Pursuing happiness takes work. It’s tough to find and even harder to hold. Ever want more than that for your life? God does. He wants us to be blessed. Discover what the Bible says about living The Blessed Life.

Starting Dec. 13, 2009 at 10:30 am. Tiara Oriental Hotel (please see map below)

View Grace Place in a larger map

A life well lived. Sounds good, right? But how do we achieve that when we get conflicting advice everywhere we turn? It doesn’t have to be so complicated. In fact, we already have a blueprint for our private and public lives. Come see what we can learn from being a Carbon Copy.

Location: Tiara Oriental Hotel Malugay Str., Makati City
Sundays, 10:30 am.

View Grace Place (Metro Manila) in a larger map

The afterlife is cloaked in mystery. What happens moments after we die? What is Heaven really like? What about Hell? And does what we do in this world really matter in the next? Join us as we uncover the life-altering answers to these questions in So You’re Dead…Now What?

Now 2 experiences: SUNDAYS at 10:45 am and WEDNESDAYS at 7:30 pm.

So you’re dead… now what?

Nov 1/4 – Death
Nov 8/11 – Hell
Nov 15/18 -Heaven
Nov 22/25 – FAQ – Q&A

Location: Tiara Oriental Hotel Malugay Str., Makati City

View Grace Place (Metro Manila) in a larger map

1. What if the church is just like a social club? As long as you pay your yearly or monthly dues, as long as you can keep up with other members of the club, as long as you can have some funny stories to tell after the meeting, you’re all good. They won’t care about what you do after each “sosyalan” meetings. The moment you ride your car home, you’re all alone. They won’t bother what you do after you leave the hall. Just call them if you need connections later on — you’ve got to do that, because they will do that to you, too. Gamitan lang ang laban sa mga social club.

2. What if the church is like a barkadahan, a clique? Your friends are with you when everything is cool. If things get rough, they leave. Some, of course, will stay with you. True friends are such. But they don’t care about your future, they care about the fun of the present. This is where you will hear them say, “Pare, kung saan ka masaya, susuportahan ka namin“. That sounds comforting. But in reality, they may well be driving you off the cliff. But they don’t care. Anyway, if driving off the cliff is where you’re happy at, they’ll support you. That’s what friends are for, right?

3. What if the church is a fraternity? You do something good — or hard — to enter the exclusive group. So once you’re in, you’re in. And you’re a brother. They will support you whatever you do. Good, bad. Everything, just do it. Not only that they are supporting you, they will even go with you. So whether it’s community service or a plot to kill a member of another fraternity, they will join you. That’s their definition of brotherhood.

* * *

Case in point: if say, for the sake of illustration, I have a church-mate whom I love so much, and I know that he’s heading to the cliff — that what he’s doing will hurt him, his love ones, other people’s love ones, how should I treat him? Should I treat him like a social club member? “Oh, well, I don’t care what you do after you leave the Sunday service. You’re giving your offerings, and we need you as a member. You help the organization. So, do whatever you want to do”.

Or a barkada? “Brad, kung saan ka masaya, susuportahan kita. Yan ang gusto mo eh. Basta nandito lang kami sa tabi mo pag kailangan mo kami“.

Or a frat member? “Brad, sige, gawin mo. Gusto mo samahan ka pa namin eh. Wag mo isipin kung sino masasaktan mo. Basta pag trip mo, gawin mo!“

Is a church a social club, a clique, or a fraternity? Or neither.

* * *

Two words that describe what should happen in a church: grace and intollerance.

We are called to love anyone — warts and all. We should accept everyone who needs love, patience and mercy. In the first place, a church is a hospital field with wounded individuals. It should not become a social club of holier-than-thou religious pharisees. If anyone sins, let the church show grace and mercy and love.

BUT…

The church should also show intolerance to known sins. God hates sin. He is angry at sin. In fact, sin is the reason why Jesus died on the cross. If God is intolerant to sin, the church, as a God-honoring institution, should act the same way.

While we love every sinner, we should not tolerate sins. In fact, we should rebuke all forms of sins.

Unfortunately, along the way, correcting an individual will lead into hoops:

* The “you don’t have the right” hoop. This is where a church is different from a social club or a clique. When one decides to be part of a local church, they become his spiritual partners. And as partners, it is their right to help you go through your spiritual issues. It is their right to guide you. To correct you. To show you how Jesus can help you overcome your sin. You too, have the right: and that is the right to refuse. On the other hand, your refusal to be under correction can lead the church to act and provide disciplinary actions.

* The “why would a sinner like you correct me?” hoop . This is very common. I was asked one time. How should you respond whenever someone who is being rebuked would say “You yourself have committed mistakes like this, how can you afford to rebuke me?” Here’s a fact: nobody is blameless. Nobody is sinless. Nobody is perfect. But that doesn’t mean everyone is disqualified to lovingly correct another member of the church because he himself is a sinner. If the rebuke is based on the Word of God, everyone, whatever past he has, if done with the purpose other than to humiliate the person, can correct anyone who has been outwardly sinning.

