The Lenten season quickly approaches and many Christians and churches tend to shy away from this beautiful season for a variety of reasons. At Storehouse Community Church, we wish to engage this season of the church calendar by asking ourselves a question: how do we, as the church, prepare our hearts for the approach and celebration of Easter? 

Certainly, we are not advocating that the lenten season is the only way to prepare our hearts, but we are saying that it is a wonderful opportunity.

Lent is a remarkable time in the history of the church and is a cultural value in the Rio Grande Valley. Here are a few thoughts on why we observe Ash Wednesday and the Lenten season:

1. Historical
Lenten is not a time or period that is found in the scriptures, but rather has been a historical tradition of the church where we evaluate biblical truths.

2. Confession of Sin and Repentance
Historically, Lent or Ash Wednesday, has been the 40 day period leading up to the celebration of Easter and in this time the church often reflects on our own mortality, the confession of our sins as we repent and turn to Jesus, and our hope of the Gospel. 

3.  Fasting
Unfortunately, many will view this season as a dietary opportunity rather than a time of worship. During Lent, fasting serves as a time to encounter God not necessarily your struggle with chocolate. 

In the 40 days leading up to Easter, the church has used this time to fast from certain foods, activities, and media as a reflection of Jesus' 40 day fast in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). The purpose of fasting isn't dietary, but worship and communion. 

4. Preparation
The Lenten season is a preparation for the grand celebration of Easter where Jesus conquered the grave and defeated Satan, sin, and the grave. It's a triumphant reminder of the return of our Lord, restoration, and that He will make all things new. 

The tradition of the Lenten season stretches back 2000 years and our participation is one of church history and devotion to personal growth and discipleship.

We invite you to join us on Wednesday, March 2nd at 6:00 p.m. at the Old Church Winery (700 N Main St.) for our Ash Wednesday Service; hope to see you there! 

RECOMMENDED READING
• Journey to the Cross by Will Walker;
• Why Bother with Lent? by Chuck Colson (Gospel Coalition);
• Remember Death: The Surprising Path to Living Hope by Matthew McCullough

Connect Sunday is coming!

Connect Sunday is a simple opportunity for you to learn more about the life of our church. On Sunday, February 20th we’re having several tables with leaders available to answer any questions about who we are and what we do. Whether you’ve visited us once or have been around for the past couple of weeks, we’d love a chance to talk with you!

WHAT TO EXPECT

Connect Sunday will take place after service in the atrium at the McAllen Incubator and we’ll have leaders from various ministries broken up into three categories:

Kids Ministry
Kids Ministry is one of our largest ministries at Storehouse McAllen, therefore we would love the opportunity to introduce you to our Kids Director, LC Ruiz. LC will have information available for you to take home explaining the mission of Storehouse Kids, when we gather, our curriculum that we use, and serving opportunities at Storehouse Kids.

Connect
Our Connect table will be led by Tony Garcia who serves as our Ministry Teams Director and is our newest staff team intern at Storehouse McAllen. Here, Tony will provide you with a wide variety of ministries that take place at Storehouse McAllen ranging from our Sunday serving teams to Media to upcoming classes for new guests.

Community Life
Community is the heartbeat of our church and this table will be led by Pastor Marco De Leon along with a few other key leaders who will unpack the life of our church in the context of community groups, student ministry, and upcoming theology classes and workshops for the Spring semester.

Questions?

If you’d like more information or maybe you’ll be out that Sunday, you can always email tony@storehousemcallen and he will gladly connect you accordingly. We’re looking forward to seeing you!

In chapter two of the Apostle Peter’s epistle, God through Peter tells us that we are a “chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him [Jesus] who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” and to “keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:9, 12, emphasis added).

When it comes to the gospel, God in Christ has called the church to a mission of making and maturing disciples. The method of discipleship can vary from church to church, but at Storehouse McAllen we believe that we exist to make disciples of Jesus by declaring and demonstrating the gospel to our city and community.

THE GRACE INITIATIVE

The Grace Initiative is a three week giving campaign where our goal is to raise $1,000.00 for two things:

1. Through our community groups, we wish to bless those in our city, community, and missional partnerships with the gift of grace—demonstrating grace provisionally and declaring the grace of the gospel; that in God’s love and kindness, Christ died for sinners not as a result of their merit or performance, but according to His mercy (Ephesians 2:8-10, Titus 3:4-5).

2. Launch the start of our Mercy Ministries where we provide a variety of services and care toward those in our community and missional partnerships.

Our desire is not only to bless our city and community through the provision of materials and care, but to bless our city and community by making disciples of Jesus, bringing glory and grace to His name. Would you prayerfully consider joining us on mission as we seek the renewal of our city and community for the glory of God’s name?

COMMUNITY GROUPS

Community Groups are families of disciples on mission for the glory of God and through the Grace Initiative, we hope that you’re encouraged and challenged in joining us on mission through our community groups.

The meat of discipleship and care, for su, happens through community and we hope to see you in one of our groups this week! Visit our groups page to learn more.

