Monthly Check-In

Weekly Services

• Tuesday evening Bible Study at 6:30pm via Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89898894822?pwd=wkSbUyVNkEy2yBn1OCeMuTXAtxECCH.1
• February Bible Study Dates: Feb 3, Feb 17, Feb 24
• Sunday School at 9:00am
• Sunday Worship Service at 10:00am
• Children's Church 2nd & 4th Sunday

February

Feb 1 - Feb 28

• Black History Month
  
• Read a chapter of Matthew per Day during the month of February
• American Heart Health Month

Feb 6

• Heart Health Awareness Day

February 11

• Panel Participant for @thassawoman Podcast, 7:00pm

February 14

• Valentine's Day
  

February 18

• Ash Wednesday/First day of Lent

Upcoming Events

March Bible Study Dates: Mar 3, Mar 10, Mar 24, Mar 31

March 21st Blood Drive at Love Fellowship Christian Church; Pastor: Rev. Darrell C. Thomas

Community Prayer Requests

• Caregivers
• Those recovering from surgery
• Bereaved parts of the Community
• Children/Students and teachers as they prepare to return to school
• The incarcerated
• Mental Health

Endurance is Grace's word for 2026.

WHAT IS ENDURANCE?

ENDURANCE is formerly defined as “the ability or strength to continue…despite fatigue, stress, or other adverse conditions.” It is the capacity to bear up under difficult circumstances. ENDURANCE is the power to withstand pain or hardships. It’s a hopeful fortitude that perseveres to the END.

I read that In the New Testament, ENDURANCE is the Greek word, hupomone; which is a compound word that translates “to remain under” That author went on to write that is is a quality built by remaining under pressure; something we don’t want is to do is remain under pressure. Nope, not antyTHING that makes us challenged, discomfited, plain old uncomfortable. Not gonna happen. Not me.

However; ENDURANCE says, I’m tired BUT I’m not quitting. ENDURANCE says, I’m frustrated BUT I’m faithful. ENDURANCE says, I might be down BUT I’m not out, not tapping out, not down and out, not out of my mind…

ENDURANCE.

HOW ENDURANCE IS DEVELOPED

Endurance is developed in trials. Getting to the other side is the goal but it is how the trail is handled to get you through the trial that increases your endurance.

James 1:2-3 reads:

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow."

Let ENDURANCE grow through…

• Discipline
• FOCUS
• Consistency

Our example is Joseph. He went through several trials that gives us a roadmap to follow.

Trial 1

• Hated by his brothers.
  
• Sold by his brothers into slavery.

Trial 2

• While in slavery, accused of rape by his master wide and thrown into jail.

Trial 3

• Was forgotten about after helping a fellow inmate.

Not once is it recorded in scripture that Joseph, went off, fussed & cussed, got high or drunk, matched the hate-energy with hate-energy, NONE OF THAT…because Joseph was disciplined…he had self control-didn’t give in to temptation…Joseph had FOCUS…there was a bigger picture at play and Joseph trusted God could see what he couldn’t. Joseph was consistent…Joseph was faithful in all his dealings each and every time that he could be depended upon my his master, the warden and even Pharaoh.

ENDURANCE is “the ability or strength to continue…despite fatigue, stress, or other adverse conditions.”

When you lack endurance, you start BUT don’t finish. Your faith becomes seasonal. You have faith when things are going well. Not so much when that trial hits you…When that trial hits you, purpose gets abandoned and temporary feelings override eternal promises…OH MY!

Case in point, our Newsletter - Mid-Week Check-In evolved into the Monthly Check-In.

Each year, I start off great…strong…January, February, and even March…I made past Quitters’ Day. Praise God…then the trial hits…discouragement takes over…not this week, not next week, not even next month…the mission is abandoned and I cut and run.

I let the trial of delay derail my purpose which had an impact on somebody’s eternal promise.

If you have ENDURANCE…HOW DO YOU KEEP IT? CAUSE ENDURANCE HAS GOT TO BE MAINTAINED…

• Stay connected to God err’day
  
• Refuse distractions
  
• RUN YOUR RACE
  
• Remember the witnesses (crowd/cloud of witnesses)
  
• Renee your strength

See ENDURANCE is maintained and sustained by ALIGNMENT, not adrenaline.

IF YOU LOSE ENDURANCE, HOW DO YOU GET IT BACK? GOOD NEWS…If you lose your ENDURANCE, you can get it back…your ENDURANCE can be restored!

• Stop running ALONE - return to God, tap into the resources and/or the people God has given you
  
• Repent and Reset - God’s grace meets you mid-race
  
• Rest Strategically - rest to get replenished, refilled, and renewed
  
• Refocus on your purpose not your pain
  
• Resume your race - don’t restart…RE-ENGAGE

Example - Elijah and the epic show down on Mount Carmel where the false prophets of Baal killed. This was a true and undeniable display of God’s pure power. King Ahab runs to his wife, Jezebel, to tell her what happened. She issued a threat against Elijah’s life…threatened to kill him.

What happened when that trial hit Elijah? Was he was standing on business? Ready to fight using that anointing God has given him? Toeing the line for the kingdom? NOPE…Elijah ran…literally ran away. While he was running, he stopped to rest and God ministered to him, fed him, and RE-ENGAGED Elijah to finish the purpose in him.

Conclusion

Endurance is staying in the race when everything in you wants to quit.
It’s when the load is heavy, the road is long, and the tears are real—yet your feet still move because your faith still lives. Endurance is built in the hard places—in the nights you cried but didn’t curse God...

