PAGE 2

GRACE PRESS Pastor ’s Notes

During our short sermon series on being “Intentional Disciples” I have personally enjoyed spend-

ing time in the book of Proverbs. The purpose of the book of Proverbs is stated right from the

start: “These are the wise sayings… Written down so we’ll know how to live well and right… A manual

for living, for learning what’s right and just and fair” (Proverbs 1:1-3, MSG). King Solomon, throughout

Proverbs, provides practical wisdom for everyone – both the “inexperienced” and the “experienced”

(see Proverbs 1:4-6). These Proverbs tell us how life usually works. Generally speaking, people who

are godly, moral and hardworking will reap rewards and blessings, but this is not guaranteed here on

earth. Proverbs are pragmatic and wise advice learned from a lifetime of experience.

The purpose of the book is to enable us “to steer [our] course rightly” (v.5, AMP). As Nicky Gumbel,

pastor of HTC Church in England, says, “Wisdom, which is a gift from God, is the art of steering

through the battles and blessings of life, and living skillfully in whatever conditions we find ourselves.”

That is why asking for wisdom is at the top of my prayer list. Might I suggest that wisdom be at the

top of your prayer list as well.

King Solomon in Proverbs 1:7 says that “wisdom starts with the ‘fear

of the Lord’, which ‘is the beginning of knowledge’. The ‘fear’ of the

Lord can be translated as ‘reverence’. It means to respect and hon-

or the Lord as God. As the Message Bible puts it, the most import-

ant lesson we can learn about life is to ‘start with God’ (v. 7a, MSG).

This is a lesson my father would drive home to both my sister and

I as we were growing up, a lesson I hope I have also passed on to

my own children.

As we enter the summer months remember that life starts with

God, and may we turn to the Lord to help us to learn the art of

steering through the battles and blessings that lie ahead. My prayer

is that the Lord will help us as a church, to grow in wisdom. May the Lord guide and strengthen us

to do what is right and just and fair. May we honor Him today in all that we do and say, as we seek

to be His hands and feet in those places we spend the majority of our time.

God Bless,

Pastor

P.S. Hope to see you at Base Camp June 14th – 16th

PAGE 3

JUNE 2017

We can all be proud of Grace’s outreach programs we title as “Missions” in our budget. And

when I say “we all,” it sure includes our youngsters who, for one thing, filled the fish banks

for the One Great Hour of Sharing.

Talk about pennies and other change turning into dollars. When the last fish banks came in the total

came to $118. So here’s a big HIGH FIVE to them.

The Missions budget is divided into six categories:

• Local - where $15,450 is distributed for our Community Garden, Foothill Oak School,

Soup Kitchen, Operation HOPE, Tri-City Support and InterVarsity Fellowship

• Presbytery Support - where $5,000 goes to Shared Missions and Urban Ministry

• Special Offerings - where (depending on the 4 offerings) we send at least $1,674 for One

Great Hour of Sharing, Pentecost, Peace & Global Witness, and Christmas Joy

• Trips – where this year $3,000 is the start-up fund for the mission trip to Costa Rica

• Worldwide – where $7,000 is distributed among missionaries -Ross & Mary Hunter, Bran-

don Becker, Max & Debi Perez, Tim & Kat Warner, Dr. Sara Romero and others

• And of course, our largest mission project right here in our own neighborhood

• New Church Development – where $79,345 was allocated to the Hispanic Ministry

(some of this comes from the Newby Fund we discussed in April)

Finance Committee Report

PAGE 4

GRACE PRESS Updates from Abby

Creciendo Juntos

It is the time of year when we welcome endings and

transitions. The school year is nearly over, and with that

brings the end of our school year tutoring program,

Creciendo Juntos. This year we

served around 20 students each

week. We have seen tremendous

growth in their confidence, as well as in their reading and math skills. Most

importantly, we have created a safe place for them and have built relation-

ships with these families. That is the most important work we do.

I cannot thank my volunteers enough for all the work they do each week...

this program would not work without them! Everyone who has come to

help these students has made a positive difference in their lives. A special thanks goes out to Karen

Campbell for coordinating the reading program, Jan Simpson

for coordinating the math program, Glenna Spindelman for

assisting with directorial duties, and Amy Marchetti for coordi-

nating our substitutes.

This year we will say goodbye to two of our students, Mariana

and Julian, who will be moving on to middle school. We look

forward to seeing their future successes!

We will enjoy the summer off to rest and recuperate. We also hope our volunteers will join us again

next year as we serve our returning and new students.

