Two Year
Ministry Plan

We believe that discipleship happens in the context of community. However, there are certain seasons of life when finding that community can be particularly challenging. If you are a mom with young children, you know who isolating that season can be, but that doesn't have to be the case.

This past year, we were excited to launch Moms for Moms, a year-long discipleship program for moms who have any children between the ages of 0-5. Over the course of the year, over a hundred women, both moms and mentors, participated across four campuses (Powdersville, Taylors, Pelham, and a lunch group for working moms Downtown). Each semester, participants read a book focused on spiritual formation together, engaged in group discussion, received mentorship, and simply enjoyed connecting with one another.

What a blessing to see women come together and point one another towards Christ. If you are interested in Moms for Moms, registration for the new year will open in July. Be sure you are subscribed to Stuff That Matters and your campus newsletter in order to receive updates about Moms for Moms and other discipleship opportunities.

We have staff members in both campus staff and support staff roles all over the Upstate! We want you to get to know some of them as you stay updated with what’s happening at Grace Church.

What is your job title?

I am part of our campus support team for students as the projects coordinator. I work on specialized students projects for all of our campuses.

What brought you to Grace Church?

We moved to Greenville in 2014 and had wonderful new neighbors (Hi Chavez fam!) invite us to church. We have been attending ever since!

What do you enjoy most about your job?

I love having the opportunity to work with so many of our students staff across all campuses. I really love having a front row seat to watching our student staff's strengths and gifts come together on projects/teachings/retreats etc. It’s an amazing picture of how all of our campuses come together as one church to further our mission of life change for our students while connecting them to the local church.

What campus do you attend, and what is your favorite thing about it?

My family and I attend the Harrison Bridge campus. I am so grateful for the people and different relationships my family and I have built there over the years. Oh, and obviously the QT right outside the doors is nice, too!

What are you most excited about right now?

I am really excited about our student gender curriculum we have been creating over the past year, Distinct. We have studies coming out this summer for our Fusion boys and girls. Along with that, some of our female staff have been working on developing curriculum for our middle and high school girls that will be coming together this summer as well. We ask for continued prayer in this area for our students as we continue to discern what is most important for our female students to hear at each age group around God’s design for females. We will begin working on our middle and high school guys curriculum in April!

What is one interesting thing about you?

My husband, Doug, and I have four boys! If you would have told me 10 years ago that I would have been a Mom to four loud, loving, crazy, fun, busy boys, I would have laughed at you. It all works well for my overly competitive nature.

Over the past few years, Grace Church Housing has experienced rapid growth, and we are excited to see how God will continue to work through this discipleship effort. In late 2021, Grace had the opportunity to purchase an apartment complex from Greenville Tech. When this purchase is complete, we will be able to expand the scope of our housing ministry exponentially, serving hundreds of residents in a collaborative, supportive community. This means that we will be partnering with other non-profits like Mill Village and Jasmine Road, as well as Grace members looking for an intentional and missional living situation. Growing this community will also decrease the cost for each individual, thus strengthening their financial stability during this 2.5 - 3 year transitional period.

We are thankful to play a small role in helping alleviate some of the challenges caused by a lack of affordable housing in the Upstate, and we are committed to seeing housing become part of the discipleship process for some of the most vulnerable members of our community. To hear more about why we believe this ministry is so important, click the video below to hear Bill White explain the vision behind Grace Housing.

Will you join us in prayer for this growing ministry? And there are already many opportunities to serve, whether through donations, warehouse organization, or resident support. To learn more about our housing ministry and how you can get involved, click below.

Men’s Roundtable is a ministry of Grace Church which lays a biblical groundwork for men of faith to take responsibility for and move towards those around them, all while depending on God. An exciting new facet of MRT that launched this past year is the Men at Grace podcast.

On the podcast, Chris Rivers interviews men from Grace about their personal experiences around topics such as conflict in marriage, work in a fallen world, and building into the next generation. These men share honestly and courageously about how God has worked in their lives.

Here are a few highlights from recent episodes:

Something that’s been very clear for me is that I want to be different. I want to be different than the people around me—in a positive way. Being around so many people of this world, and our culture, I want to think about how I can set myself apart and look different from everyone else around me. How can I go into a meeting at work differently? How can I love people differently? How can I be a different friend? How can I be a different husband? How can I show who Jesus is in this way?

Episode 15 - “What Kind of Man Do I Want to Be? With Micah Williams and Brandon DeJong”

All men have a unique energy—there are three buckets that a man can use to deploy his energy. You can deploy it positively, as God intended. You can squander it, which is tantamount to passivity. Worse still, you can deploy it in a negative way—anger, anxiety, adultery, alcohol. There are so many ways you can go to a dark place if you don’t have a plan. The challenge for me was, how am I going to steward this gift? I knew if I didn’t have a structured plan for my life, I would risk falling into the category of passivity or using my energy negatively.

