Two Year
Ministry Plan

This month, our Fusion and 24Seven students had the opportunity to get away for a day at Denver Downs and connect at our Fall Classic. This was a special time we carved out for students to fellowship with their small groups, sit under biblical teaching, worship together, and just have a good time. Over 600 students and 181 leaders attended, and it was a memorable time for all.

Our Fusion students (5th and 6th graders) heard teaching on Creation and the Fall, and our 24Seven students (7th and 8th graders) finished their series, Prodigal. And of course, they all enjoyed lots of fun activities at Denver Downs—a corn maze, giant slides, games, and more. We hope you will join us in praying for our students as they continue to grow this year. To learn more about Grace Students, click below.

Last year, Grace formed a partnership in Israel with the Association of Baptist Churches in Nazareth. This group represents the largest single group of Evangelical Christians in Israel today with 18 churches and a community of 3,000 people, serving mainly among the Arab population in Israel.

In August, we were excited to send our first mission team to Israel to support ABC’s student ministry retreat. Our volunteer lead for Israel took six of our staff members on the trip, and they were able to serve at the retreat by planning games and icebreakers, washing dishes, cleaning, and in general helping keep things running smoothly. They also taught a breakout session on the idea of “go.” Student ministry is particularly important and challenging in Israel as young believers are a stark minority in the culture. We hope and pray that the young people who attended the retreat will continue to seek a relationship with Jesus and be a light to those around them.

Team members also taught at three different churches while they were there, led worship, and connected with church leaders. It was a sweet time to build relationships with pastors and leaders that are part of ABC, and our prayer is that we will continue to support believers in Israel through future mission trips, financial support, shared resources, and most importantly, our prayers. Will you join us in praying for this partnership?

To learn more about our partnership in Israel as well as other international partnerships, click below.

Earlier this month, we were excited to host the very first NEXT retreat! NEXT is a ministry designed to engage college students in a way that tethers them to the local church and grows them as followers of Christ during a pivotal season of life.

The event took place at Pine Cove, and 120 students attended, along with 35 leaders and volunteers. Students heard teaching on the topics of fragility and resilience and how our obsessive focus on self leads to anxiety and/or arrogance. There was a lot for students to process, and they were thankful for their leaders and one another to be able to discuss these ideas in community and spend time in worship. And of course, they also had time for pickleball, socializing, playing games, and a dessert hour trivia challenge!

Many participants expressed their gratitude for biblical teaching on these topics. As they go back to a college environment where everyone is continually stressed or overwhelmed, our prayer is that they would continue to try and figure out what it looks like to follow Jesus as a college student. Will you join us in praying that they would find a sturdy hope outside of their circumstances and anchor themselves in the stability of God’s Word and the local church?

If you would like to learn more about NEXT, please email Dillon Carpenter at [email protected].

Did you know that we recently launched a podcast for our church body? When serving in ministry, we are often clear on the “what” behind the mission we are trying to accomplish and the "how" behind achieving our ministry objectives. Ironically, we can often forget the "why" behind the ministry we do.

The purpose of the Grace Church Members podcast is to discuss discipleship practices in the life of our church and help our congregation think about why we do the things we do. So far, episodes have covered topics such as baptism, singing, serving, and death/natural burial. These conversations have proven valuable for our members to engage with and reflect on.

In our most recent episode on death and natural burial, Matt Kelley had this to say:

Several years ago, we started a conversation about what it looks like to take care of people not just through life, but also through death and burial. We knew that we were trying to disciple people from birth until the grave, but once we got to the grave, we were not involved, and we felt like that was something we needed to explore. So we did a lot of research and honed in on something called natural burial.

The episode goes on to explain what natural burial is, its benefits, and why it is important for us as a church. This topic is just one of many that is helpful for us to reflect on and consider how we are being discipled and discipling others within our local congregations. Our hope is that this podcast challenges our members to be more fully devoted to God and his mission of making disciples.

To listen to this podcast and subscribe, click below. To learn more about natural burial, click here.

