Spiritual Community is Essential

 

“Community is much more than belonging to something. 
It’s about doing something together that makes belonging matter.”

 

Post-Covid, it’s been widely reported that the social isolation during the pandemic has led to increased mental health problems like insomnia, anger, fear, anxiety, stress, depression and even suicidal thoughts and attempts worldwide. All of this isn’t surprising. God designed us to be social creatures. The isolation of the pandemic disturbed the worldwide state of mind. Our world experienced firsthand the dark side of being devoid of human interaction and touch at a new and disastrous level. It affected sleep cycles and sleep is one of the body's natural healers. With good sleep, a person loses attention towards unpleasant events, thereby being renewed with energy and zeal. When it’s hampered, it leads to suicidal tendencies.   

  The bottom line is that God has designed us for community.  This morning we’re completing our study of the “one another” statements in the New Testament. We only worked through a few of them, yet there are 59 of these “one another” commands in the New Testament. It’s just under 60 exhortations to actually do something for another brother or sister in Christ. These are behaviors we do out of an overflow of our relationship with Jesus, but they’re not things that we do solely unto the Lord Jesus. Other believers must be involved in order to fulfill them. They’re lived out in our ongoing relationship with other Christians. The primary place that we interact with other believers is in the local church family. While you can intellectually learn these commands by watching a worship service remotely or by listening or reading the material, they can’t be obeyed and applied without physical contact and interaction. In other words, it’s just not the same if YOU aren’t with us at church.
  Going to church is not about getting your attendance gold star. It’s not about gaining God’s favor because you got together with His people. Church is not a place to go, it’s a family, a living body that God wants you to be a part of for your good and His glory. Faithfully attending worship services helps combat two of the greatest enemies that we have to Christlikeness in American culture: busyness & individualism.
  In American culture, we’re so busy and there are so many options. Anyone who chooses to attend church for worship has potentially said “no” to another half a dozen options. The problem is that the vast majority of them aren’t bad things. They’re just not usually the best things. For example, many work six days a week. Sunday is often the only day to catch up on rest and rest is a good thing. Yet, the better thing is that, if at all possible, we need spiritual rest for our souls that we find as we worship.
  Then, we’re bombarded with the message of “I’ve got to take care of ME.” If we break out of “me,” it often only devolves into the small circle of the “we” of my family. Is “me time” a good thing? Yes. Is “we time” of family a good thing? Yes. Yet, the better is the “we” of our church family. With the almost cultlike emphasis of “me” time, one would think that we are going to be in heaven alone – just me and Jesus – but we’re not.
  God designed us for community. While each person is born again individually, one can’t be a solo healthy Christian. God designed us for each other. The local church is the best place for spiritual growth. While you can be self-taught when it comes to education, or work alone and be successful. You can even exercise alone to increase your physical health. Yet, the Bible is clear, you can’t increase your spiritual health and maturity alone. Why should we make worshipping together a priority?
  You are needed. Although it is counter-intuitive, helping others is the most effective way to help yourself. We’ve been programmed today to be consumers. Buy more, earn more, spend more. It’s self-focused has us constantly thinking about ourselves, what we need and want. God built you to be in service to others. There are needs in the body of Christ (the church family) that only you can fill. There are people who need your voice, your face, and your life experience. The more you try to fill your life with your wants, the emptier it becomes. “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you,” (Matthew 6:33).
  It’s a place to give and receive grace. Most of the time when someone says why they quit going to church, it’s because of something hurtful someone said or did. We have all been there. The Bible says that when this happens, we are to confront the offender, “speaking the truth in love,” (Ephesians 4:15). The local church must be a place of kindness and gentleness. Rude or unthoughtful brothers and sisters need grace and instruction as much as anyone. We can model and teach kindness in how we talk to them about their words and actions. Without your loving intervention, those same people might push others away from Christ.
  It’s noteworthy too that someone will quit attending a church if they feel they’re mistreated, yet most of us are mistreated periodically at our jobs but we rarely walk off in a huff without trying first to resolve matters. It says a lot about what we value more, money or spiritual family.
  It is vital for your spiritual health. The Body of Christ is not just Jesus dying on the cross. The New Testament often speaks of being “in the body” of Christ. The Body of Christ is the local assembly of those who gather to honor and worship Him. That’s simply not possible if you’re not physically gathering with other believers. Skipping physical worship hurts us. Much as a biological family needs physical interaction, we need personal interaction with our brothers and sisters in Christ. While God does not judge us based on our attendance, Hebrews 10:24 does urge us, “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
  It’s no coincidence that the world has gone mad while church attendance has dropped to record lows. Ultimately, there’s nothing more important that you can do for yourself, your family, our community, and even our country than gathering with spiritual brothers and sisters to weekly worship King Jesus. He designed us to need Him and each other!

