Two Year
Ministry Plan

Each year in Grace Student Ministry, leadership and staff strategically plan time outside of regular meetings for students to bond together as a group. While these retreats certainly include fun elements for groups to create memories, they also provide teaching and worship—a unique space where we pray expectantly for God to work in students’ hearts.

On Saturday, October 2, Fusion, 24Seven, and Forge students from across our church gathered at the Powdersville campus for the Fall Classic. Throughout the day each ministry experienced teaching, worship, and carnival-themed fun. For Fusion, 419 students and leaders gathered under teaching on Saul versus Paul. Our 24Seven ministry received teaching on trusting God in all areas, with 401 leaders and students attending. For Forge, 462 students and leaders listened to teaching on success. That’s more than twelve hundred people participating in this special time of discipleship!

Click below for more on Grace Student Ministry and don’t miss the Fall Classic photo gallery.

Transitioning from high school to adulthood is a challenging time for many, and for believers, a supportive community rooted in the local church is essential. Located near several universities and colleges, our Anderson and Powdersville campuses have a unique opportunity to disciple the young adults attending their services. This has grown into Grace NEXT, a ministry specifically geared toward college and college-aged students.

“We are wanting to meet them at a pivotal moment in their lives and help them grow into mature followers of Jesus Christ,” Stephen Dickey, our Anderson campus pastor says. This fall, the Anderson campus welcomed students with a college cookout and launched three student groups, which will be studying the new Understanding the Bible leadership track. A few weeks ago, they hosted a worship night, focusing on the theme of finding rest in Christ. Our Powdersville campus just held an initial NEXT interest meeting, and with around 50 Clemson students attending, they’re looking forward to growing the ministry throughout the year.

Will you pray for NEXT at our Anderson and Powdersville campuses? Ask God for willing leaders to step up, and for him to give them influence in the lives of students. Pray that they would make meaningful connections and students would grow in their faith.

For more information on Grace NEXT, reach out to your campus staff, or fill out a connect card.

Each campus has its own unique journey, and Travelers Rest is no exception. In 2017, our TR campus launched at Travelers Rest High School with a faithful core of dedicated members. When the pandemic hit in 2020, they met under a tent at the new location at 999 Geer Highway and then moved the tent to Kings Point Academy, eventually moving inside at Kings Point. That’s four different locations over the course of four years!

Last weekend, we saw many prayers come to fruition as our TR family had their first services in their newly renovated facility! We're excited to see the ways God is going to use this building for discipleship in Travelers Rest and for the good of the community. We hope you’ll join us in prayer as they begin ministry in this new location. Click the video below to see footage of the new building.

This past month, our Foster & Adopt ministry hosted an informational session where our church body could learn more about fostering, adoption, and advocating as a guardian ad litem. Many members in our church are living out the gospel through fostering and adoption, and we are excited to help others come alongside children in need of a loving and stable home. There is also a great need for guardians ad litem in the state of South Carolina. In Greenville County alone, there is a need for 350 guardians ad litem and only 150 are currently serving.

Grace member Paul Gaeto said this about his experience as a guardian ad litem:

“It’s the epitome of Christian service because you’re doing something for somebody who can never repay you—just as Jesus did something for us that we’ll never be able to repay.”

To hear Paul share more about what it looks like to be a guardian ad litem, click the video below.

During this meeting, Kaley Linquist of Fostering Great Ideas shared insight into what fostering looks like and the next steps members can take in order to get licensed. Participants also heard from Margaret Richardson, a Grace member who is available to assist through the adoption process through DSS. And Sylvia Walker, Greenville County Program Coordinator, shared stories about guardians ad litem and the valuable impact they can make. Click here to learn more about or volunteer as a guardian ad litem.

We were thrilled to have around 50 participants at this meeting and ask you to pray for them as they take their next steps toward vulnerable children. If you want to learn more about fostering, adoption, or advocating as a guardian ad litem, please email Beth Drake at [email protected]. We would love to hear from you and connect you with resources that can enable you to minister to children in need.

As Grace ministries and community groups have geared up for the fall over the past few weeks, we have also had the opportunity to rejoice with nearly 50 members of Grace who were baptized across all of our campuses. Baptism is a beautiful picture of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, and it is also an important step of obedience for a believer. We hope you’ll take a moment to watch this video and rejoice with each one of these men, women, teens, and children who identified with Christ through baptism. To watch the video and learn more about baptism at Grace, click below.

Grace currently has three serving partners—covenant members who serve full-time in missions and are actively involved at Grace Church.

One of these partners is David Miller, a member of the Taylors campus who is the Operations Manager for Child Freedom Coalition—an organization that works to end child slavery and generational poverty through rescue operations, long-term care, and education. David recently shared an update about the context and mission of Child Freedom Coalition, how they are working to be the hands and feet of Jesus to children in South Asia, and how we can pray for them. Click the video below to hear David’s story. To learn more about our serving partners at Grace, click below.

Ken and Doris Bickel are members at Grace’s Downtown campus, and they have been going on mission trips to Nicaragua since 2012. They’re excited to be leaving for yet another trip this weekend. We had a chance to chat with them about their experiences, why they continue to return, and what God has taught them.