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

One of these partners is Skeeter Powell, a member of the Pelham campus who founded David’s Table. David’s Table is a ministry that exists to demonstrate the love of Jesus to adults with disabilities and their families by creating community, connecting them to resources, and making disciples. Skeeter recently shared an update about the context and mission of David’s Table, how they are working to disciple those with disabilities in our community, and how we can pray for them. Click the video below to hear Skeeter’s story. To learn more about our serving partners at Grace, click below.

This month, we just wrapped up our 13th summer of partnership with local churches in Allendale County. It was our 6th summer of helping to run Camp Impact, a summer camp for local kids, and it was a season of hard work and fruitfulness as we saw God’s faithfulness in the lives of participants, volunteers, and staff members. Here are some highlights from the summer!

• 97 campers registered this summer, and approximately 50-60 kids attended camp each day.
• About 200 volunteers from Forge came to serve at Camp Impact—132 students and 68 leaders.
• Our Junior Staff (paid high school students who work at Camp Impact) took classes on topics such as nutrition, money management, conflict resolution, how to build a resume, and future career planning.
• Our Impact Student volunteers (teens who have aged out of camp but volunteer their time) were able to participate in some of these classes as well as Bible studies.
• This summer, we had our first graduating senior finish the Junior Staff program. She was previously a camper and she has been volunteering and working at Camp Impact for the last several years.
• Six college students worked as Camp Staff, working and living in Allendale county over the summer. Some of them had this to say about their experience:

"Camp Impact was meaningful to me because I got to better understand the Lord’s heart for all people and watch the church work together to care for others." -Emma Scott, Assistant Director

"I think camp was meaningful to me this summer because I was able to see the Lord’s faithfulness and protection in a whole new light. I was not only learning how to trust God but growing in my trust in him! Everyday at camp was a new opportunity for me to put into action what I was learning." -Kacky Haswell, Activities & Junior Staff Counselor

It has been such a blessing to see our partnerships in Allendale County grow and flourish, and we are privileged to be part of discipling these young people to follow Jesus. Will you join us in celebrating everything God has done this summer, both in Allendale County and in the hearts of our students and volunteers? To learn about the history of our partnership in Allendale, click below.

May 4 began like any other day for Seth and Hannah Williams, members at our Greer campus. They both went about their days as usual until Hannah received a call from her sister-in-law. A mother with newborn twins was looking for an adoptive couple, and through a series of unlikely connections, the Williams’ name and contact information was shared with her. Hannah was stopped in her tracks. While she and Seth had been struggling to conceive for over a year, they had not considered adoption to be in their immediate future. They were beginning to pursue fertility treatments, and had decided that they would think about adoption down the road.

However, as soon as Hannah called Seth, they both immediately knew God wanted them to say yes to this possibility. So within a matter of hours, they left work, packed a few things, and drove to Gastonia, North Carolina to meet this mother and her twin boys. Their family scrambled to find carseats, clothing, diapers, and other necessities to send with them. As they drove, they simply prayed, wept, and gave the matter to the Lord. They knew that they might come home with the twins, and they might not. But they were certain God had called them to make this trip and meet this woman.

When they arrived, they had an instant connection with the woman who had called them. Hannah especially was able to comfort her as she swung between emotions of joy in finding a family she trusted with her boys and intense grief, knowing that the best decision she could make for them was to give them up for adoption. It was a day filled with tension, joy, and sadness as they navigated caring for this sweet woman and preparing their hearts to bring the boys home.

“It was so emotional, but it was humbling to know that God put us there to see her deep hurt and love her through it.”

Meanwhile, as Seth and Hannah wrapped their minds around becoming parents in such a short window of time, their church family was working to get things ready for their return. One of Hannah’s friends from Grace created a spreadsheet outlining anything and everything they could possibly need and shared it with their church community. And more than anything, Seth and Hannah could feel the supportive prayers of their church family as they dealt with the emotions and all the practical details they had to work through in order to bring the boys home.

After a whirlwind 24 hours, on May 5, Seth and Hannah arrived at their home with Myles Samuel and James Brian, who were just three days old. A nursery had been set up, and church members were bringing meals regularly. In those early days, all they had to deal with was loving their boys and figuring out what it looked like for them to be parents.