In the moments you were tired but still trusted Him...

In the seasons where you didn’t see results but stayed faithful.

And hear me: If you don’t have endurance, you’ll stop short of your promise.

You’ll quit on the brink of breakthrough.
You’ll drop out right before God shows up.

But if you keep endurance—you keep praying when it’s quiet, you keep believing when it’s slow, you keep running when nobody’s clapping—

Heaven is watching.
The witnesses are cheering.
God is still faithful.

And if you’ve lost your endurance…If life knocked the wind out of you…If disappointment made you sit down on the track…

Know this: God does not disqualify tired runners.

He restores them.
He strengthens them.
He gives them a second wind.

The race isn’t over because you slowed down.
The race isn’t over because you stumbled.
The race is only over when you stop running—

AND YOU’RE STILL HERE.

So Lift your head.
Fix your focus.
Lay aside the weight.
Shake off the guilt.

And RUN… WITH… ENDURANCE.

Do your best & make good choices,

Pastor Mary Elizabeth Nelson (PMEN)

Black History Month did not begin as a celebration — it began as a correction.

In 1926, historian Dr. Carter G. Woodson, along with the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, established Negro History Week. He chose February to honor the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass — leaders whose lives intersected with the struggle for freedom. Woodson believed a people who knew their history would discover their dignity, purpose, and power.

Over time, the week grew into a movement. Classrooms expanded the lessons, communities embraced the stories, and by 1976 — during the nation’s bicentennial — it officially became Black History Month.

Understand this truth: Black history is more than dates… it is testimony.

It lives in praying grandmothers who kept faith when laws failed them.
It lives in educators who taught excellence with limited resources.
It lives in believers who sang hope when circumstances said despair.

We are not just celebrating achievement — we are honoring endurance.

Because their faith carried us. Their obedience positioned us. Their courage opened doors we now walk through freely.

So this month we don’t only look back — we live forward. We worship with gratitude, serve with purpose, and walk in the confidence that God has always been writing our story.

And Grace family… the same God who sustained them is still sustaining us today.

this month I want to share a book that speaks plain truth with compassion and practical wisdom: Sis, Get Your Purse in Order!

This is not a shame-based financial book. It’s a loving reset — a down-to-earth, tell-it-like-it-is guide for the financially literate woman in training. Whether you already feel confident about your finances or you’re just beginning to face them honestly, there is something in these pages for you.

Janean speaks to real-life financial journeys — the wins, the missteps, the learning curves — and I found myself recognizing seasons I’ve personally walked through. Her stories remove condemnation and replace it with hope. She gently reminds us: you’re not alone, and all is not lost.

Each chapter closes with reflection questions and encouragement that pushes you forward instead of leaving you stuck. This book helps you:

• Build a financial vision that aligns with your values
• Protect your family through wise planning — insurance, wills, and stewardship
• Heal the silence and shame many of us carry around money

Whew… this one will challenge how you think, how you spend, and how you prepare for tomorrow.

As I continue reading, I’m expecting not just more knowledge — but transformation — a healthier relationship with money and growth in financial literacy as good stewards over what God has entrusted to us.

Let’s grow in every area — spiritually, emotionally, and yes… financially too.

One of my favorite quotes: "...if you can't tell your money where to go, it will always run from you and leave you broke."

You can purchase your copy from Barnes & Noble using the link below..

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sis-get-your-purse-in-order-janean-c-armstrong/1148889944?ean=9798218878627

My first love.
My sweetest love.
It was love at first sight.

He loved me and did whatever He could to get my attention.
When I came to myself, I entered the relationship… but I didn’t really understand it.
I thought it was one-sided. I thought He wanted too much from me.

So I walked away.

I searched for love in all the wrong places.
I compromised myself. I allowed myself to be used — all in the name of love.

Yet somehow… I found my way back.

And when I returned, I discovered something:
My first love was patient.
My first love was kind.
My first love didn’t judge my mistakes.
He picked me up, cleaned me up, protected me, and healed me.

What amazed me most was this —
He was always there.
Watching. Waiting. Loving me from afar.

My first love.
My best love.
Keeping no record of my wrongs.

He did not use me.
He did not abuse me.
He loved me… despite me.

Even now, if I stumble today, He will still be there —
because He will never leave me nor forsake me.

That may not be the story of your first love… but it is mine.

God is my first love.

Before I was formed in my mother’s womb, He knew me.
Every failure, every valley, every struggle, every silent battle — He knew it… and loved me anyway.

So we love the 1 Corinthians 13 way because that is how God loves us.

Easy? No.
Possible? Yes.

For with God, all things are possible.

Scripture References:

1 Corinthians 13

1 John 4:19

Grace Christian Church, International is a community ministry nestled in Fayetteville, Georgia; a suburb of Atlanta. No matter our location, we understand that WE ARE THE CHURCH! The ministry seeks to meet the needs of the community through outreach to show the grace of God.

• Tuesday evening Bible Study at 6:30pm via Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89898894822?pwd=wkSbUyVNkEy2yBn1OCeMuTXAtxECCH.1

• Sunday school at 9:00am
• Sunday Worship Service at 10:00am

To make a donation, please mail checks to 284 Highway 314, Suite B, Fayetteville, Georgia 30214. Using Zelle, use our email address grace3pillars@gmail.com. And giving using CashApp find us at $grace3pillars.

Use one or more of the following links to connect with us!

Email: grace3pillars@gmail.com
Website: https://gccifamily.org
Location: 284 Georgia 314 suite b, Fayetteville, GA, USA
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Twitter: @church_inlt