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By Dr. Jeff Webb “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” — Acts 2:42 The story of the Church is not the story of an institution, but of a living Body breathing the Spirit of Christ into the world. From its first day in Jerusalem to its quiet witness in every faithful congregation today, the Church’s ministry has always been broad, dynamic, and deeply relational. It stretches from the pulpit to the pantry, from the worshiper’s heart to the missionary’s feet. The local church — every congregation gathered under Christ’s name — is not a religious club or a spiritual vending machine. It is God’s chosen instrument to display His glory and accomplish His work on earth. When we read the opening chapters of Acts, we see not a narrow list of duties, but a vibrant portrait of ministry in full color. The first believers didn’t compartmentalize their faith; they lived it. They worshiped together, learned together, shared possessions, served the poor, and bore witness to Christ in word and deed. In Acts 2:42–47, Luke paints the Church’s blueprint: worship, discipleship, fellowship, service, and evangelism — five streams flowing from one source, the risen Lord. 1. Worship: The Heartbeat of Ministry Before the Church did anything, she worshiped. The disciples began their ministry by waiting — not working — in obedience to Jesus’ command (Acts 1:4). Worship isn’t what we do before ministry; it is ministry. Every prayer, every song, every moment of surrender before God is both the fuel and the fruit of the Spirit’s presence.
TO READ MORE CLICK HERE | | Operation Christmas Child | | |
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Thank you to all who helped to pack the Operation Christmas Child boxes. We are waiting on a few boxes, yet. Stay tuned to learn the total number of boxes packed! If you were not able to come to the packing party but still want to help please consider helping pay for the evangelism materials and postage. This is $10 per box. Checks go to GBC, please. Memo line "O.C.C." Thanks for your help. Janet Wehnes | | Thanksgiving Feast and Thanksgiving Offering | | | | | 🥧🍗 Get ready for our BIG Thanksgiving Feast! 🍂🦃
Everyone is invited — bring the whole family and join us on Sunday, November 23, right after the morning service in the fellowship hall! We’re filling the tables with all the classic favorites, and sign-ups are now in the foyer! We still need three more turkeys (ham spots are already taken!) plus a few other traditional dishes. ✅ If you sign up for a traditional dish, please also bring one extra dish — unless you're bringing turkey or ham, then you're off the hook!
✅ If you're not bringing a traditional dish, plan to bring two dishes of your choice that can serve at least 12 people. Think salads, veggies, deviled eggs, desserts, casseroles — whatever says “Thanksgiving!” to you! 🥖 Rolls, plates, cups, and utensils are all provided — just bring the food and the fun!
We also need kitchen help during Sunday School, and the service. To help, add your name to the sheet in the foyer or SIGN UP TO HELP IN THE KITCHEN HERE and Lisa C. can add your name to the sheet in the foyer. Questions? See Kay Lockard.
Let’s pack the room with gratitude, great food, and good company! 🧡🍁
This year’s Thanksgiving Offering will go toward the Washington Ministerial Association. It is from this fund that we help the community. There are giving envelopes in the foyer or you may write “Thanksgiving Offering” on the memo line of your check. | | | | | |
November Mission,
For the month of November, GBC will be caring for Stephanie and her parents Larry and Sherry. Stephanie's parents have been struggling with their health for some time now and Stephanie is their caregiver. When we met up, they had a chance to share their story and what they have been going through lately. In our conversation, it was encouraging to hear that Stephanie and her parents have accepted Jesus.
Stephanie expressed that they currently share one car that is in need of mechanical repair. Due to the potential cost of diagnosis and repair, they have been unable to take the vehicle in for evaluation and may be in need of a replacement vehicle.
As a result of recent health challenges, everyday bills such as groceries and gas, have put a burden on them financially.
Some items that would be a blessing to them would be: Scooter Lift chair Visa gift card (bills) Kroger gift card Walmart gift card Gift cards to Culver's, Cracker Barrel, or Dairy Queen
Would love prayer for: Their health Finances Larry's knees are causing him to have difficulty walking
Personal cards of encouragement to Stephanie and her parents, Larry and Sherry would be greatly appreciated.