As they adjusted to their new family and looked back over the past few years, Seth and Hannah realized how God had prepared them for this huge life change. After selling their home, they had moved in with Hannah’s parents for a season. It was a very difficult time for them when a lot of things didn’t make sense, but God was teaching them that his way is best.

“We were in limbo for nine months. Those trials prepared us for getting the boys. We had to learn that everything around us can shake and move and feels unsteady, but we can lean on the Lord. We had to understand that reality before we could properly take care of and serve these boys. We started re|engage in our parents' basement in despair, and we ended with a home and with two children. All this happened in 16 weeks.”

Through this season, both Seth and Hannah had struggled with giving control over to God. But over time, they learned that his way is best and they can trust him even when they don’t understand. And now, as they embark on the journey of parenting two sweet, red-headed boys, they carry these truths with them—God is good, and he is in control.

The summer has been spent cleaning, painting, renovating, and getting apartments ready for residents. We are beyond thankful for every individual who has donated or showed up and helped with this effort, and we wanted to give you an update on how things are going at Front Porch Housing.

Who is living at FPH?

• 229 total residents
• 11 missional residents
• 41 World Relief residents (from Syria, Uganda, Congo, and Afghanistan)
• 57 supportive residents
• 120 students

What else is new?

• We have hired our Housing Director, Brian Burgess; Property Manager, Victoria Patino; and our Facilities Manager, Tim Brady to support the property and residents. We have also added to our Care Coordinator team with the additions of Markis Allen and Sharon Wegner. We are excited to have 18 people total on staff at Front Porch!

How can I support FPH?

• Supporting residents through the Amazon Wish List provides new linens, mattresses, and pillows along with other household items that communicate dignity and belonging.
• You can also make a monetary contribution through Grace Church's online giving platform.
• If you're interesting in serving at Front Porch Housing, click here to fill out an interest form.

Above all, we covet your prayers as we continue supporting our residents. To learn more about Front Porch Housing, 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. Last month, we were excited to host a Mosaic Family Festival for all our individuals in Mosaic and their families. It was great to see 120 participants enjoying the festival as 100 volunteers loved and served them.

Families got to watch a movie and enjoy snacks, make various crafts and balloon animals, play outdoor games, pet snakes and miniature goats, and much more. Above all, it was a sweet time for families with children, students, or adults who have special needs or disabilities to relax, connect with one another, and have fun—knowing their loved ones were being cared for and welcomed by Mosaic volunteers.

What a blessing to see biblical community lived out in this way! If you are interested in learning more about Mosaic or volunteering with this ministry, click below.

Beginning in February, 2022, 95 young professionals began participating in ViewPoint Leadership Year—a 26-session experience for young men and women to help them be effective leaders at work, church, and in the community and to help them consistently apply biblical principles to every area of their work and life. Throughout the year, 28 mentors are walking alongside these young people as they learn operational best practices and seek to apply them to their work.

Being a young believer new to the workforce can be challenging. Many of our participants voiced their difficulty in viewing work through a gospel lens, living an integrated life, and finding practical ways to express the gospel in a professional context.

We are thankful to be able to provide a biblical framework for grappling with these challenges as well as practical tools to help participants be even more effective in their work. Many participants have expressed that the most useful facet of the experience is the relationships they have developed and the time they get to spend processing ideas and current challenges in a group context.

A few participants had this to say about their experience:

I learned how to live out my faith in the workplace by more than just my words. The way I treat people, the way I act, and the things that I do and do not do are all ways that I should live out God’s transformation in me.

I have learned that biblical community and Christian perspective is really important in my work. Even as an entrepreneur with no coworkers and no employees, I have the opportunity every day to represent Christ in some way.

Another cohort of participants will begin ViewPoint Leadership Year in 2023. Will you join us in prayer for the next generation of leaders? To learn more about the program, click below.

We’re all familiar with the value of mission trips, and we often think of traveling to international destinations and serving people from a different culture. However, there is also a need for showing the love of the gospel right here in our community. Over the course of three weeks this summer, over 80 Forge students gave of their time and energy to serve with several of our local partners here in the Upstate.