* The “don’t judge me” hoop. “Don’t judge so you won’t be judged” has been used out of context over and over again. It’s a whole new topic, but to explain in short, everyone can pass judgment if he thinks the judgment is based on the Bible. If the Bible is clear, then go ahead and declare it in front of the sinning individual.

* * *

A church is a family. It’s the type of family that never ends. It’s the only relationship that will exist throughout eternity. It is very important for us to realize that being in a church family is a gift and a responsibility. We’re not a social club where you won’t care about your fellow member’s sinful acts. We’re not a clique where you will not care and say nothing about your friend’s sins just because he is “happy” for what he is doing, when you know that it will lead him to death. Neither it is like a fraternity that will even tolerate the sin!

A church will say something, do something, and stop something — because of love. Sometimes, correction will hurt. Sometimes, it will try to destroy so it can rebuild. The Bible says, “Better is open rebuke than hidden love” (Prov. 27:5) If the church rebukes a sinner, it is because of love. It is because she desires restoration. The goal is to bring back that lost relationship with God broken by the bonds of sin. If reconcillation is the heart of God, this should be the heart of the church. And if restoration means pain and suffering, it will be done just so a better, more vibrant relationship with God can be restored.

Help us spread the word. Promote our website through Facebook, Multiply, Twitter and other social networking sites.

1. CELEBRATION SUNDAY happens every Sunday at 10:45 am. This experience features an intimate and relaxing acoustic praise and worship. If you find Sundays to be your day to connect and fellowship with friends and engage your family and your children to an inspiring worship of God, this experience is for you.

2. MIDWEEK EXPERIENCE happens every Wednesday night at 7:30 pm. Coffee, biscuits, live rock band – just a few of what will greet you when you attend this energetic evening experience. If you work within Makati Business District, this after-office-hours event is best for you, your office mates and friends.

Both experiences comprised of the two primary elements: powerful worship and a life-changing message. We think going to church should be fun!  We want you to enjoy yourself when you’re here.  That means:

- Dress casually and comfortably (jeans, shorts, t-shirts – whatever works for you is fine for us)

- Free food – that’s right, FREE munchkins and a hot cup of coffee!

- Great, live music (guitars, drums – the works)

- Teaching that is practical and relevant to your urban life

- A service that won’t last more than 90 minutes (hey, we all have things to do!)

What about my children?

GraceKIDS, the children’s experience at Grace Place, is designed uniquely for ages birth through fifth grade. While in GraceKIDS, your child will experience engaging age-appropriate teaching, music and activities all developed to point your child toward a daily relationship with Christ. GraceKIDS experiences are staffed by dedicated volunteers who will be there week after week to care for and love on your child. GraceKIDS utilizes a state of the art check-in system that ensures a safe environment for your child and also allows for efficient drop-off and pick-up for parents. All the GraceKIDS staff and volunteers are dedicated to fulfilling our mission, which is: “partnering with parents to provide our children with the skills, experiences and resources that will enable them to become fully devoted followers of Christ.”

(Note: Grace Kids is available only on Celebration Sunday)

Grace Groups

Grace Groups are small groups of people who meet regularly in order to make a difference in the community, develop friendships with each other, and challenge each other to be more like Christ. Grace Groups meet in homes, coffee shops, parks, libraries, or wherever there’s room! And they’re the best place to meet people and “be known” at Grace Place. The bottom line is this: Grace Groups are about living the way Jesus lived, not just talking about it. If you’re not in one, you’re missing out!

Join a grace group now!

The Calling: Reach the urban professionals
Grace Place feels a strong conviction to reach the urban professionals within the business districts of Metro Manila. The church aims to introduce Jesus by touching their personal life through understanding what their struggles are and addressing felt needs.

The strategy: The everyday church
We don’t expect to reach the urban professionals in the business district during weekends. These people spend their time either at the suburbs in comfort of their homes or at shopping malls and movie houses with their families and friends. If we plan to reach these people, the church should be present and functioning where they are, i.e. at the center of the business district. These professionals should be able to attend church on weekdays (much like what most of Filipino Catholics do), seek counseling, enjoy friendships, learn about Jesus, grow in their relationship with Him — all happening during the working week in a place most accessible and convenient for them.

The plan: Bring the church to them
Instead of asking people to go to church on weekends, we will bring the church to them throughout the week. We will start a 200 sq. mtr. Grace Place Community Center in the middle of Makati Business District. On top of Celebration Sundays, we will start a Friday Night Experience — a venue where urban professionals can enjoy the church and have a worship experience. Our recent partnership with LifeChurch.tv makes it easy to duplicate church experience that is attractive to the urban professionals. And as volunteers grow, we will start new experiences within the week — Thursday night, then Wednesday… and so on, until such time that the working class can choose to go to church any day, either during or after office hour.

To better serve the urban community, the center can also become their hub during regular days. The hub will be a free venue for meetings, providing free wifi broadband internet access and serving free coffee and a place for professional and emotional/relational counseling.