Episode 13 - “Stewarding Masculine Energy, With Paul Gaeto”

These honest conversations are a great resource to equip men for the work of leadership and discipleship, and we hope you will take advantage of them. To see all episodes and subscribe, click below.

Grace has been partnering with local churches in Allendale county for over a decade, and it’s been a joy to see those relationships grow. One of the primary ways Grace supports local ministry in Allendale is through Camp Impact, a six-week summer program for kids ages 5-12. But even when camp is not in session, the work in Allendale is ongoing.

Throughout the school year, we work to support Impact Students—a ministry for middle and high school students. A few times each semester, a team of Grace staff and volunteers spend the day in Allendale hosting events that involve teaching, discipleship, community, and fun! This has been a great way for Grace volunteers to stay connected in Allendale and invest in those relationships.

We are also currently looking forward to the summer and just finished the interview process for Junior Staff members. Junior Staff are teens in Allendale who will be paid staff members who help run programming for Camp Impact. This year, six out of the seven Junior Staffers were once children who attended Camp Impact. Four of them were on Junior Staff and two of them helped on a volunteer basis last summer. It has been amazing to see the discipleship process over the span of years—these staffers are now serving children in the same program where they once learned and grew in their faith.

The interview process to be a Junior Staff member is quite rigorous, and applicants learn valuable life skills as they apply. Individuals must be asked to apply, fill out an application and write a cover letter, be interviewed, and write thank you notes to their interviewers. Applicants must be invested in order to complete the process, and it’s been a blessing to see their dedication to serving their community.

Life change begets life change, and we are grateful to be part of seeing God work in lives through young leadership in Allendale county. Will you pray with us for the summer ahead? Pray that staff members and volunteers would have energy and humility for each day, and that the children they serve would be tender to the gospel. To learn more about our partnerships in Allendale county, click below.

One of our ministry partners is JUMPSTART—a gospel-centered organization that disciples current and former prisoners and assists with re-entry to society. One of JUMPSTART’s current initiatives is the construction of Restoration Village located in Spartanburg county. The Village will provide a community for those re-entering society from prison in a setting that prepares them to be productive citizens. In this type of supportive community setting, participants will have more intimate discipleship opportunities and be better equipped to both serve one another and grow in spiritual maturity.

We are excited to share a milestone in JUMPSTART’s construction of Restoration Village—all infrastructure is in place, and by early March, the first three of 24 modular homes will be delivered. The community will have walking trails, basketball and pickleball courts, and a multi-purpose building for classes and events. All participants will be part of a year-long transitional program, and this environment will help enable them to re-enter society with confidence.

We are thankful to be a small part of this project through financial support and the volunteer contributions of many of our members. Please join us in prayer around this new community, both those serving and those being served. When complete, Restoration Village will be able to house 126 individuals. What an exciting opportunity for life-on-life discipleship to take place in our communities. To see drone footage of Restoration Village’s construction in progress, click the video below. To learn more about JUMPSTART, click below.

Ezer—our ministry to women and for women at Grace Church—launched a newly revised version of Redeeming Sexuality in the fall. Over the last few months, several groups of women have walked through this material together, and we have been excited to see God at work. Women of all ages and stages of life have something to learn from this study. Some of the participants had this to say:

"I knew I needed to deal with the voices in my head regarding sex and shame, but I had no idea where to start. I was afraid that talking about it would make the issues even bigger and that I would be judged for having these experiences. I thought that I would need to find a counselor or psychologist to ‘fix’ me. I never expected to find a safe place for my thoughts and fears here at church, in a group of ladies from such diverse backgrounds. It gave me a new perspective. We are all dealing with the brokenness of this world, sex included. We all have a story to share, and we don't need to have it all figured out to be redeemed.”

“Redeeming Sexuality? At my age? Not that there weren't deep hurts that needed healing, but I had already prayed about all that. Besides, it felt much more safe to keep it buried as I had for decades. Thankfully, God wanted more for me. Through this study, wonderful leadership, and a loving group of ladies, God orchestrated a way for me to experience healing and the sweet freedom that comes with it. I experienced a domino effect of healing that even made its way to others close to me. The shame and lies I believed no longer have a hold on me. God brought redemption to my past and indeed, he made beauty out of ashes.”

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 can then take our fractured hearts to a loving Father who is skilled in mending us with love, forgiveness, and acceptance.

To learn more about Grace’s Ezer ministry and find a study at your campus, click below.

