Two Year
Ministry Plan

Last week, we had several volunteers serve by running a camp for kids at Front Porch Housing during Greenville County's spring break. This was a great way to care for both the kids and working parents who wouldn't otherwise have childcare. Each day, about 20 kids from Front Porch, World Relief, and United Ministries participated in arts and crafts, playground time, outdoor activities, lunch, and movie time. The week of fun ended with a carnival Friday night for families to enjoy inflatable obstacle courses, carnival games, cotton candy, and group games. We are grateful for all the volunteers who made this possible, and it was great to see families and community groups serve together. If you are interested in volunteering with Front Porch Housing, click below to visit their website and learn more.

Our Foster & Adopt ministry is always busy caring for adoptive and foster families, biological parents, and our local DSS workers. Since a lot has been going on over the past few months, we wanted to give you a spring update!

Resource Center

The Resource Center is located at our Taylors campus and is run by volunteers. In the first two months of 2023, it has served over 70 children!

Families Count

Families Count is a parenting class that allows participants to complete a part of their DSS plan working towards reunification with their children. Every participant has a mentor, and this spring, six moms graduated from the class.

Front Porch Housing

We now have an apartment at Front Porch Housing that is set aside for DSS workers and foster children. If a foster child does not have an immediate placement, they are able to stay in the apartment along with their DSS worker. Front Porch Housing has generously furnished the apartment, and our Outreach ministry is keeping the pantry stocked. Our goal is to provide a safe place for children and teens to rest during an uncertain time.

Volunteer Opportunities

There are always volunteer opportunities with our Foster & Adopt ministry!

• Resource Center—sort and organize donations
• Childcare when campuses host a Parent’s Night Out for foster and adoptive families
• Mentor a parent through Families Count (next class coming up in July)
• Become a guardian ad litem (training session in April)

To learn more about our Foster & Adopt ministry, click below to visit our website and fill out an interest form. You can also email Beth Drake with any questions at [email protected].

One of our local ministry partners is Homes of Hope, a nonprofit organization that seeks to inspire lasting change in communities through multiple avenues of development. By providing affordable, energy efficient rental and home ownership options, Homes of Hope is actively developing foundational, safe environments for low-to-moderate income families in the Upstate. Throughout the years, they have built more than 600 energy efficient homes, enabling local families and individuals to thrive.

Homes of Hope also runs a workforce development program for men overcoming drug and alcohol addictions—helping them restore their lives through sobriety and construction training. Currently, this program has graduated over 300 men who are in high demand for construction related employment.

We are thankful to partner with Homes of Hope through financial support and volunteer efforts. To learn more about Homes of Hope, other local ministry partners, or to get involved, click below.

Since officially launching in the summer of 2022, Front Porch Housing has helped many in the Upstate find a place to call home, with more than 400 residents at the Greenville Tech Campus location alone. As a three-year supportive housing program, Front Porch provides a foundation for residents who need help getting back on their feet. And as director of Front Porch Housing, Brian Burgess says there’s no shortage of need.

Brian, a husband and father of three, worked in management, stayed at home with his kids, and a few years ago, returned to school to finish a degree in Parks & Rec Tourism Management. In 2021, he interned with Ascend, a ministry for students dealing with loss, and in 2022, he interned with Front Porch, which led to the director role. Brian’s job ranges from fundraising to developing partnerships, but it’s clear that resident care is a priority.

“When you have that many people, you have a lot of unforeseen needs,” Brian says. Residents are often coming out of difficult circumstances and connecting them to the resources they need, which can be as basic as food or transportation, can be challenging. His staff carries a heavy load, and Brian welcomes prayers for them as they help residents navigate their part in God’s story.

Financial giving is certainly a huge way people can help, and since Front Porch is its own nonprofit, Brian recommends giving directly via their website. But volunteers are also needed, from tutors to skilled maintenance workers, and even help with childcare while parents attend classes. But you don’t have to be a volunteer to be a part. In fact Brian recommends just stopping by, especially on a Food Truck Friday starting again in April.

“Just come visit,” Brian says. “Let that speak to what we are doing.”

For more information or to give to Front Porch Housing, visit frontporchhousing.org, or stop by the clubhouse for a coffee at Inspire Coffee House, 1433 Cleveland St, Greenville.

Last month, our Pelham campus hosted a special Christmas Luncheon for DSS workers in Greenville County. These men and women serve foster children and families in our community tirelessly and often without thanks, so we wanted to find a small way to show them that we see and appreciate all they do.

About 150 people attended the event, and they got to enjoy a delicious lunch, Christmas goodies, games, a photo booth, and simply spending time with one another. We loved seeing joy on everyone’s faces, and one participant told us, “I was so honored that Grace Church would do something so special for DSS workers.”

Supporting our DSS workers is just one way we seek to serve the Foster & Adopt community. If you are interested in learning more about our Foster & Adopt ministry and how you can get involved, click below.