Can we help you spiritually? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

Thoughtfulness Makes All the Difference

 “Life is not so short but that there is always 

time enough for courtesy.”  Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

  Okay, it was a full-blown “Oops!” Yet, I don’t believe I was really to blame. Besides, it’s not my practice to yell at cute girls when a wedding is taking place. The cute girl was (I hope you guessed this) Jane. It was right outside the Mercantile Hall where my office is in the basement. I’d just parked and Jane was coming out of Trendsetters after having her hair cut. I saw her and yelled across the street, “Hey Cutie, want to go to lunch?”
  I believe it was a Wednesday afternoon. I happened to look over my shoulder and fifteen feet away from me in the courtyard of Mercantile Hall with everyone facing me and the officiant with his back to me, a wedding was taking place. Oops! I’ve since encouraged the Mercantile to have weddings face the opposite direction so that the officiant is the only one seeing what’s taking place on the street, especially if men are loudly flirting with their wives. It was an innocent mistake and I am trying to be more careful.
  Being considerate makes a big difference in relationships. It’s easy though, the longer you’re married, to forget basic thoughtfulness. The same thing can happen in a church family. Periodically, we need reminders to help make it better for everyone. Let me suggest a few…
  Come a little early and linger a bit afterwards. Currently, we’re studying the One Another statements in the New Testament. It’s hard to live these out when you rush in, come late, or rush out. We designed our Charis Coffee Café to encourage conversations with others. So whether you sit in the Café or take your coffee in the gym, please engage in conversation with others. Use it as an opportunity to converse with those you either don’t know or don’t know well. Use it as an opportunity to pray that the Lord will use the service to work in your heart and the hearts of others. Pray for those involved in leading the worship, the AV Team, greeters, ushers, etc. Pray for me as I share God’s Word, that the message will be clear and God will use it in lives. After the service take time to interact with those around you and see how they are doing. If they’re struggling with something or need encouragement, encourage them or pray with them.
  If the 1^st service is still taking place and you arrive before it’s finished, please refrain from loud conversations while waiting. For security reasons, we now have an usher in the Café during each service. Though they’re sitting there, they’re seeking to listen and participate in the service. Then, sometimes someone is not feeling well or a parent with a young child will sit out there to listen to the service so their child won’t disturb others in the congregation. Please be thoughtful of them so they can listen to the service, even if you arrive early. Also, when the five-minute countdown begins for the service, come into the service. For some reason, every church struggles with a “foyer crowd,” i.e. those who come to worship but never quite end up coming into the worship service. We can set an example for others by being actively involved in worship as soon as we’re able and not linger in the cafe once the countdown has begun.  
  Consider leaving your phone in your car. Unless you use a Bible app to look up Scripture, ask yourself, “Do I really need my phone in the service?” Be unleashed from the technological tether! If you find that you’re tempted to check social media, leave it in the car. At least, have it silenced. And is there really a reason for a young person to have a phone at church? Parents pay for a phone so they can get in touch with them BUT if you’re sitting in the service with them…
  Leave the back rows for families with children or late arrivals. For some reason in American culture, we want to sit in the front row at sporting events or concerts but in the back one at church. Does that make sense? It will help you listen better and those on the platform communicate better if people sit toward the front. Families with kids know that kids often act like kids, so they sit toward the back to avoid disturbing others. Then, sometimes someone is delayed or new to the church and arrives late. At Grace, we want to be thoughtful of newcomers and not make them do the “walk of shame” to sit at the front because those are the only seats left.
  If it will be a blessing or encourage someone say it BUT if it really doesn’t need to be said… The One Another commands urge us to encourage, greet and pray for each other. Each Sunday, please look for opportunities to minister to others, and to touch their lives.
  Yet we know we’re all sinners saved by grace and human. We make mistakes. You’ll find them in printed materials or with a musical note or who knows? Some have difficulty not pointing them out. Please don’t. Unless it truly makes a difference, like someone is in danger or it’s serious, let it go.
  Also about the only heated discussion at Grace should be between Bears and Packer fans. At Grace. we simply do not talk about politics. No one is going to heaven because of who they voted for. Politics divide and alienate. We want to build bridges, not put up any cultural barriers to the gospel.  
  Leave your space ready for whoever is following you. We have two services. Before you leave, please pick up papers around you, straighten Bibles and the pen in the chair pocket. If you’re having a group activity, please make sure tables and chairs are put back, counters wiped and trashcans emptied. Our building is used nearly 24/7. Please be sure things are ready for those coming after you. Pick up trash in the parking lot or in the landscaping or even on the floor of the bathroom. Take a paper towel and wipe up the water on the bathroom counter. Someone is always coming after us. Let’s leave it ready for them.
  Come anticipating worshiping our Savior together! Sunday is the only time our church family sings together, prays together, studies God’s Word together, and focuses on eternity together. Each Sunday let’s pray and seek to have a bigger view of our awesome God and the real world, eternity! 