One of our serving partners is Mary Ezzell, a member of our Grace En Español Taylors campus. Mary is leaving soon to work with our partners in Nicaragua, Christ For the City International. We are so thankful for Mary’s heart for missions and hope you will join us in prayer for her and those she will be serving in Nicaragua. Click the video below to hear her story about some of the unique challenges she has faced and the peace God has provided. To learn more about our partnerships in Nicaragua, 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 Kristin Fisher, a member of the Taylors campus who oversees the ministry of She Is Safe in Myanmar. She Is Safe is an organization that works to equip young girls and women who are at high risk of slavery as well as rescue and restore those who have been enslaved. Kristin recently shared an update about the context and mission of She Is Safe, how they are working to be the hands and feet of Jesus to families in Myanmar, and how we can pray for them. Click the video below to hear Kristin’s story. To learn more about our serving partners at Grace, click below.

Our Foster & Adopt ministry has been active all year serving foster and adoptive families, biological families, DSS workers, and guardians ad litem in many different ways. As we transition into a new year of ministry, we wanted to highlight two areas in particular.

The Foster & Adopt Resource Center has grown into an extraordinary source of both physical and spiritual support for those involved in fostering and adoption. Through the Resource Center, we have served over 500 children in the past year, providing $62,500 worth of donated items. In addition, 50 volunteers have invested over 5,000 hours throughout the year and prayed for over 200 families.

Another exciting area of this ministry is our seasonal giving project. Your generosity has enabled us to collect over 290 gift cards for foster families this Christmas season. That means we have contributed more than $29,000 worth of gift cards that will go towards blessing foster children with Christmas gifts.

We are encouraged to see how our Foster & Adopt ministry has flourished this year, and there are many more stories to tell of God’s work in this area of our church. We hope you will join us in prayer for all involved. To learn more about Foster & Adopt or to volunteer, click below.

Grace has partnered with many churches and faith-based organizations around the world, and we are excited to announce a new partnership with fellow believers in Israel. Over the past few years, leaders at Grace have connected 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.

One particular focus of these churches in Israel is student ministry, as it is especially difficult to be a young believer in that context. So for the next two years, Grace has agreed to provide financial support to hire a central student coordinator for the students who belong to the ABC. We hope you will join us in praying for this new partnership, the student coordinator who will be working in Israel, and the many students whose lives will be touched.

Click below to watch a video that explains more about the challenges of youth ministry in Israel.

Across all of our campuses, volunteer worship and audio visuals teams serve every week to create a worshipful environment for our congregations. This December, as a special “thank you” to these teams, a group of staff and volunteers hosted Worship Culture, an evening for our volunteers to worship together, as well participate in the recording of a live album.

During the evening, three hundred people gathered to celebrate and praise God for the work he has done over the past few years. Ten songs were recorded, including nine new ones written by Grace staff and volunteers. The live recordings will become an album released in March 2022.

See below for more photos from Worship Culture, or visit Grace Church Worship on Spotify for songs, albums, and playlists.

The last two years have presented a wealth of difficulty, and with travel restrictions, supporting our outreach partners around the globe has been a challenge. While we’ve been able to stay connected virtually, we’re excited that multiple opportunities have opened up to serve and support our outreach partners in person. See below for a summary of what’s coming up. For more, visit our outreach page or click on Bill White’s full update.

• Nicaragua: For the first time in several years, a team will join Christ the City International in Chinandega, Nicaragua, to train local pastors and leaders and host a children’s program and medical clinic. Medical professionals are still a need for this trip, March 19–26, 2022. Apply here!
• Puerto Rico: Continuing in our partnership with Hunger Corp, a team will serve in Puerto Rico February 5–11, 2022, helping to rebuild homes damaged by natural disasters in the Dorado Community.
• East Africa: This fall, Bill and Rachael White will spend time in Rwanda encouraging pastors and their wives, then join Robby and Nathalie Richard in Kenya, where they will work with Bernard Kabaru and the Aberdare Baptist Convention to help train pastors and leaders.
• Germany: For the last few years, Grace has been a resource for several local churches in Frankfurt and Munich. Currently, our leadership is working with a German church as they begin leadership succession.
• Israel: Grace is currently supporting a full-time student ministry staff member in a church in the Arab community of Israel.

At Grace Church, our mission is to make disciples, and our efforts are strategically directed to guide members through life in a lost culture. Whether relationships, jobs, or mundane day-to-day tasks, we believe all of life falls under the umbrella of discipleship, and ultimately we are either guided by Scripture, or by culture.

In the summer of 2020, our nation exploded with the tragic deaths of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd. In the aftermath, many of our members were left to fend for themselves as they began to listen to the loudest voices on the left or the right.