Growing in Grace -

This year we studied the story of Paul the Apos-

tle through the Graphic Novel by our friend Mario

DeMatteo. Students learned about how to per-

severe in times of trial, how to follow Christ, and

how to share His message with others. Of course

we also enjoyed many games, songs and delicious

food! Watching our church and community kids

share together is a joy as they learn more about

Christ and His love for them.

Continued on Page 5...

PAGE 5

JUNE 2017

Continued on Page 5...

Updates from Abby cont. . .

Family Base Camp -

BASE CAMP IS ALMOST HERE!

This week is your last chance to

sign up for Family Base Camp!

Please turn your forms in on

Sunday, June 4th or into the office

by Tuesday, June 5th at the latest!

We are excited for this time of

Fun and Fellowship together!

Operation HOPE Vista

Summer Fundraiser

Moonlight Amphitheatre Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Preview Performance

Reserved Lawn Seating Ticket - $15

Premium Package Purchases: (All Include Complimentary Reserved Orchestra Seating) Comfort Package - $48 (Stadium Cushion/Binoculars) Dinner Package - $60 (Dinner on Moonlight Patio) Deluxe Package - $90 (Dinner, Cushion, and Binoculars)

Doors open at 6:30 for Dinner Guests Doors open at 7:00 for Lawn Seating

By Elton John and Tim Rice

Travel with us back to ancient Egypt and a musi-cal story that has it all - forbidden love, family con-flict, royal intrigue, loyalty, villainy, heroism, and a timeless love story.

Tickets Available: Online ~ www.operationhopeshelter.org Telephone ~ 760-536-3880 In Person ~ 859 East Vista Way, Vista

Lawn Seat Tickets are also available at ~ World’s Fare ~ 1223 East Vista Way

(Albertson’s Foothill Center)

Operation HOPE Vista

Summer Fundraiser

Moonlight Amphitheatre Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Preview Performance

Reserved Lawn Seating Ticket - $15

Premium Package Purchases: (All Include Complimentary Reserved Orchestra Seating) Comfort Package - $48 (Stadium Cushion/Binoculars) Dinner Package - $60 (Dinner on Moonlight Patio) Deluxe Package - $90 (Dinner, Cushion, and Binoculars)

Doors open at 6:30 for Dinner Guests Doors open at 7:00 for Lawn Seating

By Elton John and Tim Rice

Travel with us back to ancient Egypt and a musi-cal story that has it all - forbidden love, family con-flict, royal intrigue, loyalty, villainy, heroism, and a timeless love story.

Tickets Available: Online ~ www.operationhopeshelter.org Telephone ~ 760-536-3880 In Person ~ 859 East Vista Way, Vista

Lawn Seat Tickets are also available at ~ World’s Fare ~ 1223 East Vista Way

(Albertson’s Foothill Center)

Operat ion HOPE-Vista

PAGE 6

GRACE PRESS Costa Rica Mission Tr ip 2017

We are very close to the day and time of departure for the mission trip of 2017. It is always a

challenge for everyone to arrive at that day without any worries and with hope that every-

thing we leave behind at home is in order. Therefore, we ask for your prayers so that any concerns

on the part of the participants of the group dissipate.

Being able to enjoy every moment of the trip will help to maintain a good balance between spiritual

and personal. God has control over everything, Isaiah 41:10 says, “Do not be afraid, for I am with you,

do not be dismayed, for I am your God who strives for you: I will always help you, I will always up-

hold you with the right hand of my righteousness.” In these final days before leaving to the mission

that God entrusted us in Costa Rica, we want to have the confidence that God will always be with us

in everything we are going to do.

Being able to count on the prayers of all during the days of June 28 until July 10 will be a blessing.

During the church services leading up to our departure we will be handing out pictures of the com-

plete team, as well as individuals, to use as prayer cards. Please take a picture and pray for us while

we are away! We believe that prayer has power and with that coverage we can go and return from

Costa Rica bringing the fruits of a good job. Thanks to God and to all who have helped make this trip

a reality.

Blessings,

Rev. Eliecer Barrantes

PAGE 7

JUNE 2017Grandparents@PrayerGeneration G: Leaving a Spiritual Legacy

(or Hot Topics on the Grandparenting Level)

-by Pat Whisler

So do you ‘tweet’ on Twitter yet? Use Instagram? Do you know what

Skype is and that it’s free!! Have you ever used a webcam? Are you a

‘friend’ on someone’s Facebook page? Or do you have your own page? (Way to

go, grandma or pa if you do.) Can you send text messages on your cell phone?

