Greetings from Grace Rancho!
Marshall asked if I would provide a brief update from our church, and as I thought about what I’d include here, I ran through the possible things I could share: the church attendance, the budget, the building project, or the various programs we’ve got going and how many men and women are involved. But that would only be mildly interesting and might give the impression that our church success is measured in numbers - which it isn’t! So instead I’ll just share some stories of people whose lives have been changed through the ministry of our church. 
The Smiths (name changed for privacy) found our church because they reached out for counseling. With three children and on the brink of divorce, we were their last ditch effort to save their marriage. Joe had been on hard drugs since a teenager, and Jane, though raised religious, had never understood the gospel and was at wits end. After a year of counseling, both Joe and Jane have not only trusted Christ as their savior, Joe has been clean from drugs for several months now, and their marriage is the best it’s ever been. When Joe wrote his testimony he said, “Because I believe in Christ, God’s wrath that I deserve has been put on the cross. And my sins have been dealt with through Jesus. I deserve that wrath, but because of Christ, it’s been paid for. Because of the gospel, I am white as snow, even though I was dirty as dirt.”
Another couple started receiving counseling a few months ago. After several sessions, they began to understand the significance of the cross. Through tears, the husband read me Philippians 2 about Christ’s death on the cross and said, “It’s incredible that he would do that for me.” They are new converts and are assimilating into the church.
Aiden began coming to our church in January. The first few Sundays he would stay after and ask questions. He was not sure if there was a God, but was curious to learn the claims of Christ. One of our members (a coworker) continued sharing with him. And as of recently he has claimed to trust Christ and is eager to be baptized.
Holly Berthelson - whom some of you may remember - was saved a few years ago after moving out here. Chad Brooks, who also attended Grace Simi a few times in the early 2010s, got saved last year and was baptized and now serves with the ushers.
About three years ago, when Maya came in for counseling and was asked “If you were to stand before God on the day of judgment and he were to ask you why he should let you into heaven, what would you say?” She had no answer. From there we told her the good news of Christ, and she repented and believed. As a single mom, she began teaching the gospel to her teenage son who also got saved. Now she’s a blessing to so many women, serving and discipling them.
Alex Rodriguez called the church out of nowhere about two years ago. His life was a wreck and he needed hope, and on the phone we told him about Jesus and invited him to church. He showed up the next Sunday and two of our men took him to lunch and began discipling him. He’s now involved in everything, and has recently started discipling another young man who is asking questions about the Lord.
Time would fail to talk of the Lord’s work in Vanessa, another single mom, or Leah, who was recently saved after attending a growth group study through Mark, or Noel, whose sin led him to see his great need for a savior. Or the other things - the young men like Red, Dom, Zari, Gavin, who aspire to serve the church and are seeking formal training, or the older men like Eric, Frank, Angelo, and David who aspire to church leadership. Words cannot explain the goodness God has shown to us.
It has not been without challenge or difficulty, but in light of what the Lord is doing, the challenges seem small. All glory be to Christ.
We continue to cherish our partnership in the gospel. Your friendship, encouragement, prayers, and support have been a blessing to us beyond measure.
Yours for Christ,
Eric Durso