Mission Upstate was born out of our partnership with Griggs Church, located in Poe Mill. In the mornings, students did service projects for several partners of Griggs Church, and in the afternoons, they ran a camp for neighborhood kids in the Poe Mill and San Souci neighborhoods.

Service partners and projects:

• Calvary First Baptist Church—students helped with their Manna Ministry, providing food for homeless or others in need.
• Salvation Army—students washed vans.
• Rebuild Upstate—one of our teams replaced the siding on a house in Poe Mill.
• The Way Outreach Center—students supported this ministry that invites the homeless to come inside, sit, read, take a shower, etc.
• Poe Mill Achievement Center—team members did yard work and played with kids in their summer program.
• Front Porch Housing—students painted doors.
• Students also did yard work and helped build a playset for a family at our Taylors campus.

While the work these students accomplished was meaningful and helpful in tangible ways, the work that God did in their hearts is key in their discipleship. Many students saw for the first time that people in our community live with significant needs, and it impacted them. In fact, some students have coordinated times to go back to serve at Manna Ministry because they realized they can make a difference right here in Greenville.

Please pray that this work would continue—both in the community and in the hearts of our students. To learn more about Grace Students, click below.

While many of us prefer not to think about it, the process of aging is part of life. And part of stewardship for the believer is thinking and planning strategically so we can honor God and support our families as we navigate the aging process.

Legacy is a ministry that focuses on planning, caring, and finishing well. The goal is to equip our members to think biblically about topics like aging, spiritual and financial stewardship, caring for elderly parents, and investing in the next generation of believers. This summer, Legacy offered Aging Well, a class that addressed several of these topics: leaving a spiritual legacy, stewarding our bodies, stewarding our resources, stewarding for the future, and practical planning. Fifty of our members participated, and they were blessed to hear from different speakers and be equipped with helpful resources.

We are thankful to be able to engage these topics with hope and not fear in the context of biblical community. If you are interested in learning more about Legacy and future classes, please contact Julia Eldred at [email protected].

Thank you, Grace Church, for providing backpacks full of school supplies through our Back-to-School Drive! They are being delivered to children in need across the Upstate through our DSS partners in Anderson, Greenville, Laurens, and Spartanburg counties. Additionally, we have the joy of providing backpacks for children connected to Front Porch Housing and Neighborhood Focus this year.

By the numbers:

• Over 1,200 backpacks were donated
• 481 elementary backpacks = $11,000+
• 727 middle/high backpacks = $65,000+
• $76,000+ total given towards backpacks and school supplies

We are so thankful for your generosity, and our DSS partners have all expressed their gratitude as well. One of our partners had this to say:

On behalf of our staff at Pickens County DSS, I want to let you know how much we appreciate the generosity of Grace Church and your partners in providing school supplies and backpacks for our children. Our staff has already started giving them to their clients! We are very blessed by your generosity. I would also like to thank you all for your prayers for our children that receive these backpacks. May God Bless each of you as you show what true community partnership looks like.

Please take a moment and ask God to encourage and reveal more of himself to each child who receives a backpack. There are many other ways you can serve vulnerable children through our Foster & Adopt ministry. Click below to see how you can support foster and adoptive families throughout the year.

Navigating circumstances like divorce, the loss of a loved one, or caring for someone with a disability or special needs is challenging for anyone. However, it’s particularly difficult for kids and teens when their families are facing one of these complex issues. That’s why we have Ascend.

This summer, 56 children and teens attended Ascend—a weeklong program designed to give students a safe place and opportunity to process and discuss the common experiences associated with grief, divorce, and caregiving. Each day, students came and participated in fun, outdoor activities; met in groups based on their age, gender, and reason for attending; and were able to learn how they are not alone and that God cares for them in the midst of a difficult circumstance. Leaders were also able to give students practical ways to cope with the emotions that inevitably come along with these complex and challenging situations.

It was a blessing to see these kids come together, have fun, and be able to open up to their leaders and one another. It was also amazing to see how our church community came together to support this program. Community groups and individual members provided lunch daily for the kids, and our Mosaic Inspire community helped get gifts ready for the students to receive when they arrived. All these efforts came together to show the love of Jesus to these children and teens. Will you join us in thanking God for the work he has done and pray for continued growth?