(You do have one, right???) And then there’s email done via the internet. (Some

now consider this ‘old school.’ Most all of these ‘ways to communicate’ have

come about since our parents became grandparents. Then there is snail mail (US Postal Service) that has been

around since the Pony Express days. The telephone hasn’t been around quite that long. We have no excuse for not

being in contact with our grands. There are so many ways to communicate these days. If you are unfamiliar with the

first few that are mentioned above, it’s important, as a grandparent, to learn about them. (Not all necessarily.) Why?

Because more and more it’s becoming a huge part of our grands world and we need to make sure we are part of

it and that our Christian influence also appears in their ‘tech world’. Want to learn how? Just ask your grandchild.

God’s Word:

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven. - Ecclesiastes 3:1

This month’s GP Hot Topic: E N T E R T H E I R W O R L D

"It 's one of the best uses of technology a grandmother could ask for. I l ive more

than 600 miles away from her [granddaughter], but since [5 year old ] Cate learned

to text, I get dai ly updates about her l ife. Recently, Cate discovered she could add

emoticons [symbols] to her messages.. . [Cate's message said] 'I you gramma.' I

scramble to find my phone's instruction book so I can reply, 'I you too Cate. ' "

-TXT'g w/5-yr-old by Suzanne Tingley from Grand Magazine.

" [Laura Lee Heinsohn] The Portland, Oregon grandmother of eight . . . cal ls Facebook "fabulous" and says,

"It has opened up a whole new world for me, beng a snoop without being seen and appearing obnoxious"

(Even Heinsohn's 73 year old mother is on Facebook, although for the moment she's just observing.)

-Face-to-Facebook by Norene Kel ly from Grand Magazine.

Taking Action: *Send emails back and forth often. *Create your secret codes and symbols to help you illustrate messages.

*Coordinate a time when you will both have access to instant messaging. *Locate appropriate coloring pages and send them

to your grandchildren to color for you and return. Makes great fridge art! *Use an internet crossword puzzle program to make

personalized crossword puzzles for your grandchildren. Use memories, favorite activities and information about family mem-

bers as clues. *Play internet games together. *Mail a CD to your grandchild containing a video slide show you have created.

*If your computers have sound cards, send sounds back and forth. Nothing cheers grandparents like hearing the voice of their

grandchild. -taken from A Car Seat in my Convertible?, by Sharon Hoffman

Immediate Action: “If you keep saying things like ‘I haven’t talked to the grandkids in a long time’ or ‘I know I ought to write

to them more often’ start here. Right now you could lay down this newsletter and go write that letter or email or make that

phone call. Or go visit via Skype. Not tomorrow. Not this week. Not soon. Now!” -The Power of a Godly Grandparent by Stephen

and Janet Bly

A thought: “What’s so simple even a small child can manipulate it? Why, a grandmother, of course.” —Grandmothers are like Snowflakes (a collection of wisdom, advice and hilarious observations) by Janet Lanese

Join our Grandparents@Prayer meeting on June 25 in room 10 a half hour before the traditional service begins.

PAGE 8

GRACE PRESS Missions: Chaplain Richard Phi l l ipsChaplain Richard Phillips May 10, 2017

4890 Pointillist Ct, Oceanside, CA 92057 ishepherd2@sbcglobal.net (760) 631-7764

Psalm 95:1-2 Oh come, let us sing to the Lord, let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our

salvation. Let us come into His presence with thanksgiving…”

To Donate

HCMA (acct# 479) 101 S Kraemer Blvd Suite 123A Placentia, CA 92870 www.hcmachaplains.org