Can we help you spiritually? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

There's No Place Like Home!

“There’s no place like home.”  Dorothy

  Dorothy was right! It doesn’t matter whether it’s a mansion or a shack. There really is no place like home. Jane and I have just spent four weeks in what many call “paradise.” The beach and ocean were only a few miles away. The weather tropical. Yet, I found myself, particularly toward the end of our time, longing to come home. And it didn’t hurt that as we prepared to leave, Hurricane Dorian was looming as an uninvited guest.  

  It’s hard to believe that I am now in my 32^nd year as your Pastor in Burlington. In 1988 we loaded up our car, a moving truck and our then two very young children, left Detroit and moved to Burlington. The community was smaller then and had much more of a small-town feel.

  The next day as I went to open a bank account at what was then the Bank of Burlington, the woman at the front greeted me with, “Oh, you’re the minister that moved in last night.” There wasn’t a single traffic light and seemingly endless one-way streets. Getting lost both in town and on surrounding country roads was a fairly normal experience. The only fast-food restaurants were Hardees and McDonald’s.

  I grew up in Atlanta, worked in Chicago and ultimately moved to Burlington from Detroit. The smallest places I’d lived in were LaCrosse and Danville, IL (communities of 50,000). The small-town atmosphere was a big shock for me. I’d always qualified myself as a “big city” person.   

  Woody Allen once quipped, “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him about your plans.” Jane and I were originally on our own five-year plan. In fact, it was more foolish than that. As we were praying for a church and place of ministry, the one place that we told the Lord that we didn’t want to go was – Wisconsin. But in our great “wisdom,” we capitulated and determined that we would come and stay for “five years” and then look for greener pastures in another state and in another church.

  Are you like me? More times than I can remember, I’m so thankful for the prayers that my all-wise Heavenly Father didn’t answer. Because we fell in love. We fell in love with you as our church family! We fell in love with this community! And God gave us two of His greatest blessings – peace and contentment.

