Annual Report
2023-2024 Ministry Year
Love God
Love People
Reach People
Develop People
Grace Community is a church with purpose—a church on mission. We are all about loving God, loving people, reaching people for Him and developing people for Him. We are committed to creating a movement of Jesus followers who proclaim and live out the truth of the Gospel, make disciples, and change lives for the sake of His Kingdom. We strive to be a healthy church that is small enough for community but large enough for impact. And we are passionate about doing our part to reach our community with the hope and life-change that is only found through knowing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
Last year, we introduced a theme that we believe describes this season in the life of our church, “growing deeper (as disciples) and going wider (with the Gospel)”. As Jesus’ disciples, we want to be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and do what Jesus did. We want to live the Jesus story and tell this Jesus story so that our neighbors, community, and watching world are irresistibly drawn to Him.
If you’re newer to our Grace family or simply “checking things out”, read on to see how you can join our movement of Jesus followers who extend grace to others. If you’re a part of our Grace family, we encourage to scroll through the pages of hope, joy, and transformation that come from knowing the One, True God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent for us. Let’s remember who He is, what He’s done, what He’s doing, and what He’s going to do. Let’s savor and celebrate, together, the God who has called us out of the darkness and into His wonderful light!
Pastor Jay Messenger (on behalf of the Elders)
Discipleship
What is a disciple? In simplest terms, a disciple is someone who is with Jesus, is becoming like Jesus, and is doing what Jesus did. Being disciples of Jesus and making disciples for Jesus is who we are and have always been at Grace Community Church. In this season, we are renewing our passion for and commitment to discipleship and focusing our process. We believe that the Bible (how to read it, understand it, apply it and understand the redemption story it tells), Belief (what we believe as Jesus-followers and why we believe it) and Formation (mentorship, growing in our intimacy with Jesus through the practices, emotional health, etc.) are key components of discipleship and need to be prioritized and developed with our programming and resources. We are excited about what a renewed focus on discipleship means for the health and depth of our church, our impact in the community, the advancement of God’s Kingdom in East County, and for our part in reaching the world with the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Evangelism
Our Evangelistic year at Grace begins with 21 Days of Prayer and concludes with Church in the Park.
We believe our hearts grow for those we pray for during 21 days of early morning prayer together as we intercede for local officials, civic leaders, our neighbors and family.
We also believe our lives are transformed around Christ as we live His love publicly at Church in the Park, a public worship service centered on Jesus, food and family.
At Grace, we equip people to live evangelistically through Everyday Evangelism and Family Easter Evangelism Training.
Each month we celebrate what God has done by sharing 'Jesus Pursues' stories of GCC members sharing Jesus with the community around them.
One of the fresh ways we’re looking to shape culture is through the Alpha program this Fall which involves communicating Biblical beliefs, centered around a meal, where believers and not-yet-believers can ask questions in a safe environment. We invite you to come experience Alpha for yourself this September!
Evangelism Training
In 2023 we personally invited 125 neighbor-families into our Grace Family, door to door.
Currently in 2024, we’ve personally invited 252 neighbors and families into our Grace Family.
From December of 2023 to today we’ve given away 155 first-time-visitor-gifts and have had 45 deeper follow ups via Connect Cards.
Our goal is to invite each and every visitor into our Grace family to grow in relationship with Jesus and His Church.
Prayer
“That ‘God would raise the value and practice of prayer at Grace’ has been the heart cry of Grace/Comunidad small prayer groups. Whether we are meeting in person, by Zoom groups or our active email prayer request line reaching over 100 individuals; we are seeing God move.
Confident that only our Heavenly Father is able to answer our prayers and loving enough to be concerned for our needs, we ask Him to intervene in any number of situations. Our prayers could be as big as international or country concerns. The needs could be as small and personal as relationship issues, individual citizenship concerns, or sickness and family deaths. We also pray for opened hearts and minds for our neighbors and family members who are not currently following Jesus. Rooted in our local worshipping community we also pray for our services and classes as well as weddings and funerals – anywhere that the gospel will be proclaimed.