Prayer & Praise

Scripture

PHILLIPS Healthcare Chaplains Ministry Association

What has been the most difficult time in your life? Of course the answer could be different for everyone. I encountered an elderly man in a wheel chair who appeared very discouraged and told me he was having the most difficult time in his life. At first I thought the cause of his despair was his declining health that was making his life very hard, or maybe the reality of his mortality at such an advanced age. He told me the cause was that his wife had died just a few years ago and it had become very hard on him to deal with the loss. They had been married well over sixty years. He had his Bible with him and under the front cover was a printed program from his wife’s memorial service. There was a picture of his wife on the program that no doubt was from a time when she was much younger. She was a beautiful woman, and I remarked that she not only looked stunning outwardly but I could see in her eyes and smile a radiant glow of the Lord. He quickly told me how much she loved God in Christ and lived to serve Him. As I read the contents of the program for her memorial, the first Hymn by Charles Wesley was, “And Can it Be!” This was my favorite Hymn from seminary days so I spontaneously started to sing it out loud. He quickly joined with me, “How can it be that I should gain an interest in the Savior’s love.” Then I saw the old chorus, “Something Beautiful” by Bill and Gloria Gaither. When I started to sing he quickly sang along. “Something beautiful, something good, all of my confusion He understood. All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife, but he made something beautiful of my life.” The chorus touched his heart to recount the blessings God had brought through his many years of life including several wonderful children and their mates who were all Christian. We conversed together about how important it is to give thanks to God for His rich blessings and for long happy marriages. I encouraged Him with the verse, “the joy of the Lord is my strength.” We held hands to pray and asked God to strengthen and encourage him, and to give him improved health. Prayers of thanksgiving were spoken for God’s many blessings including the tremendous confidence we have in the promise of the resurrection and eternal life with God because of Jesus’ death on the cross in our place, and His bodily resurrection. After giving him a scripture card of hope in the Lord, I sang the scripture chorus: “The Joy of the Lord is my strength.” He then smiled warmly and expressed gratitude for the chaplain visit.

“Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and song, and He has become my Salvation.” Isaiah 12:2 NASB

*Praise for impactful ministry to Drs, nurses and medical staff.

*Praise for the Chinese Bible Church’s 30th Anniversary celebration. God’s amazing grace.

*Praise for 13 yrs as a chaplain.

*Prayer needed for God’s wisdom,grace, protection from disease and healing power for patients.

PAGE 9

JUNE 2017Missions: Dr. Sara Romero

I´m a pediatrician and I love kids, so my dream has always been

to serve God working with children and women who need to be

loved and restored.

Every morning we pray that God would give us discernment to

know our patients´ needs, whether they are physical or spiritual.

One day, we called a woman into the exam room to be seen

and her husband wanted to come with her. I always support that

because I love when spouses take interest in the health of their

spouse. So a man of medium stature and build entered the room

with some reservation, and his wife, the patient, entered next

wearing sunglasses with her head down. Right away, God put on

my heart that the problem was not a physical sickness. I asked the woman what her complaint was and she

told me that she hasn´t been able to sleep for two months and the

medication she was given was not helping her.

So I asked her, What happened two months ago?

She said, A problem that affected me a lot.

She didn’t want to give me more details. So I started to talk to her about

the verses in Matthew 6 and 18 about the need to forgive, because God

is clear in his word…if we don´t forgive others, God will not forgive us

and we will be attacked by the enemy with God´s permission. When

we don´t forgive we hurt ourselves, because the bitterness, resent-

ment, hate, and the desire for revenge doesn´t allow us to be happy

and enjoy the blessings that God has for us.

So I asked the woman, Do you want us to pray right now in this moment to forgive the person who offended

you?

She agreed, and we started to pray. I told her to say out loud in our prayer the name of the person and what

they did to her so she could forgive this person. She started to cry and said that she wanted to forgive her

husband for having an affair with another woman. Immediately after, her husband asked for her forgiveness.

Afterwords, I thought to myself, Wow…the husband looks so much more relaxed! He instantly asked for for-

giveness and she said she forgave him, but I still saw a lot of pain in the wife for she had cried for a long time.

So I thought to myself, this is going to be a long process…

I want to share some good news with you! I have been praying for a long time that God would allow me to

sell my current car and upgrade to one that is bigger and more suited for the uneven roads and countless

speed bumps that that I have to traverse as part of my daily work. The good news is that I sold my old car.

Praise God! However, right now I have not been able to purchase another car because I do not have the

money. I only need $3000.00 to be able to purchase a reliable vehicle. Would you please consider donating

towards this goal of mine? I would love to be able to purchase a car before June, because that is when our

busy season of outreach teams starts. Please prayerfully consider donating, and use this link, https://stint.

com/donate/donation/?id=s81962Website to give whatever God allows you to give. Every little bit helps!

Thank you so much for being a part of my team! I could not work in this capacity without your prayerful and

financial support. God bless you!

PAGE 10

GRACE PRESS

1 2 3

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30

12pm Telecare2pm ASP Tutoring5:30pm Growing in Grace Dinner & Bible Club

If you have a birthday or anniversary in June

and your name does not appear above, please

contact the church office at 760-724-0077 to

update our records. Thank you!