HOW TO GIVE

You can give toward this campaign (ends March 24th 2019) through one of two ways:

1. Visit our GIVING page where you can select “The Grace Initiative.”

2. On Sunday Mornings, write “GRACE” on our giving envelope and drop in the offering baskets.

The year is coming to a fast close and as we look back at all that God has done, we are continually humbled and filled with joy at simply getting to be a part of the work of the Holy Spirit and a part of our church family!

Whether it’s from the pulpit or throughout the life of our church, we aim at preaching and embracing that who we are determines what we do. And that identity begins with the person and work of Jesus.

We invite you to join us for our Christmas Eve service where we celebrate not simply the birth of a child, but the coming of a savior.

In the Valley, Christmas Eve is a steeped in our traditional value and culture so we want you to invite your friends and family as we make much of Jesus and His priority: to save sinners and reconcile us to God the Father.

Hope to see you on Christmas Eve at the McAllen Incubator (601 N. Main Street).

From time to time, we host a night of worship and this year our theme is “Hymns of our Fathers,” where we invite you to join us in experiencing worship and prayer through hymns and the story and message behind them.

Hymns have a tremendous impact on the history of the church and when we revisit these historical songs of biblical truths, we are immediately connected with the historical church and the saints who previously worshipped God through them.

DETAILS

Night of Worship will be held on the first floor of the McAllen Incubator (old public library) at 601 N. Main Street and will take place from 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. on Friday, November 16th 2018.

Child care for this event is provided, but is limited to infants and toddlers.

For more information on child care or night of worship, please email lc@storehousemcallen.com

One of the most probing questions that people will ask themselves is “what is my purpose?” Men in particular can and will wrestle with this question because when their purpose is finally defined, so is their manhood. Nothing is more dangerous than a man without a purpose.

The Westminster Confession of Faith asks the question:
What is the chief end of man? The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

We invite you to join us for our first annual Men’s Retreat as Storehouse Community Church as we explore Man’s Chief End. This retreat is a wonderful opportunity to grow in the brotherhood, enjoy amazing food together, and worship our King Jesus loudly.

Over the course of a short weekend, we’re going to look at what scripture teaches us on manhood and the glory of God.

Men’s Retreat Details

The retreat is scheduled for Friday, November 30th - Sunday, December 2nd at La Copa Inn Beach Hotel. The cost of the retreat is $75/person. Below is all that the fee covers:

• Registration, Room (4 people to a room**), and meals (Friday and Saturday night dinner);
• Swag (2018 shirt, notebooks, and custom pencils);

**If 4 people to a room isn’t something that works for you, La Copa does have rooms available this weekend, but will at regular price

Men’s Retreat Itinerary

FRIDAY NIGHT
• 6:00 P.M. | CHECK IN (4th floor; receive room cards and swag bags)
• 7:00 P.M. | DINNER
• 8:00 P.M. | WORSHIP, SESSION ONE, AND PRAYER

SATURDAY
7:00 A.M. | BREAKFAST (provided by hotel)
9:30 A.M. | WORSHIP, SESSION TWO, AND PRAYER*
11:00 A.M. | LUNCH (on your own) AND OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES
5:00 P.M. | DINNER (catered)
6:30 P.M. | WORSHIP, SESSION THREE, CLOSING PRAYERS*

*Please note that our venue for SATURDAY has changed to the South Padre Island Convention Center (Room 202)

**Scheduled Activities: Scramble at SPI Golf Club (Laguna Vista) and Fishing Trip (details coming soon). If you’re interested in the golf scramble, be sure to bring your golf clubs!

Registration

Register for the retreat HERE.

Questions? marco@storehousemcallen.com

Ladies! Be sure to join us this Saturday for our Trade Party and Potluck! 

We'll be taking over the first floor at the Incubator

Is this your first trade party? That's great! Here's what you need to know and bring: 
• Items you would resale to SWAP or TRADE
• This includes dishes, shoes, jewelry, dresses, pants/tops; 
• Handbags, accessories, and books; 
• This is also a potluck so bring your favorite dish or dessert to share!

Ann Della Croce will be leading our time on Saturday and you're more than welcome to contact her with any questions (956) 330.8270

You can also email Holly Smith holly@storehousemcallen.com for more information. 

We're looking forward to seeing your lovely faces on Saturday! 

All ladies are welcome, but unfortunately, child care is not provided for this event. 

On Monday, July 16th we're heading over to Weslaco to help many of the families that were affected by the flooding a few weeks ago here in The Valley. 

Several non-profits and church organizations have been on the ground helping move furniture out of houses, rip insulation out of walls to prevent walls from building mold, and helping to distribute everyday house hold items such as water, pillows and blankets, and cleaning supplies.

And while resources have been pouring in and have been generous, organizations are lacking volunteers to help clear houses and distribute supplies. Storehouse Community Church is about the proclamation and practice of the gospel not only to McAllen, but to our Valley. And sometimes practicing the gospel means getting dirty; hope you can join us next week! 

While Monday won't be the only day available for us to serve, it is a wonderful opportunity to come together as a church family. The work and help needed in Weslaco will be a great need for the next several months; stay posted for details on further dates. 

To attend, please visit the following link in order to sign up: Volunteer Sign Up

If you have any questions concerning the kind of needs Weslaco families have, please call Efrain Garcia (956) 492.6834