A Note from John Roach
Green Acres Update
Green Acres SERVES! God continues to amaze me with all that He continues to do in our church and through our church. There are so many things to celebrate! From January 2025 to July 2025, we deployed 24 short-term mission teams to Utah, Brazil, England, Massachusetts, Florida, Kenya, Maine, Colombia, Mexico, Colorado, plus teams to Fort Worth, Celina, and Houston. We had 2 teams start 5 new churches in Kenya. Our Espanol Campus helped start 3 new churches in Mexico and served 4 other churches. Students sent 5 teams to Colorado alone. They helped plant 1 new church in Eaton, Colorado, and served 7 different church plants throughout the state. We had a medical mission team serve in the slums of Bogota and in the midst, they experienced tremendous spiritual warfare—but through prayer and the declaration of the gospel, a village chief and witch doctor came to know Jesus! We sent three men into the rural parts of India to host a pastors training conference in a country where Christians are being forced out! We trained hundreds of pastors across Africa and India. We served in orphanages in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and partnered with 2 local churches for street evangelism. Pray for Angel who accepted Jesus on the street and was immediately overwhelmed with her new life in Christ. As a church, we currently support and sponsor missionaries and church planters on every continent (except Antarctica) and church planters in at least 10 states across the USA.
I’m not done bragging on the Lord and how He’s using our church. Last October, 18 Connect Groups hosted events across neighborhoods, schools, and parks, with 226 volunteers distributing 3,000 candy bags containing gospel tracts and invites, while having hundreds of gospel conversations throughout our city. We actually baptized a little girl who came to faith because of a block party this year! This summer we honored our armed forces and our country’s independence by hosting a community celebration where thousands heard the gospel amidst fireworks and a drone show. Last November, 171 volunteers served and prayed with 1,073 East Texas families, offering meals and gospel conversations. Texans on Missions led a city-wide cleanup, serving 16 homes and removing 1,000 yards of debris. Volunteers also served the homeless in Tyler during the Christmas season and responded to out-of-state disasters (OK, TN, CA). Our mobile Shower and Laundry Trailer team provided 332 showers, 108 laundry loads, and 51 ministry contacts. We welcomed 11 new Filipino families and participated in key community events, reaching nearly 750 Filipino people with the gospel and prayer through 87 volunteers. This summer our Espanol Campus sent 42 members on mission trips and hosted a VBS right here in a lower income area of Tyler, ministering to several Hispanic families. Our mission team distributed 50 Bibles, served alongside 86 volunteers, and engaged over 100 children through the summer feeding program hosted by St. Paul Children Services here in Tyler. We conducted a school supply drive that benefited Peete Elementary, Promise Academy, and Dixie Elementary, helping equip students and staff for the school year. Peete Elementary received Bibles, cards, meals, bounce houses, and staff support. GABC also partnered with the city for the “School is Cool” event, reaching over 2,000 people. We had 41 volunteers serve during GABC Serve Day at Bethesda Clinic and distributed 40 Bibles. Our church continues to emphasize serving the outcast of society by investing in men and women in prison weekly. GABC members distributed 12,000 door hangers and personal invitations to Easter services.
This is not an exhaustive list of ways GABC serves, it’s only a glimpse of how our church engages our city with the love of Jesus. This is what I know is true…GABC SERVES!!! It’s for this reason I want to share with you an initiative we are planning this fall in October that we are calling SERVE WEEK. Our hope is that we can mobilize thousands from our congregation around our community all in one week in an effort to help our city know the love of Jesus and to know that they can trust Green Acres to help them understand His love. Join our Missions Team in praying, planning, and serving the last week of October. You will hear more about this in the weeks and months to come, but mark your calendar now and plan to jump in on one of the more than 50 projects we will do around our city. We need every member, every Connect Group, every campus, every deacon, every servant, every volunteer, every staff member, and every attender to help us make a huge impact this fall in our own city by continuing to echo the declaration that GABC SERVES because the truth of Jesus transforms lives!
Multiply Conference
Join us this Sunday for Multiply Conference at 4:00 PM! This conference is designed to encourage and equip leaders across our church family as we step into a new season of ministry together!
Whether you’re currently serving or exploring where God might be calling you to serve, this night is for you. Come be inspired through prayer, vision-casting, and fellowship with other leaders in our church. Please let us know you’re coming and register HERE!
Promotion Sunday
On Sunday, August 17, our Kids and Student Ministries will celebrate Promotion Sunday! Students will move up to their new grades, meet their new teachers, and begin a new year of discipleship and fun.
Prayer Gathering
Beginning Wednesday, August 20, we’ll gather every week from 6–7 PM in the Worship Center for a focused time of corporate prayer. As a church, we want to be a people who are desperate for His Spirit, hungry for revival, and aligned with the mission of Christ. Bring your Bible. Bring your burdens. Bring your faith and come seek the Lord with us.
MDWK
In addition the Prayer Gathering, we will also kick-off all our MDWK activities on August 20. There’s something for everyone! Kids, Students, Adults, Men, Women, Choir, Orchestra, and much more! Check out what’s available for you HERE!
Starting Point
Are you new to Green Acres or considering church membership? Starting Point is the perfect next step! This brunch is designed to help you get to know who we are — our heart, our mission, and our values as a church family. Our next Starting Point brunch will be on Sunday, August 24, at 9:30 AM in Crosswalk C, located just above the café. This is a free event; we just want to know you’re coming. Please register HERE.
I’m looking forward to seeing you at worship Sunday! Join us at Tyler or Flint at 9:30am or 11:00am and Español at 11:00. We also have Connect Groups that meet at 8:00am, 9:30am, and 11:00am.
Church, I love you more than I know how to express, and I am grateful to serve alongside you in our city, across our nation, and around the world!
John