Two Year
Ministry Plan

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!

Last month, a group of students from Allendale County, along with Grace staff and members who have been involved in our Allendale partnership, went on a mission trip to Queens, New York. We were excited to see this new facet of our partnership with local churches in Allendale come to life! The team included five students from Allendale County, two of their moms who are community leaders, and seven participants from Grace, including three Grace staff members.

The team worked with a local ministry that is seeking to build a community of believers in the Afghan population in Queens. They spent time getting to know people in the community by passing out water bottles at parks, praying for people, and connecting them to Scripture and Bible studies in their own language.

During the evenings, students heard teaching from the book of Daniel and unpacked the big ideas in small group discussion, exploring what it looks like to follow God in a culture that pulls us in a different direction. They also got to enjoy seeing some sites and experiencing New York City! The entire trip was a time of learning, serving, and growing, and we were thankful to be part of this opportunity along with our friends in Allendale County. We hope you’ll join us in prayer—that those who went on the trip are reflective, and that the seeds they planted are fruitful.

To learn more about our partnership in Allendale County, click below.

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.

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.

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.

For the first time in over four years, Grace Church was able to send a medical team to Chinadega, Nicaragua this past week. The team of 24 covenant members from across all of our campuses consisted of doctors, nurses, physical therapists, a dental hygienist, and a number of willing servants who filled various roles throughout the different areas of the clinic. The scope of ministry included vision consults and glasses where appropriate, dental cleanings and evaluations, dental education, and a full-scale pharmacy where more than 1,200 prescriptions were filled during the week. More than 500 patients were seen, and many were receptive to the gospel.

The team also participated in children’s ministry and continued the Pastor & Leader Training that has been ongoing in Chinandega since last year with more than 60 participants throughout the week. It was also exciting to share the week with Mary Ezzell, a serving partner based out of our Español campus, who is living in Nicaragua and serving alongside our ministry partners, Christ for the City International.

What a blessing to be back in Nicaragua, working alongside fellow believers and showing Jesus’ love to those in need. Please join us in thanking God for all he has done in and through this team! If you want to learn more about International Missions at Grace and see opportunities for future mission trips, click below.

One organization we partner with to provide support for international refugees is World Relief—a global Christian humanitarian organization that brings sustainable solutions to disasters, extreme poverty, violence, oppression, and mass displacement.

Since last fall, a group of volunteers from Grace has operated as a Good Neighbor Team to support a family of 10 Afghan refugees. A Good Neighbor Team undergoes training through World Relief and works to support refugees as they acclimate and adjust to their new environment. These volunteers have walked with this family through the entire process of arriving in the area, to navigating government paperwork, to understanding the education system. Even more importantly, they offer friendship and community—seeking to show God’s love to those in need.

We are currently in the process of forming a second Good Neighbor Team so we can support additional families in the area. Will you join us in prayer around this effort to serve refugees? If you are interested in learning more about this partnership and how you can get involved, please email us at [email protected].

Earlier this month, our Nicaragua team faced disappointment as their trip was canceled at the last minute due to an airline cancellation. After finding no alternative flight plan, the team met to grieve, process, and pray together. God graciously reoriented both our partners in Nicaragua and our team here in Greenville, and they decided to move forward and serve “where they were.”

For our partners in Nicaragua—Christ for the City International—this meant they continued with their plan for the week. They taught a class for pastors and leaders, delivered 50 bags of food and staples to those in need, and worked on projects for two different schools supported through CFCI’s Hope School program. Grace funded the food bags and school projects, and CFCI team members made the deliveries, prayed with family members, and joined in the work. Mary Ezzell, a Grace member currently living in Nicaragua, represented us in all these projects.

Our team here in Greenville had already taken time off for the week, so they jumped into serving through various projects here in town. They did yard work at one of the Grace Housing rental units, helped with organizing at the Housing Warehouse, delivered Meals on Wheels for Greenville County, and did a clothes sorting/packing project at the Spartanburg Espanol Campus. Team members were even able to help a family deal with a last-minute, unplanned move. And over half the team ended their week serving at the Fusion student retreat on the work crew!

It was amazing to see God’s sovereign hand at work in each of these situations, and even more so, God worked in hearts through this unexpected circumstance to teach prayerful dependence. We hope you will join us in celebrating what he has done both in Nicaragua and here in the Upstate. We do have mission trips scheduled to Nicaragua and Puerto Rico in the coming months. If you would like to learn more about our international mission opportunities or apply, click below.