Over the past few years, many of our international missions trips have been put on hold due to the pandemic. So this fall, we were excited to be able to send a medical mission team to serve with our partners in Kenya for the first time in three years. The team consisted of medical providers, dentists, nurses, and several other members who helped support and organize the clinics—a total of 19 members.

Our partnership in Kenya is with LEFTI, Life Empowerment for Transformation International, led by Bernard Kabaru. Through local church networks, LEFTI provides pastoral training and support for the body of Christ in Kenya. LEFTI also works through community and school networks to support children and their families participating in the OVC Kenya program.

This most recent mission team worked to provide practical resources and meet physical needs for individuals and families in the Kenyan community of Turuturu, serving alongside Kenyan pastors who provided spiritual support. In partnership with a local church, the team helped host a three-day medical clinic for over 690 individuals. While people waited to be seen, pastors and Kenyan believers were able to share the gospel with them. As our clinical team provided medical, dental, vision and pharmaceutical care, they enjoyed having more personal conversations and praying with individuals as God provided opportunities. As a special treat, the team visited one of the schools where children in the OVC Kenya program attend. Several Grace members who are OVC Kenya sponsors were able to meet their child and their child's family! A safari and time in the local market capped off the week for this team as they debriefed and prepared to fly home.

Some of the team members had this to say about their experience:

God reminded me of how restful it is to lay down my life, forget myself, my comfort, my foolish desires, my desire for control. How truly I’m blessed when I live in dependence.

My biggest takeaways were being challenged on being intentional and kingdom-minded with my sphere of influence along with believing and claiming power in prayer.

God reminded me that the world is much bigger than my little bubble and that there is a great need for the body of Christ to continue to go out into the world to help and serve others.

This trip was not only an opportunity to serve our brothers and sisters in Kenya, but an important pathway for our members to be discipled. If you would like to learn more about our partnership in Kenya or apply for an upcoming trip (applications are being accepted for our April 2023 trip), click below!

Eric Archibald is a member of our Pelham campus, and he recently shared the story of his recovery from addiction and how God has worked in his life over the past few years. After a difficult season of addiction, Eric went through the program at Miracle Hill’s Overcomers Center, a six-month residential addiction recovery program for men suffering from life-dominating addictions. As he did the hard work of recovery, Eric met Jesus, and the entire course of his life was changed. To hear more about Eric’s story and how God is using him to serve others, click the video below.

One of our goals at Grace is to build and strengthen healthy families. We all know that we live in a broken world, and this has affected many families in our community whose children have gone into DSS care. One way we support reunification efforts for these families is by offering a parenting class—Families Count.

This seven-week biblically based class is state approved, and it helps biological parents meet requirements to reunite with their children. Each participant has a mentor from Grace who walks with them through the course, and many help with transportation as well. We also have volunteers and community groups who provide a meal before the class.

We just completed our eighth Families Count class, and 12 parents graduated. We are so excited to see parents grow and move towards being reunited with their children. This is also a great opportunity for us to show God’s love by treating each participant with dignity and making sure they know they are valued.

Will you join us in praying for these families? Pray that God would continue to work in their lives and that we would continue to serve them faithfully. If you are interested in serving with Families Count, our next class begins in January. Be sure you are subscribed to Stuff That Matters to learn about upcoming serving opportunities!

Nick and Annie VanWingerden are missionaries serving in Grenoble, France, and we are privileged to support and partner with them. Like most typical post-Christian European countries, France has great spiritual needs. Its proximity to North Africa and immigration have changed the landscape both ethnically and religiously. The VanWingerdens and their local church can connect with young people from all over the world. They are seeking to reach the least reached peoples where they are most reachable to make an impact for God's Kingdom.

Facts about France and Grenoble:

• 1.6% Christian
• 9.6% Muslim
• Strong spiritualist influence
• Grenoble is home to France’s third largest university, founded in 1339
• Over 60,000 university students and 3,000 researchers are in the city

The work that Nick and Annie are part of is necessary, developing the relatively few Christ followers that already exist and reaching those who have never heard. Through their church community, they want to give students an opportunity to hear the truth of the gospel by exposing them to God's Word and Christian community. After a year sabbatical and experiencing much of the Grace culture, the VanWingerdens are now serving partners. We are committed to monthly financial and prayer support, but even more so, hope that we can send teams of Grace members to come alongside them in special seasons of ministry opportunity.

As we begin this partnership with an exploratory team in January, please pray for God’s guidance to give us discernment for the future. If you would like to receive the VanWingerdens’ newsletter, email [email protected]. To hear more of their story, click the video below.

As our Foster & Adopt ministry grows across our campuses, we are grateful for the opportunities God has provided to care for vulnerable children. We desire to engage with foster and adoptive families personally and regularly throughout their journey. Each campus has a Foster & Adopt Champion that connects with families and coordinates support when they need it most. Recently, a community group at our Downtown campus hosted a barbeque picnic for foster and adoptive families at their campus. This was a simple but tangible way to support these families and create space for them to connect with each other.