  Like many pastors, there were calls of inquiry from other ministries. One, back in the Detroit area, was very strong and tempting. But Jane and I never had peace about relocating. Or, the timing was just wrong. And so because we did not believe that we had marching orders, we stayed and stayed and stayed. Looking back now over three decades, we see so clearly that our Heavenly Father is so much wiser than we are. Doors and relationships have been built both within the church and outside of the church that rarely happens in short term pastorates. Unless the Lord has other plans for my life, this will be my last senior pastorate. Though I am approaching my 60^th birthday, I feel very much like Caleb, who as a very spry 85-year-old, spoke of seeing God’s faithfulness for the past 40 years and had mountains that by God’s grace he still wanted to take for God’s glory (Joshua 14). In many ways I feel as if our ministry is just beginning here and there are many mountains to take by His grace and for His glory.

  To be very honest, it would be very hard to leave this community. This is our home. You are our family! This is where our many friends are.

  Jane and I can well relate to the ministry of John and Mary Fawcett. John was born in 1740 and was orphaned by the time he was 12.  At the age of 16, he heard George Whitfield preach and became a Christian. When he was 25 (and had just wed his wife, Mary) he was asked to serve as the pastor of a small church in Wainsgate. The people of the village were all farmers and shepherds, very poor, most of whom were unable to read or write.  They were not able to pay much, and most of what John received as wages came in the form of wool, potatoes or other produce. When John and Mary began having children they found it difficult to make ends meet. After serving at Wainsgate for 7 years, John received a call from Carter’s Lane Baptist Church – a very prestigious parish that would be able to provide him a much larger salary.  John decided to accept the position.

  The Fawcett family packed up their household belongings and prepared to move. The day came and the congregation was in tears as John and Mary prepared to leave.  Mary is quoted as saying, “I can’t stand it, John! I know not how to go.”  John responded, “Lord help me Mary, nor can I stand it! We will unload the wagon!” And John is recorded to have said to the crowd gathered around them, “We’ve changed our minds! We are going to stay!” They unpacked the wagon and let the church in London know that they would not be accepting the position.

  John Fawcett then wrote this hymn to express his thoughts and those of his wife to the church and community they’d chosen to serve. After his sermon the following Sunday, John shared a hymn that he wrote that expressed their hearts. You may know it, Blest Be The Tie That Binds.

Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds
Is like to that above.

Before our Father’s throne
We pour our ardent prayers;
Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one,
Our comforts and our cares.

We share each other’s woes,
Each other’s burdens bear;
And often for each other flows
The sympathizing tear.

When we asunder part,
It gives us inward pain;
But we shall still be joined in heart,
And hope to meet again.

  The Fawcetts continued their ministry at Wainsgate for 54 years with John passing from this life to glory on July 25th, 1817, at the age of 77.

  Jane and I do not know God’s plans for our future or our church. Yet, if the Father would let us finish our course here at Grace and in Burlington, we would consider ourselves very rich and very blessed! 

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

A Sliver of Encouragement

“We lost more than Belle yesterday. And one thing that gives me a sliver of encouragement is the fact that Belle was surrounded yesterday by her church family that she loved fiercely and vice versa. Our church was not comprised of members or parishioners, we were a very close family. We ate together, we laughed together, we cried together and we worshipped together…our sweet Belle would not have been able to deal with losing so much family…”  Sherri Pomeroy

  Like many of you, my heart was breaking and head reeling as I watched the tragedy unfold at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. 26 people were murdered in last Sunday’s church shooting with another 20 wounded. Among the dead was the 14-year-old daughter, Annabelle or “Belle,” of Steve and Sherri Pomeroy, the church’s Pastor. Pastor Pomeroy, and his wife, Sherri, were traveling out of state when the massacre occurred.

  As I watched Sherri Pomeroy share the above statement to the media, tears flowed down my cheeks. Because even in the face of a senseless tragedy and horrible violence like this, a biblical church is first a family. Others may dialogue about guns and violence, or the lack of funding for mental illness. I agree though with Sherri Pomeroy, the church as a family is “a sliver of encouragement.” It’s something that church had. It’s something our Heavenly Father wants us and every church to have.

