to all who attend.
A single team of eight can reach hundreds of people in a single week, giving each visitor clear vision of Jesus Christ’s healing plus providing eye care through onsite services and materials.
You must be 18 years old to take part in this opportunity.
A Passport and Visa/E-Visa will be required.
PRICE
$800 -$1,600 to Trinity Ablaze in Kenya covers all accommodations and transportation. Also covers Breakfast and Dinner. Lunch is TBD by the location that you are stationed.
Air fare is not included.
They do ask that we book the same flights into Nairobi and out of Nairobi. Depending on when you book your flight, it will likely be $1,600-$2,400.
Starfish Kenya
Care and Education for Children
Starfish Kenya currently partners with two organizations in Kenya. Both House of Hope and St. Anna Care Centre are able to provide care and education for children through our financial support and partnership.
Activities and Opportunities for Serving:
Leading a small group of students
Play sports, games, puzzles, etc.
Share your testimony
Give the message (evening devotional or Sunday morning)
Join or assist in leading Praise and Worship
Lead or assist with a Bible Study or Workshop with Adults
Lead a high school workshop
Share skill or talent (dance, music, cooking, art, etc.)
Assist in taking individual and class photos of students for sponsors.
There is not age limit, as long as a parent accompanies them and they are both willing to serve. Youngest that has ever gone was 10.
A Passport and Visa/E-Visa will be required.
PRICE
Projected trip cost is $3,400-$4,000, which will include airfare, lodging, ground transportation, meals in Kenya, travel medical insurance, safari, meeting supplies, etc.
MONTHLY TEAM MEETINGS
Team meets at Gateway Community Church once a month on a Sunday from 12:30-3:30 PM.
There will be a Q&A SESSION on November 25, 2025, at 5:30 PM COMMITS need to be made by January 1, 2026.
The book of Isaiah spans one of the most turbulent periods in Israel’s history. Isaiah prophesied during the 8th century B.C., a time when the once-unified kingdom of Israel had divided into the northern kingdom (Israel) and the southern kingdom (Judah). As Assyria’s power surged across the ancient Near East, the northern kingdom fell to its armies in 722. Meanwhile, Judah watched as the threat of foreign domination grew.
Isaiah’s ministry in the capital of Judah, Jerusalem, spanned the reigns of several kings, including Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (Isa. 1:1). He warned Judah about the consequences of their idolatry, injustice, and misplaced trust in political alliances rather than in the Lord. His early prophecies focus on coming judgment, yet they are also laced with hope, most famously in the promise of Immanuel, “God with us” (Isa. 7:14).
The later chapters of Isaiah reflect a shift in tone and timeline, addressing a people either in exile or anticipating it. By then, Assyria had waned, and Babylon had risen to dominate the region, eventually conquering Jerusalem and carrying many Judeans into exile in 586 B.C. These later chapters speak with extraordinary hope about God’s power to redeem, restore, and bring his people home through this Immanuel, his one and only son, Jesus.
It is Jesus, the incarnation of the living God, who Isaiah promised would come as a child born, a son given (Isa. 9:7). Jesus, the holy seed (Isa. 6:13) from the root of Jesse (Isa. 11:10), who would go to the cross for our sake: “being despised and rejected” and “pierced for our transgressions; crushed for our iniquities” (Isa. 53:3,5). In the midst of exile, Isaiah prophesied only one way home to our God: through the arrival of the God-man, Jesus.
As Pastor Matt Popovits (the author of this series) writes, “What becomes plain [through the book of Isaiah] is this: when Jesus comes, he brings with him a Kingdom. A reign. A Home and haven under God’s care that is very, very good.”
This Advent, we will focus on several passages in Isaiah where the promises of God – fulfilled in either Jesus’ arrival or his second coming – proclaim to us that while we long to find peace, belonging, and comfort this time of year, our ultimate Christmas gift is our citizenship in his kingdom. For He is the Home who has come to win us back from exile, keep us safe in His embrace, and promises that we will someday reside with Him forever.
LifeBridge Community Church 2162 FM 2187 Rd, Sealy, TX 77474
Saturday, January 31, 2026
8:30 AM – 4:00 PM
Meal, snacks & drinks provided
Join us for community building, ASL, fellowship, and outreach
Purpose of Workshop
This workshop helps hearing friends meet and learn with Deaf people. You will learn how to communicate better with Deaf friends.