For years, both members of Grace church and individuals from our community have experienced life change through re:generation—a 12-step discipleship process oriented around life change and hope through the application of God’s Word.

In late 2020, we were excited to launch re:gen for Students with a small number of our high school students. Since then, the ministry has grown consistently, and more and more of our students are grappling with the difficult issues in their lives and experiencing positive life change. In this age of social media and constant access to information, teens face many weighty issues—pornography, anger, resistance to authority, substance abuse, anxiety, and more. We’ve been both challenged and encouraged by their willingness to confront their struggles honestly and be vulnerable in community.

While working through these issues has been hard, the rewards are already evident—both in the lives of participants and in their circles of influence. We are so thankful for our students, the leaders walking through this journey with them, and above all, a faithful God who offers hope and freedom through the gospel.

Will you join us in praying for re:gen for Students? New groups will launch this fall. If you are interested in learning more, click below.

Front Porch Housing is not only providing a supportive community for residents, it is also creating many discipleship opportunities—both for our members and our community. Recently, we connected with the coach of the Eastside High School football team, who was looking for ways to get his team involved in community service. This led to over 20 football players and multiple coaches participating in a work day at Front Porch Housing.

These guys showed up ready to work, and they did lots of heavy lifting! They moved large items to storage and delivered other large pieces to Miracle Hill as donations. As they were about to leave, one of our new residents arrived from Colorado, and they all pitched in and got her trailer unloaded in an hour. She and her daughter were so grateful for their help after a long cross-country trip.

And after a day of hard work, the team has already committed to return and continue serving! We are thankful for these students, their coaches, and their willingness to help us create a supportive community for those in need. To learn more about Front Porch Housing and how you can get involved, click below.

Last year, we were excited to launch a newly revised version of our Ezer study, Redeeming Sexuality. This study takes a deep, biblical look at the roots of sexual brokenness, how it is manifested in our lives, and how we can find freedom and hope in the gospel. We are so thankful to have this resource for our women.

Part of the publication process is getting the book translated into Spanish for our Grace en Español campuses. These translations also allow us to share resources with our friends and ministry partners in Spanish speaking countries. Grupo Scribere is a translating service specializing in faith-based works. Founded by Franco and Elena de Medina, Grupo Scribere has translated all our Ezer works in the past, and we have developed a good relationship through working with them.

During the pandemic, Franco and Elena began listening to our Español teachings, and when they translated Redeeming Sexuality, they generously donated the cost of the translation (over $8,000) as an offering to Grace en Español. We were humbled by their generosity and blessed to accept their contribution to aid in our mission of making disciples.

To learn more about Redeeming Sexuality or register for a study, click below.

The number of people with dementia is on the rise, and for each person diagnosed, care is required. Many families are functioning as caregivers without any education or training, which leaves them vulnerable to confusion, fear, frustration, and ultimately, burnout. One way Grace is seeking to support these families is through Understanding Dementia—a Grace Institute equipping class designed to help families and caregivers of those impacted by dementia gain a better understanding of the disease.

We were able to partner with the staff of The Gardens to offer Understanding Dementia this past spring, and over 50 people participated. The class covered basic dementia education, practical coping strategies, local resources, a dementia experience, and the opportunity to ask specific questions about dementia to professionals in the field.

One couple who took the class had this to say about their experience:

Understanding Dementia provided us with explanations about how dementia changes a person’s brain—giving us a better understanding about the changes we saw in my dad’s capabilities and his behaviors. It also gave us an opportunity to ask questions, share our experiences, and receive useful resources and support that we so desperately needed.

I have struggled a lot in my new role as a caregiver for my dad, and this class provided me a safe place to express my emotions, to be open about the challenges we are facing, and to feel accepted and understood. The dementia professionals presented the material with compassion and happily shared their knowledge and experience with everyone in the class.

What a blessing to come alongside families so they can be fully known and loved in a challenging season. If you are interested in learning more about Understanding Dementia or other classes related to caregiving, please email Julia Eldred at [email protected].