How many times have you been to Nicaragua? At least eight times.

Why do you keep going back? Our partners—the ministry team at CFCI—have become very special to us. They are more than ministry colleagues; they are friends. We both also enjoy teaching. I (Ken) believe God prepared me, through years of pastoral ministry, for the opportunity to teach other pastors. Doris loves to teach Ezer studies and assist the medical teams when they go. We both find great fulfillment in being able to teach and interact with our Nicaraguan brothers and sisters.

What challenges have you faced? We’ve faced sickness at times, and the climate can be difficult. You can’t drink the water. The basic challenges of being in a third world country can be hard to navigate, but we’ve always felt protected and cared for. There’s really no reticence to go on our part. We just live with the minor inconveniences and get on with life. Ministry can be fun, and this is the kind of ministry that is fun!

What would you tell someone who is considering going on an international mission trip? It’s important to experience different cultures. It’s wise for personal growth, especially if you’ve never been to a third world country. You will learn to appreciate the believers there. They have to live with disadvantages that we take for granted. We can pray better and respect them. This can challenge our spiritual growth. I’ve never met anybody who regretted going on a mission trip. It’s an opportunity for personal growth, spiritual growth, and treating others as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Many thanks to Ken and Doris for sharing their experiences with us! Will you pray for them and the rest of the team as they depart for Nicaragua this weekend? Click below to learn more about our ministry and partnerships in Nicaragua.

Last month, Grace offered a Health Screening Day at our Taylors campus. This event was open to the community, and several medical volunteers came out to provide screenings such as body mass index, blood pressure, blood glucose, dental screenings, and health education. All of these services were at no cost to the participants. We also partnered with Prisma Health Upstate’s mobile clinic to offer free COVID-19 vaccines.

One volunteer commented:

“An entire family who came to the US within the past few months came in and was evaluated. They were cared for so well by all of our teams and expressed how much they felt that care. They were prayed for, connected to community in the local church, and provided resources for medical care that they previously did not have.”

What a great opportunity to show Jesus’ love to the community in concrete ways! We plan to offer these types of events on a regular basis, and we hope you’ll join us in prayer that they will be effective in serving our community. If you’re interested in volunteering at a future Health Screening Day, please email Sarah Branan at [email protected]

Over the summer, Grace was able to host two Ascend summer camps—one at our Powdersville campus and one at Pelham. Ascend is a week-long program for children and teens who have experienced the divorce of their parents or the loss of a loved one. We are thankful that over 40 children and teens participated this summer.

During their week at camp, kids spent time outside engaging in fun activities like water games, building connections with their leaders and each other. They also participated in group activities and discussions that addressed the specific hardships they were facing, and our leaders consistently pointed them to Christ and showed them love every step of the way. It was truly a blessing to see children and teens who were experiencing the isolation of a difficult season come together, break down barriers, and build community.

A few of our small group leaders had this to say about Ascend:

"The strength these kids have and show has impressed, almost astounded me. They are coping with situations, issues, questions, and feelings that have crushed older, more mature persons. These ‘little children’ have indeed humbled, taught, and inspired me." - Cleatus Blackmon

"I love getting to serve in Ascend/DC4T because I am inspired by the willingness of the students to show up and see how the Holy Spirit works in tangible ways throughout our time together." - Alison Little

We hope you will pray for all those who participated—that God would continue to work in their lives. If you know someone who could use this kind of support during a difficult season, click below to learn more about our Care ministries, including support for kids and teens.

Many of our students were busy serving others this summer. One way our Forge students ministered to our community was through Mission Upstate—a local mission trip where Grace students and leaders partnered with Griggs Memorial Baptist Church and other local partners to serve the Poe Mill and Sans Souci neighborhoods.

Over 80 students participated over the course of three trips, and they served in a variety of ways. They partnered with Manna Food Ministry to distribute food and toiletries to those in need. Students also worked on maintenance projects like yard work, cleaning, painting, and trash pick up with multiple partners, including the Salvation Army and the Poe Mill Achievement Center—which hosts after-school and summer programs for local elementary children.

One area where we really saw students take ownership was in hosting an afternoon summer camp for local children. They led small groups, ran the games and activities, and invested lots of time and energy into loving these children well. What a blessing to see our students give of themselves for others. Please join us in praying that God would continue to work in their hearts and lives, shaping them to follow in Jesus’ footsteps as sacrificial leaders in our communities. To learn more about Grace Students, click below!

A few weeks ago, Neil and Jessica Barley shared their story of how God showed his faithfulness through their adoption of a teenager. Not only have they been able to bless their adoptive daughter by pouring out God’s love to her, they have also seen God work in their family and grow their own faith throughout the process. Click the video below to hear their story.

There are many opportunities for you to support our Foster & Adopt ministry, whether working with children directly or serving those who do. We have people in our church body who provide free childcare, mentoring, freezer meals, haircuts, tutoring, respite care, birthday cakes, home repairs, and so much more. To learn how you can be part of serving through Foster & Adopt, click below.