Most Deaf people in the world (about 98%) do not know Jesus. In Texas, about 345,000 Deaf people have not learned about Him yet. Many Deaf people are hard to find because they mix with hearing people.
You will learn:
Basic ASL signs
Deaf culture and community
Bible stories with acting
This workshop helps our church communicate better with Deaf members and share God’s love with more Deaf people.
We have nice China and silverware. When we were engaged we were told that’s what couples register for so they can entertain properly.
I think we may have used it 2-3 times in our 34 years of marriage.
So [Zacchaeus] hurried down and received Him joyfully.
LUKE 19:6
You may have noticed, we are not China and silver folks. Paper plates and paper towels for “napkins” works just fine, thank you very much!
Our home is small, but warm. It is clean, but not we don’t keep it in a perpetual state of readiness.
We’re just not the “entertaining type” of people.
Not knocking, of course, those who are! I am amazed by those who do – and enjoy it!
It makes me wonder what type of person that “wee little man,” Zacchaeus was.
We know he was a man of means and wealth due to his career. We know that he was despised because of it, too.
But was he an “entertainer”?
Probably? I wonder.
What we do know is that this man wanted to see Jesus and when Jesus invited Himself to his home, Zacchaeus was excited and “received Him gladly!”
Did he worry about the state of his house? Did he wonder what he would serve the Lord? Did he fret about what Jesus would think of him when he welcomed Him into his home?
I don’t think so.
He “received Him joyfully!”
The heart of Zacchaeus was joyful and glad to have the Lord come to him! His heart received Him before his house did. His heart was prepared, whether or not his house was.
Indeed, the Lord wanted Zacchaeus’ heart, not his home; his mind, not his meal; his soul, not his stuff; his strength, not his station.
Jesus wanted salvation for Zacchaeus and when that was accomplished, others were blessed through Zacchaeus as well!
What would we do if Jesus invited Himself into our home; into our lives; into our hearts?
Would we be concerned about all the preparations that need to be made; worry about the state of it all, or would we set those aside and “receive Him joyfully” regardless of how much of a mess everything is. How much of a mess we are?
Here’s a newsflash: Jesus knows the state of your heart. He is fully aware of the mess that is there.
And because of His love for you invites Himself into your mess anyway!
We may be horrified by the thought, rightly disgusted with how bad we are and unprepared for the Holy One to enter; but He wanted to come anyway.
So receive Him joyfully through the power of the Holy Spirit; for when He comes, lives are transformed! Through faith in Jesus, your life is already transformed! You are already saved! You are already able to see all the areas of your life that are wanting and seek ways to correct and improve through Him!
You are forgiven through the Cross! You are saved through faith in Jesus! He wants to come to you in every way – mess and all! Because of Him we can receive Him joyfully – always!
“Thank You, Lord Jesus, for saving us and pursuing us; inviting Yourself into the mess of our hearts and lives. We receive You joyfully and recommit ourselves to a life transformed by You through the Holy Spirit so that our sanctification can also be a blessing to others. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
The need for more blood donations is growing daily. Your blood donation is essential to keep the blood supply strong and steady. Without on-going donors, we cannot ensure people have the blood they need.
We’re asking you to come in and donate! The need is real. The need is now.
The day we remember the importance of Scripture as the only source for knowing God and the Way of salvation in Jesus.
Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.”
John 8:31-32
The foundation for faith. The cradle for comfort. The lamp for living. The Word and the Way.
Ok, I’ll stop.
But it’s important.
Through Scripture we learn about Jesus who sets us free from sin. Free from the Law which condemns. Free from death itself.
All of us were slaves to sin and the Law.
In Jesus we are free and saved.
That’s not just “a big deal,” it’s the only deal that matters!
Jesus is the only Way of freedom and salvation. If we “abide in [His] Word, [we] are truly [His] disciples” (John 8:31) and He sets “us free indeed” (John 8:36).
Believe in Jesus. Follow Him. Trust in Him. Abide in Him. Be free in Him.
A truly reformed life and eternity follows!
“Thank You, Jesus, for setting us free from the law of sin and death. Thank You for that Truth of eternal life and present living. Help us to hold tightly to You in our lives and share You for the lives of others. In Your precious name do we pray. Amen.”