We look forward to seeing how the Lord will be moving us to bless them this month.
Love in Christ, Mission 3G Team | | | | | |
Children's Ministry Leadership Team has been notified that our background checks should have included state-mandated training. We kindly request that anyone who underwent a background check in 2024 or 2025 complete this training and provide the church with a completion certificate. (If you completed this process in 2024 or 2025, you will be receiving an email in the next week.) , which includes videos and questions with short tests. Please register, take the training at your leisure (, and print it out and give it, or email the certificate to Maureen Isenberg. If you need any assistance with this process or have questions, feel free to contact Lynnette Goebel, Jenny Lehman, or Maureen Isenberg. Thank you for being so cooperative with this training.The Children's Ministry Leadership Team (Rebekah Clark, Lynnette Goebel & Maureen Isenberg) We have included this link to the free 60-minute training. PLEASE complete this by this Saturday, November 15, 2025)
https://mr.dcfstraining.org/Home.action
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One of the great joys, being a child of God, is we get to manage his money. Whether you are tithing or offering, Grace Bible Church online giving is now available multiple ways. - Through the Church website under the "GIVE" TAB (drop down menu) on the HOME page.
- By simply CLICKING HERE and then choosing the fund you would l like to give to.
- By activating the GBC QR code (below) by using your camera.
As always, you can give cash or check by placing it into the offering plates in the back of the sanctuary; or, by mailing it to: Grace Bible Church Attn: Treasurer, 1109 S. Main Street, Washington, IL. 61571. | | | | A Webb Family Thanksgiving with YOU | | | | | Anyone who would like to join the Webb's for a thanksgiving potluck is welcome. The Webb's will be hosting at their home 604 Eilers Ct. Washington, IL 61571 on Thanksgiving Day, November 27, from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. If you are interested please SIGN UP HERE or in the church foyer on Sunday. If you sign up online Lisa will transfer your name to the sign up in the foyer so we keep an accurate list. | | | | | | Part 3 of “What Happened in the Beginning?” is tonight November 12 — we’ll dive even deeper into the incredible story of creation from Genesis 1 to discover why God gave birds wings and how He made the first man and woman. If you have (or know) children in Pre-K through 5th grade, we’d love for you to bring them or invite their parents to check out Kids Quest. They’ll hear the Good News and have an unforgettable, totally awesome time!
To RSVP for your children (and their friends),CLICK HERE.Kids Quest is for kids from Pre-K to 5th Grade and meets once a month on the second Wednesday through April 2026. We’d love for you to be part of it! If you’d like to join the fun and help make a difference in kids’ lives, SIGN UP HERE or chat with Maureen Isenberg. A Ministry to Children class and a background check are required to work with children at GBC.
Through engaging Bible teaching, building strong friendships, and sharing the good news of Jesus, Kids Quest helps kids grow in faith and love for God. Let’s also be praying together—that each child who comes will see God’s goodness and experience His love in a personal way. | | | | | | This month's Leadership Development Forum is Thursday, November 20, at 6:30 PM in the Timothy Room. Paper's are due by Sunday, November 16. Be prepared to share your teaching outline with each other from "The History of the Church: In Plain Language," by Bruce Shelley. | | | |
We Still Need a Cast ! ! ! Calling all willing Bodies, Youth, Young adults, middle-aged, and Unspoken age. . . We still need a Cast for the Christmas Play. We have 8 willing people out of the minimum 12 needed. All but two of these Parts will be pre-recorded, reducing stage fright and the need for line memorization. Even the two remaining parts can be done with little memorization.
The recording would be done in the evening and on weekends at a time when the actors can meet. If you are interested, please send an Email to me JClark@gbcwa.org so we can get this started and I can send you a script.
You can find other churches' production on youtube of "Nazareth Evening News". But It would be fun to do this as a Congregation.