10:30am PWC Luncheon5:30pm Telecare7pm Deacons

6am Spanish Men’s Breakfast 8am English Men’s Breakfast

SUN MON TUE WED THUR FRI SAT

10am E & L

6:30pm Trad. Visionary Team

9am PWC Coord. 10am E & L6:30pm Session

WEEKLY SCHEDULE

S U N D A Y S

9 & 10:30am: Worship Services

9 & 10:30am: Adult Studies

10:30am: Spanish Service

10:30am: Children’s Sunday

School

M O N D A Y S

7pm: AA meeting

T U E S D A Y S

5:15pm: Soup Kitchen

7pm: Men’s Bible Study

W E D N E S D A Y S

9:30am: Staff Meeting

1pm: Knitting Ladies

T H U R S D A Y S

10am: Bible Study

6pm: Hand Bell Choir

6:30pm: Spanish Bible Study

7:30pm: Choir Rehearsal

FRIDAYS

10am E & L

6:30pm Spanish Leader Mtg.

8am PEO

5:15pm Base

Camp

9:30am PEO

12:30pm Finance

Committee

5:15pm Base

Camp

11:30am Comm. Fellowship

1pm Costa Rica Team

2 Judy Ambrose

Audrey Baker

3 Emily Enger

Tom Lightner

9 Barbie Nicholson

10 Mike Cooley

Felipe Huguet

Anna Weintre

12 Thomas Lawhead

Suzy Long

Elsie Van Den Vrijhoef

13 Rosalba Jaynes

14 Jan Simpson

Angel Solano

Arcilia Tauber

16 Jessica Romero

17 Tom Harris

20 Will Bynagte

Sara Ramirez

Bill Sinatra

22 Judy Woolsey

28 Larry Sullivan

29 Ken Dickson

Amy Marchetti

10 Patrick & Sonia Ryan (28 years)

15 Ron & Alice Nolf (49 years)

22 Bill & Carolyn Greenway (61 years)

29 Tom & Carol Lightner (56 years)

8:30am Grandpar-ents@Prayer

11:30am Comm. Fellowship

9am Base Camp Reg.

5:15pm Base

Camp

Costa Rica Mission Trip: June 28-July 10

1pm Costa Rica Team

PAGE 11

JUNE 2017

Alice Nolf

Andrea Stamm

Betty Haver

Black Family

Bob Wilson

Carol Lewis

Cathy Medlyn

Colbie Kelley

Charlotte Damon

Debbie Barrie

Denise Stockman

Dickson Family

Dodie Bumgardner

Dorothy Willy

Ed Neuman

Edna Murray

Elizabeth Johnson

Erin Eldridge

Fanny Aliaga

Grigorii Kirillov

Letty Calhoun

Marilyn Lee

Maxine Fox

Nancy Tiburski

Neil Kirkland

Pauline Whiting

Phil Damon

Rich Yates

Rita Sinatra

Shane Ogard

Shirley Robertson

Taryn Johnson

Terry-Jeanne Sawyer

Yvonne Jones

OVERSEAS

Bob Hernandez, Australia

PLEASE PRAY FOR:

Punch/Coffee Flowers

June 4 Deacons Judy Black

June 11 Deacons Michael Cooley

June 18 Deacons Tom Harris

June 25 Deacons Tom & Carol Lightner

Punch/Coffee Service and Flowers for May

Pentecost Special Offer ing

On June 4th, we will be collecting the Special Offering for Pentecost. This

offering helps our youth begin life with a strong start - a solid foundation of

faith formed in childhood through young adulthood. 40% of this special offering

remains here to support ministries with children and youth at Grace and in our

local community. For more information visit specialofferings.pcusa.org/pentecost.

Church Staff

G R A C E P R E S B Y T E R I A NC H U R C H

1450 E. Vista WayVista, CA 92084

Phone: 760-724-0077

Fax: 760-724-2534

E-mail: info@gpcvista.org

www.gpcvista.org

Address Service Requested

W H E R E G O D ’ S F A M I L Y G R O W S

GRACEPRESBYTERIAN

NEIGHBORHOOD CHURCH

facebook.com/GPCVista

Pastor/Head of Staff Rev. Tom Straeter

Associate Pastor of Hispanic Ministries Rev. Eliecer Barrantes

Bridge Ministries Director Felipe Huguet

Children’s Ministries Director Abby Barrantes

Office Administrator Christie Elliott

Secretary/Receptionist Balinda Dickson

Bookkeeper Albina Lumetta

Chancel Choir Director Jayne Parker

Organist Frances Hummel

Hand Bell Choir Director Pat Sexton

Facilities Jim Aliaga

GRACE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IS A CONFESSING CHURCH, and we believe:

That Jesus Christ alone is Lord of all and the way of salvation.

That Holy Scripture is the triune God’s revealed Word,

the Church’s only infallible rule of faith and life.

That God’s people are called to holiness in all aspects of life.