Click a section below to jump to that section!
GLB Church May Newsletter!
May is here — and we’re stepping into it with purpose, passion, and prayer at the center. This season isn’t just about longer days and blooming trees — it’s about leaning into what God is doing right now in our lives and in our church.
We believe prayer changes everything. Whether you’re in the room, joining online, or gathering in homes, let’s commit to praying bold prayers — for our families, our city, and for God to move powerfully in and through us. 🙏
This month’s newsletter is full of exciting updates, events you won’t want to miss, and ways to grow deeper in faith and connection. Let’s stay expectant, stay prayerful, and see what God does when His people come together with hearts wide open.
We’re with you — and we’re praying alongside you.
Text JOIN to (562) 561-2020
Stay connected! Join our communication list to receive the latest updates, events, and news straight to your phone. Don’t miss out on all that’s happening!
Dear GLB Church Family!
Time is moving so fast! We are already in May and summer is right around the corner! This upcoming month, our college students will be graduating and making decisions to move in to their next chapters in life. We are also honoring educators for Teacher Apprecation Day. And also celebrating mothers for Mothers’ Day! There is a lot happening and whenever we get into a season of busyness, sometimes the ‘urgent’ can take over the ‘important.’ As time is flying by, it is necessary that we be intentional in slowing down, paying attention to what’s happening around us, enjoying being present in the moment, and also taking time to rest.
Here are a few practices for you to try this month:
- Practice Sabbath— try taking a 24-hour time period where you stop, rest, delight, and worship. If you aren’t used to practicing sabbath, just try it one time and see how it goes. Put your phone on ‘Do Not Disturb’ for the day or just turn it off completely. Take a nap or sleep in a bit. Go do something that is enjoyable to you or eat a meal you’ve been craving- Delight!. Enjoy time with a life-giving friend or family members and be present to the moment. Stop work, stop laundry and chores, stop scrolling… 24 hours- try it!
- Lectio 365 App- download this app and try a few days of slow, guided prayer and Scripture reading. Each segment is about 10 minutes long and it just helps to open up the day and close out the day using a resource like this.
- Practice ‘Breathing Prayer’- as you inhale, say a statement from a psalm or a verse and as you exhale, say something else. For example, the ‘Jesus Prayer’- on the inhale say: ‘Jesus Christ, Son of God’ and on the exhale, say, ‘Have mercy on me, a sinner’— do this for a two minute period and see what happens.
- Phone Flip- whenever you meet with someone for a meal or a time together, put your phone away or if you have it on the table, flip it around so you won’t be distracted by the notifications and lighting up of your phone. Use that time to be present to the ‘other’ who is right in front of you.
Personally, I am so grateful for time in April to slow down and enjoy my marriage to Marina. We were able to celebrate 20 years of marriage! We took a trip together, had some wonderful meals together, and just rejoiced in what God has brought us through over all this time. She’s my best friend. I don’t want to miss out on being present to her because I became so distracted by the ‘urgent’ in life. There will always be urgent things but let’s be careful that they don’t drown out the most important things. Slow down. Be present. Enjoy right now. As Jesus says, ‘tomorrow will worry about itself.’ Have a great month of May!
Weekly contributions for February and March.
View all of our upcoming events!
All Calendar Events
Thank you all for your Easter basket donations! GLB donated 40 baskets, which were added to a total of 2,500 baskets that were distributed all over Long Beach for children in need.
Our next big project is a LifeStream Blood Drive at our June Open-Hands Picnic on June 22. Stay tuned for sign-ups soon.
We also have a need for more small groups to sign up to make lunches at Christian Outreach in Action on the second Saturday of the month for the last half of the year. Please call Erica Burch 562-787-4626 for more info or organize with your group and sign up here.
We are happy to pray for your prayer requests, or have you join us to pray at our Hilltop Signal Hill prayer May 3 at 8am or our GLB Prayer Night at 7:30pm on May 28.
You can email prayer requests to glbprayerministry@gmail.com or enter them here.
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
As we step deeper into spring and closer to summer, May is a time of visible growth all around us — and it’s a reminder that spiritual growth often starts underground. This verse invites us to root ourselves in God through trust and prayer, so we can flourish no matter the season or struggle.
In a world that often feels unpredictable, Jeremiah 17 reminds us that those who place their confidence in the Lord are unshaken. Like a tree planted by living water, we can thrive — not by striving, but by staying rooted in Him.
This month, we want to focus on being deeply planted in faith, growing in prayer, and bearing lasting fruit as individuals, families, and a church community.