OVC Kenya is a partnership program that provides sustainable support and promotes long term relationships with orphans and vulnerable children in Kenya. Through our partnership with Bernard Kabaru and local churches in Limuru, Kenya, we are helping expand an existing program that provides physical, academic, and relational support to children in need within each church’s local community.

Grace individuals and families have the opportunity to partner with children in Kenya by becoming advocates! Each advocate not only contributes financially to help provide for their child, but they also send letters of encouragement and support. We currently have advocates for 116 children in Kenya.

Pelham members Matt and Christy Knarr, along with their three daughters Haley, Brooke, and Mackenzie, have advocated for two children in Kenya over the past eight years. They had this to say about their experience:

Being an advocate is an opportunity for our family to share the blessings God has given us with others. Our two Kenyan children are so woven into our lives that our family prays for them regularly and our children eagerly await their letters and want to share pictures, notes, and artwork of their own in return. It has helped our children to see ways in which we may be able to help others in more challenging circumstances. This ministry has also given all of us someone tangible to pray for and then witness how God works in their lives.

It has been a blessing for us to be a part of their lives for so many years. This ministry walks alongside and supports the entire family to have a lasting impact on not only them, but our entire family as well. We have enjoyed being part of their life journey and are excited to see both our OVC children move into adulthood very soon.

What a blessing to see the gospel work through individuals in tangible ways. Will you join us in prayer for the children and families represented in this program? To learn more about OVC Kenya, 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 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.

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.

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]

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!

This past month, 10 Grace Church members went on our first post-pandemic mission trip to Puerto Rico! We were thrilled to have our feet on the ground and be able to work in person with our ministry partners once more. Team members worked in partnership with Hunger Corp to help rebuild a home in Dorado that was damaged by Hurricane Maria in 2018. On our coming mission trips in July and August, we will continue working in Dorado to help their community rebuild homes and restore small businesses.

Our team was also able to worship with fellow believers at a local church. Another great connection was with Joel, a resident whose home had been devastated and rebuilt by teams in 2019-20. It was exciting for a few team members who had been on both trips to see the fruit of their labor and Joel's huge smile!

We are blessed to see God work through our members to serve others. But we are further blessed to see how God worked in the hearts of our team members. A few of them had this to say about their experience:

"I learned to invest in the people I am with and the people around me. Sometimes we focus on the project and getting it accomplished versus really investing in the souls of others that are around us. People over projects!"

"I saw that God can use me even when I thought my skill set didn't match the calling. If God is speaking, go!"

"A mission trip is more than a vehicle for sharing the gospel. It's an opportunity for God to work on your own heart."

Please join us in celebrating what God has done and praying for the next two mission trips that will take place this summer. If you are interested in applying to join a mission trip this summer, click below to learn more!

One of our partner organizations is Christ for the City International in Nicaragua. They have been working hard, along with local churches, to support the countless individuals who have been affected by the pandemic as well as recent hurricanes. Although we haven’t been able to travel to Nicaragua over the past year, we have closely partnered with our brothers and sisters in Nicaragua through prayer, virtual teaching, and financial support.

Through this partnership, we have been able to help provide food, water filters, clothing, medical assistance, and other vital supplies to those in need. Recently, our Nicaragua Partnership Lead Wes Cavin was able to have a conversation with Fabricio Mendoza, the director of the Christ for the City International Nicaragua base and get an update about how things are going. Watch a short clip from the update below. To watch the full conversation, click here, and to see related photos, click here.

One of our partners in Puerto Rico is Hunger Corp—a local Christian nonprofit organization that works to rebuild Puerto Rico well after natural disasters in a way that brings dignity to those who have experienced loss. Over the past two years, Grace has sent three teams to Puerto Rico, and Hunger Corp has helped train our volunteers and coordinate the work we do there so we can best serve local communities.

Last year, we were able to donate ten thousand dollars for them to purchase two shipping containers. These containers have been retrofitted to store basic supplies so locals can be prepared for the next hurricane season. Afterwards, the containers can be used as mobile shower units for people who have no access to water in the aftermath of a hurricane.

We are also excited to let you know that we have another mission team going to Puerto Rico on May 1! We hope you'll be in prayer for both our members on the team and the staff members of Hunger Corp as they work together to rebuild in Puerto Rico. Click below to watch a video from the folks at Hunger Corp as they tell about the work they are doing in local communities. If you’re interested in applying for a summer mission trip to Puerto Rico, click here.