This month, Matt Williams shared a new discipleship opportunity with our church body. We believe that death and dying are discipleship issues that the church needs to be involved in, and this has prompted us to pursue the option of natural burial—a way to shepherd our hearts and minds as we surround our loved ones in death. As a peaceful, less expensive, and simple alternative, there is no vault, coffin, or embalming.

There are four reasons we believe natural burial will enable us to disciple people well:

• Natural burial provides a way for us to be good stewards of the environment.
• Natural burial provides a way for us to be good stewards of our financial resources.
• Natural burial is aligned with our discipleship view of hope. Our hope is not in the ability to preserve and protect our bodies, but in God’s ability to recreate us after death.
• Natural burial gives us the ability to share the dying process more fully with other believers and their families. We will be able to offer care, support, and encouragement to one another.

To hear Matt cast vision around this opportunity, click the video below. To learn more about natural burial or to volunteer to serve, click below.

Thank you, Grace Church, for providing over 1,000 backpacks full of school supplies through our Back-to-School Drive! They are being delivered to children in need across the Upstate through Greenville, Anderson, and Pickens DSS staff; Grace Housing Ministry; Neighborhood Focus, and local school partners. We are beyond thankful for your generosity in this way, and we hope you’ll continue to pray for each and every child and teen who receives a backpack this year.

Remember—this opportunity is just one way that we build relationships with kids in foster care and those who work with them throughout the year. We have full-time staff available to help you consider how you might support the foster and adoptive community, whether working with children directly or serving those who do. We have people in our church body who provide free childcare, mentoring, freezer meals, haircuts, tutoring, respite care, birthday cakes, home repairs, and so much more. To learn how you can get involved, click below.

Mosaic is our ministry for children, students, and adults with disabilities, and we are so thankful for our staff and volunteers who serve these individuals and their families. Over the past year, it has become more and more apparent that there is a significant need for discipleship and support for adults with disabilities. Once they complete high school, many young adults with disabilities are left with few opportunities for connection and little community.

So, this past month, we have been excited to launch Mosaic Inspire—a weekday ministry whose goal is to disciple adult individuals with disabilities more into the life of the church and the community. Four individuals are currently enrolled, and more will be joining us soon. Each day, Grace staff and volunteers provide Bible lessons, teaching, and mentorship. In addition, we are partnering with Meals on Wheels, Project Hope, and NHC to give our Mosaic Inspire participants opportunities to volunteer, bless others, and connect with the community.

Will you join us in prayer for this new ministry? If you’re interested in volunteering, please contact Dana Humphrey at [email protected]. To learn more about Mosaic, click below.

One of our Missions Grants recipients is YoungLives—an organization that provides mentorship, community, support, and education for teen moms, with the core mission of sharing the gospel. One way we were able to support YoungLives this past month was by hosting a retreat for teen moms at our Taylors campus. Eight teens and their children from around the state of South Carolina were able to attend. Grace members volunteered in different capacities, and these girls were able to connect with each other and their mentors as they worshiped together and sat under biblical teaching. They also participated in fun activities like a dance class and cooking class!

Giving these young ladies a safe place to connect and build community is so important for effective discipleship and life change, and we are grateful to be a small part of making that happen. Will you pray for them, their children, and their mentors? To learn more about YoungLives, click below.

Our We Choose ministry plan is all about being intentional with the resources God has given us. We want to be salt and light in the world, and that means connecting with our community and people around the world in a way that is meaningful and shows the love of Christ. Check out this video for a behind-the-scenes look at how we’re living out this truth through ministries here at Grace and by partnering with others in our community.

Grace en Español meets at both our Taylors and Spartanburg campuses, with around 200 folks in attendance, and God has been at work in some exciting ways this year—both here in the Upstate and around the world. Although dealing with the pandemic over the past 18 months has been challenging, our Español online services were able to equip and encourage believers in Ecuador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and other latino populations in the U.S. In fact, many of our members here in the Upstate used the wide availability of Zoom and other online platforms to start small discussion groups with friends and family from their home countries.

We’ve also been able to provide many resources in Spanish to our members and other latino populations around the world. Our new Authentic Manhood study was reproduced fully in Spanish and is available online, and Ezer studies and books have been translated and used in at least six countries (Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and Colombia).

Here at home, members are continuing to serve the latino population in Berea with Neighborhood Focus. Abroad, our Outreach team is mentoring pastors and church leaders in Nicaragua using Grace Children’s, Students, MRT, and Ezer curriculum.

We hope you’ll join us in celebrating what God has done and praying for continued growth for our Grace en Español family! To learn more about Grace en Español, click below.

Construction crews have been hard at work at the new site for our Travelers Rest campus. Paint, carpet, and other finishing touches are coming together. As of right now, we hope for our Travelers Rest family to be able to hold their first services in this new building by late summer. We are so thankful for God’s provision throughout the entire purchasing and renovation process—he has surely provided above and beyond what we could hope for. Please join us in prayer that the final steps of the project would go smoothly and praise God for all he has already done. To learn more about our Travelers Rest campus, click below.