Another facet of our Foster & Adopt ministry is the resource center, which houses clothing, baby equipment, diapers, toys, and much more. Since August, the resource center has served over 120 children. Also, volunteers are currently putting together equipping bags for Greenville County DSS workers with useful items so they can be ready to serve their clients.

On October 14-15, we hosted a simulcast for the Replanted Conference at our Pelham campus for over 65 people. Replanted is a conference designed to encourage caregivers so they can come away refreshed, equipped, and inspired, and it was a blessing to be able to provide this resource to our community. We also had over 70 door prizes such as books, pottery, and photography sessions provided by Grace Church members for those attending.

Please pray for our foster and adoptive families, the DSS workers in our communities, and the volunteers who serve them. If you are interested in getting involved serving our Foster & Adopt community, there are many ways you can show support. Click below to learn more about how you can serve.

Senior Honor is our elder care ministry, and each campus partners with at least one assisted living community to host worship services and offer support on a regular basis. September 11-17 was National Assisted Living Week, and all our campuses were able to come alongside their Senior Honor partner communities and offer special encouragement.

Our Anderson campus had some especially fun treats for their partner community, Dominion Senior Living. On Monday and Tuesday, volunteers handed out journals, handwritten notes of encouragement, and candy to staff and residents. Another day, a volunteer helped facilitate Bingo and hand out prizes supplied by Grace. And on Thursday, volunteers hosted a carnival! Residents played games, enjoyed carnival themed treats, and especially enjoyed connecting with some of our younger volunteers. A catered lunch was provided on Friday to cap off the week.

One volunteer had this to say about serving during this special week:

The staff who I knew thanked us profusely with tears in their eyes. They said all the little things (signs, candy bars, handwritten notes, etc) and the big things (lunch, Bingo, snack cart) lifted morale and were such an encouragement all week long. You could tell walking into the nursing home that week that there was a joyful buzz about the place. It was definitely a joy for us to serve them!

What a great opportunity to serve our community and show the love of Jesus in this tangible way. If you would like to learn more about Senior Honor or volunteer opportunities, click below.

When Paul and Drew Talbert moved to Greenville early in 2020, they were able to attend Grace’s Powdersville campus once before the pandemic set in and shut down in-person services. But even through those months when church looked a lot different, they knew God had brought them to the area for his purposes, and part of that was serving in the context of the local church. After joining in the fall, they immediately jumped into serving with Senior Honor—specifically because it was a ministry where they could involve their two boys, Anderson (9) and Whit (7).

Both Paul and Drew grew up in the context of a small church where everyone was expected to serve, so the idea of being involved through serving was ingrained in both of their hearts. They also have specific memories of serving alongside their parents—learning the importance of putting the needs of others before their own. So with a vision of discipling their own boys through firsthand experience, they took on the role of Senior Honor Champion with their campus partner facility, Oakview Park. In addition, Paul serves as a shadow for Mosaic, they all serve through Mosaic Respite Nights, and Paul and Drew both serve by leading worship monthly in re:generation.

Serving as a family has its challenges. Naturally, the boys often prefer pursuing their own interests. But this has provided great opportunities for Paul and Drew to talk with each other and their boys about why they serve.

It’s a rare Sunday that we’re all excited to serve. But rarely is serving meant to be a beautiful, happy experience for everyone. It’s meant to be hard. We struggle with the same feelings of not wanting to go sometimes, so we’re honest with them and talk about why we serve.

Even through the challenges, it’s been a blessing to see their boys grow a heart for others and understand that even as children, they have something valuable to offer. Paul and Drew have also experienced spiritual growth through serving. Paul shares that serving has taught him about the concept of “imago dei”—everyone is made in God’s image. Because of that, all are valuable and worthy of love; the world does not revolve around him.

Serving is a great way to think less about yourself. We have the example of Christ, and he laid down his life to serve others. As you serve, you can’t help but think—this is what my Savior did for me. I’m not thinking about paying him back; I just know this is the best way to grow.

Drew has learned the value of serving in obscurity. Because she grew up in a small church, her family’s role was much more visible. At Grace, she had to examine the “why” of her involvement. Did she serve because it was simply expected of her? Or because she truly wanted to serve God’s people?

I learned that I was there to serve God, not to be seen by others. He has called me to serve by faith, following Jesus’ example in Scripture, and there’s no automatic payoff for serving. It’s part of cultivating a heart for him.

In the two years the Talberts have been at Grace, serving has been the heartbeat of their spiritual growth and provided a valuable structure for discipling their children. While they know it is important to feed their own souls through teaching, worship, and personal study, Paul and Drew view serving as an integral part of their connection to the church. When asked what they would say to someone considering serving, Paul and Drew shared:

Be prayerfully dependent, but don’t wait for the magical moment to feel called or led. Just get involved—think about the season that you're in and commit. We’re called to serve. If you want to see growth in your life, it’s one of the main things you need to implement in order to flourish.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.