  We are not a club. We are not together because we have so much in common. A church is not monolithic. The Apostle Paul wonderfully unpacks this God-given reality in Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” A true church is a place of great diversity, (ethnic, economic, age, gender, occupation, political ideology, tradition, etc.) What brings us together and keeps us together is not us, it’s the Gospel. It’s the fact that we’re so unworthy and yet so loved – that Jesus shed His blood and died for us and we are redeemed because we trust in His sacrifice alone for forgiveness and assurance of heaven. We’re literally blood brothers and sisters. The church is not for good people or even nice people. It’s for those who are so very needy, who know it and are trusting in a loving, gracious God to meet their greatest need, their sin and guilt.

  We are not a store. We do not come together so our shopping list is taken care of. Scripture has no understanding of coming together because of “felt needs.” We’re not consumers looking to be enthralled by the music, challenged by phenomenal teaching, entertained by a program or even to have our children cared for in an exceptional way. We’re here because we’re givers, not takers…because we, ourselves have been given so much.

  That means we love each other. We love each other, even when humanly speaking, we might be repulsed by each other. We love because we’ve received undeserved love. Families love each other and no one thinks it’s strange. In fact, it’s very strange when they don’t.

  It means that we pray for each other. Oftentimes, we don’t know what to say. Recently, we’ve had some of our families who’ve suffered great losses. We feel so inadequate in those situations but we can always pray. When we see a couple that’s obviously having marital issues or struggling with a wayward child, or having emotional or other issues – the right words may not be there. Our Heavenly Father knows what they need and we must always bring their needs before Him.

  It means that we give to and for each other. Sometimes we see a financial need and give money. More often we give of ourselves in the form of serving. It means we befriend young children or elderly saints. It means we serve the children of parents so they can have their souls fed in a worship service or small group. It means we give precious time up for each other.

  Can you imagine a Mom telling her family, “Do you know how much time it took me to make dinner and wash clothes today?” Or a Dad saying, “Do you know how much time it took me to pick you up from practice and to help you with your homework tonight?” No, they’re not clock watchers – they give out of love. And so we are to give to one another. It’s not a bother or inconvenient, it’s a privilege.

  It means that we sacrifice for each other. If you called your brother in the middle of the night and said, “My car broke down. Can you come get me?” He’d come because that’s what brothers do. In a local church it means we sacrifice our expectations and our heritage for the sake of the family. Many of us have a mental picture of what church is supposed to be, usually what we grew up with. But for the advance of the gospel and the glory of God, we willingly sacrifice our preferences, even what we feel comfortable with.

  It means that we problem-solve. One of the saddest indicators in the American church that we don’t understand the biblical model of a church family is that we bail without seeking to problem-solve. We’d be horrified if someone came to us and said, “I’m not going to my family’s Thanksgiving dinner because I’m mad at my sister.” The first question out of our mouths would be, “Have you talked to her? Have you tried to work things out?” How would we respond if they said, “No, I’m just looking for a new family”? No wonder a lost world mocks us. If the gospel can’t help us love and get along with one another, what do we really have to offer it? 

  Last Sunday a church family gathered to worship together in Texas and ended up worshiping together in heaven. A church family knows what it means to live with each other. And sometimes King Jesus even calls us, as He did last Sunday at First Baptist of Sutherland Springs, to die together.  

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

Caring for the Hurting

“Do you want to know that your [Christian] life is real? Commit yourself to a local group of saved sinners. Try to love them. Don’t just do it for three weeks. Don’t just do it for six months. Do it for years. And I think you’ll find out, and others will, too, whether or not you love God. The truth will show itself.”   Mark Dever

  When you read your Bible, do you find that the Psalms are encouraging? Do they often touch your heart? As you read them, do you sometimes feel that David has been peeking into your soul? Think for a moment. Do you think his greatest burdens, heartaches, sorrows were physical or emotional?

  I think we’d all have to agree that they were emotional. As you read the Psalms, it’s apparent that David was not struggling with physical pain but emotional pain – depression, fear, rejection, loneliness…to name a few.

  Most of our greatest hurts are not physical. They’re emotional and they’re spiritual. God powerfully brought that home to me just recently.