Since we have a duty to shepherd our people, staff members David Delk and Chrystie Cole began extensive research and eventually developed the Race, Justice & the Scriptures curriculum. Our elders and leadership team, along with their wives, went through the study, and leaders of several African American churches in our area provided feedback.

This fall community groups went through Race, Justice & the Scriptures in two live sessions, which included teaching, a panel, and direction on how we should respond:

• By rooting out any sin of partiality
• Working to make unjust systems more just
• Getting to know someone different than you
• Putting yourself on the hook for someone who has chronic and difficult challenges

Groups gathered together after the session to work through the material and discuss questions. The live sessions of Race, Justice & the Scriptures will become a 6-session video study, available in February 2022.

Since 2009, Grace has worked to build partnerships in Allendale, a county in our state that has faced significant economic struggles. One of the primary ways Grace supports local churches in Allendale is through Camp Impact, a six-week summer program for kids ages 5–12. But even when camp is not in session, the work in Allendale is ongoing. During the school year, our outreach team hosts Impact Student events for former campers, now middle and high school students. These special times allow Grace volunteers to continue investing in relationships, as well as provide community, teaching, and discipleship for students.

This fall, we hosted our first Impact Student Fall Overnight in Allendale. A team from Grace joined Allendale students for a unique time of teaching, small groups, and community building at a local retreat center. Students participated in several service projects centered around breast cancer awareness and Veterans Day, and also enjoyed a Halloween Party.

Taylor Frick, outreach project manager, felt like the event was an important milemarker for Grace’s work in Allendale County.

“It was the first opportunity we had for an overnight event tailored for our students who live there,” Taylor says. “It provided an opportunity for the Camp Impact community to invest in our relationships with each other, even though we’re from different parts of the state and have different backgrounds. Seeing these students stay involved as they navigate high school, and be open to our involvement as a church, is an answered prayer and great privilege to witness!”

Click below for more about our partnership in Allendale County, and make sure to check out the Impact Student Fall Overnight photo gallery!

Walking through the death of a loved one is a complicated and difficult time. As a church, Grace feels responsible to shepherd members during this process, specifically through natural burial. Instead of embalming, vaults, and coffins, natural burial is a simple alternative involving a pine box or a shroud. Not only is this better for the environment, it is inexpensive, and most importantly, allows for Grace to support members in a tangible, intimate way.

Since purchasing property in Piedmont, Grace has partnered in the passing of two men, including Donald Banke, the father of Spartanburg member Chip Banke. Donald, who died in September, was buried peacefully in an intimate graveside ceremony, surrounded by the natural serenity of the grounds. Chip’s former community group gathered in support, helping him lower his dad into the ground and fill the grave.

"Grace Church staff were incredibly caring, honoring, respectful, and nurturing in the burial experience with Dad,” Chip says. “I truly felt loved while grieving."

"Seeing and experiencing natural burial and how it brought the Banke family together with our church body is something that I will never forget,” says Spartanburg campus pastor Daniel Black. “Instead of keeping the grieving family at a distance, it allowed for men that Chip has led in community groups to have an opportunity to serve alongside him in the unique season of burying his father. This shared experience absolutely helps our church better care for our members through loss."

The site in Piedmont includes more than 12 acres of peaceful, rolling grounds, which will allow Grace to partner with thousands of members in the burial process. For more information on natural burial, click below, or email Jennifer Dill at [email protected]

Since its beginning, Grace Church has been on a mission to make disciples in local communities, which has led to multiple congregations worshipping in different buildings across the Upstate. One of these communities, our Latino brothers and sisters in the area, needed a church home, and in response, Grace en Español was launched in 2014.

Now Grace en Español has two campuses, located in Spartanburg and Taylors, with around 250 people gathering for teaching and worship at each campus every Sunday. Recently they’ve been able to launch a student ministry (Fusion through Forge), and this September started re:generation. Grace en Español is actually one of the first churches to implement the re:gen program in Spanish, and now has four Step groups and two Groundwork groups.

But in addition to discipling Spanish speakers in the Upstate, Grace en Español has a vast digital reach. Their resources, including teaching, conferences, and online services have been accessed from 32 different countries, including every country where Spanish is the primary language. Families whose churches are closed due to COVID-19 have been able to utilize their online teaching, and there’s even a group of women in a Colombian prison studying the Ezer curriculum.

“There is a church in Nicaragua that uses everything that we do, even our teaching,” Robby Richard, our Grace en Español campus pastor explains. “I send him my notes and he uses them to teach after watching our sermons. We are hoping to do an online sermon prep class with him and some of his leaders in November.”

As the Latino population increases in the Upstate, the need for discipleship and discipleship resources in Spanish only increases. Click below for more about Grace en Español.

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.