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Week 6:
Freedom from the Law Romans 7:1-25
Key Doctrines: law and grace, internal struggle, flesh and spirit
Christianity 102 takes us deeper into our faith and doctrine. Using the Apostle Paul and his Letter to the Romans, we are delving into topics that you might have always wondered about, but were timid to ask about. Don't miss this chance to hear from the Apostle Paul at his BEST!
There are Twelve Sessions and you can see a list of them HERE . All the sessions are highly regarded, but please feel free to pop in any time. | | | | | | | | | |
"100 Bible Verses Everyone Should Know By Heart" by Robert Morgan is a powerful book to help you meditate on the Bible. And a dear member of the Church has made these books available to each family free of charge. Pick yours up this Sunday! | | | | | | | | | |
We voted to help purchase a piano for GBC Missionaries, the Bagley's, at the last congregational meeting, September 14, 2025. Below is an update via Randi King, who is a member of the GBC Missions Board, on how that is going!
Hello Randi,
We wanted to write and let you know that with the funds the church sent we were able to get a brand new Yamaha Clavinova digital piano! The piano was discounted $1000 because it was white (which we love). We took a picture of it and wanted to send it to you. It came just in time to be used for our one-year anniversary celebration church service this coming Sunday. Laura loves playing it and it will be such a tremendous blessing to our worship service and our music ministry. We will be sending around a thank-you card this Sunday to our congregation and then we'll send that off to the church so the folks at GBC can know how much this means to all of us. With the funds that were sent to us, we only had to add $300 and God blessed us with a brand new piano that will serve us for years to come. God is good. Thanks again for the way you've invested in your missionaries. We are grateful.
Your Fellow-workers,
Bill and Laura Bagley | | QUIET ACTIONS OF FAITH IMPACT THE WORLD AROUND US | | |
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Join us each week as Eric leads us in a time of prayer and worship.
We gather every Tuesday at 7:00 PM in the Timothy classroom.
If you haven't been a part of our time together, perhaps the Lord will make a way for you next week. Remember, prayer is the foundation, the backbone, and the mark of a spiritually healthy church and Christian. Come with open hearts and a spirit of expectation—all are welcome. | |
How would you like to read scripture for the congregation on Sunday morning? It is a small service with great empowerment by the Holy Spirit. Hebrews 4:12 says," For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword."The reader is supplied with the scripture in ESV. Please let Pastor Jeff Webb or Lisa Collins know if you are interested, or CLICK HERE to sign your name and suggest a few dates you are currently available. | | | | | | | |
The GBC elders are asking you to join them in praying for our pastor. Pastor Jeff sends out a brief summary of his day's prayer needs throughout the week. If you are willing to commit to praying for him, email Lisa at gbc@wordsofgrace.org and let her know to put you on the email list. Thank you in advance for your sacrifice. | | | | | | | |
The holiday season can be one of the most difficult times of the year for those who are grieving the loss of a relationship or a loved one. Tonight, Wednesday, November 12, from 6:00–8:30 PM, Grace Bible Church will be hosting “Surviving the Holidays”—a special evening designed to encourage and equip individuals who are walking through the pain and challenges of divorce. Whether you’ve already completed our DivorceCare class or you’re currently experiencing separation or divorce, this session will offer practical tools, spiritual support, and a caring environment to help you navigate the holidays with hope and healing. A light meal will be served at 6:00 PM before this two-hour session begins. Sign up by CLICKING HERE. In addition, we’re also planning a separate “Surviving the Holidays” event specifically for those who have lost a loved one. This will be held on Wednesday, December 17, from 6:00–8:30 PM. This evening will provide comfort, understanding, and guidance for coping with grief during the holiday season, as well as a safe place to connect with others who understand what you’re going through. A light meal will be served at 6:00 PM for this session as well. Sign up by CLICKING HERE. Both evenings are open to anyone in our community who may benefit, and we warmly invite you to join us. Our heart is to come alongside you, offering encouragement and practical help so that you can experience peace, hope, and even moments of joy during the holiday season. | | | | | | | |
Our mailing address is: Grace Bible Church 1109 S Main St Washington, IL 61571-2506
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