  Recently, I ran into a friend that I’d not seen in several months. Looking back, somehow I knew that something wasn’t quite right. Eventually, in our conversation he shared that he and his wife had gotten divorced. He was a broken man. I remember previously, just a few years before when he’d shared with me about their recent trip to China for the funeral of his wife’s father and how fulfilling that had been for him. Yet, here he was in retirement, looking forward to spending his retirement years with the love of his life, now attempting to put on a stoic face, but broken, hurting and confused.

  Let’s go back to the book of Psalms – here’s David, a man who Scripture describes as “a man after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22), baring His soul not only to God but to us. The reason we find such encouragement and hope there is that we are reminded that we are not alone. We are not the only ones who struggle with depression, discouragement, worry, fear and a myriad of other emotions.

  Interestingly, for some reason anger or impatience are appropriate emotions to express and admit in our culture (maybe they’re seen as power emotions while others are seen as signs of weakness). But depression, grief, anxiety, fear or discouragement are possibly admitted to the closest of friends, but often not even there. We often wait until we find someone we can “pay” to share our heart with, a therapist or some other professional counselor. Sometimes we might share them with a pastor because he’s considered “safe.”

  If you’re a parent, you’ve gone through this. Your child came home from school. They’re discouraged, hurt or wounded. It probably started with a conversation like this. You notice something is wrong and you ask, “What’s wrong?” They retort, “Nothing!” Usually, eventually, particularly if you have a healthy relationship with them, it all comes pouring out.

  But what if you’re child never shared that they were hurt or struggling, would that be normal? Healthy? Of course not. Often you may not have the answer but what they most need is for you to listen and to care. They need you to pray with them and for them, not necessarily give them the solutions right away. That’s what family does. We love, care, help and pray with each other as we walk through life’s hurts. If that’s normal for family, shouldn’t it be normal with our church family? So why isn’t that the case?

  1). We really don’t know each other. Most of us won’t share our hearts with those we don’t know. Please understand, we can’t know each other unless we spend time with each other. That’s why even activities like last Sunday’s 60’s Party are so important – we start getting to know each other. It’s why small groups and Sunday Morning Live classes are so important – we start getting to know each other. That’s why we break you into even smaller groups in those classes – we want you to get to know each other, to begin to peel back the layers. If we don’t know each other, we’ll never feel safe with each other, safe enough to share our burdens and cares.

  2) We must realize that God has designed all of us with emotions. Usually, when someone shares their heart, there’s a sense of discomfort both on their part and everyone that just heard their “feeling.” Wow! What’s going on here! Someone let a feeling get loose. How did that happen? Someone catch that feeling and stuff it back in a drawer. We can’t have feelings running around loose. Yet, we all have feelings, even pastors. Every emotion that you feel and struggle with, everyone else at our church has too. Do you worry? So does everyone else? Do you get discouraged? So does everyone else? Do you periodically feel hopeless, depressed? So does everyone else?

  Currently, it weighs on me that our building hasn’t sold yet. I know that it’s in God’s hands and we’re on His timeline, yet it still weighs on me. I know that until we’re able to move and build a new facility, our ministry is terribly handicapped. The needs of our community and the many lost and hopeless folk I meet, weigh very heavily on my heart. I need your prayer support that my faith will deepen during this point in our church’s history.

  3) We must want and be ready to help. Simply put, we must care and love others. As believers, we have the best heart medicine available. We’re to love each other as God loves us. We have the Father’s promises (that means that we must know our Bibles). We can pray for each other (that means we need to know how to pray).

  Please understand that I’m not suggesting we indiscriminately share our hearts. Yet, as we’ve been working through in our current series, Me to We, God designed us for relationships. It’s part of our DNA. It’s who we are as image-bearers of God. So in a church family, we must build those relationships with brothers and sisters outside of our immediate family that we can share our hearts with and who can share their hearts with us. It will lighten our burden and help us grow – both by caring, being cared for and even having someone share with us those things that we can’t see because we’ve lost perspective.

  That’s normal church family and the church that the Father intends for us! At Grace, we want our church family to grow by seeing lost folk come to know Jesus and we want to grow by having His love pour through us as we love, care and share with each other as a church family!