Our prayer teams also stand available to the congregation on Sunday mornings and afternoons, asking God to answer individual prayers. In addition to any number of our folks regularly stopping and praying as needs present themselves, our elders pray regularly with members of the congregation taking to heart James’ admonition to gather the elders to pray.
Nothing of eternal value happens unless we join God where he is working and discernment like this comes from being deeply connected to him through prayer.
Biblical Learning
We are overjoyed to have completed several sermon series this ministry year: The Gospel of John, Songs of Christmas, Nehemiah, The Last Week of Jesus’ Life, and we began 1 & 2 Peter. We were able to hear from many gifted individuals on our Preaching Team.
Jesus Followers extending grace
Communities & Groups
Community is where we grow in our ability to love God and love others deeply. Communities are gatherings of 10-15 people who meet weekly to share a meal, pray for one another, and learn to live like Jesus. As disciples of Jesus, we strive to re-order our lives around the lifestyle of Jesus, so we can do what He did. This is called spiritual formation. We do this by living in community and having accountability with other Jesus followers, reading scripture, holding deep honest conversations, creating space for the Spirit to work, and incorporating spiritual practices into our daily lives. The goal of Communities is to allow God to transform our lives, so we become more like Jesus for God's glory and the sake of others!
- Rhonda Patrick, Pastor of Communities
“Ever since I started going to community and implementing the spiritual practices, the Lord has been transforming me. I have more peace, patience, love for others. Nothing I could have done under my own power. Only through the Spirit could something like this happen to me. Praise God!”
- Lou Cavallero
250+ individuals in small group community
19 Communities
7 Small Groups
“Being in community gives me weekly check in time with people who have become family. I don't have family I'm in relationship with (grown sons who are busy in their own lives) and therefore lack people who will be there when I have need as well as my being able to help them. It's my family. I have enjoyed learning the practices listening to others' experiences regarding them and am able to widen my understanding as well as give myself grace as it's hard for all of us.”
- Hope Duran
Kids & Families
In Grace Kids we work hard to create a safe and fun environment for kids to grow in relationship with their peers, leaders, and God. Kids are learning who they are in Christ and in a world of brokenness that they can trust in God’s Word…He doesn’t change, and His love is not conditional. Each week we share a story from the Bible that points kids to Jesus. We encourage them to ask questions, share their thoughts and reflect on how God is speaking to them through the lesson. It is through relationships with leaders that discipleship happens, kids want to be seen, heard, and loved. They experience that in Grace Kids and hear about God too.
I’ve been blessed to be a part of the children’s ministry. It’s been a fun and fulfilling experience! Watching kids come to Sunday school, excited to be there and others who are nervous or more on the shy side and being able to engage with them, see them smile and come out of their shell and knowing I had a hand in that is an awesome experience.
- Nick Griffitts (Volunteer)
What I love about my leaders is that they make us happy, they teach us about God. I also love the games we play because they are really fun.
- Kate Webb (Kid)
What I love about Kid’s Church is that we learn a lot about the most important thing in the world. I love teacher Kathy. She always comes up with great ideas of how to make things.
- John Albers (Kid)
I love babies and toddlers! Serving consistently in the nursery (during 2nd service) is a joy, never an obligation. I hope the little ones will sense they are loved and cared for and the parents feel comfortable their child is secure and protected. Also, kids can be endlessly entertaining!
- Sheree Bogardus (Volunteer)
Total volunteers: 55
How the congregation can partner with Kid’s ministry:
Serve in Grace Kids. Kids want to feel seen, heard and loved. As a congregation we do this by showing up, investing in them, and empowering them to grow in their relationship with Jesus. There are few ministry opportunities that allow you to impact the future in such a direct way. Children are born with a sense of wonder and faith that is real and authentic. As Christ followers our role is to provide a foundation of experiences where kids can build their faith muscles and grow in relationship with Jesus. When you love and teach kids about Jesus, you are influencing generations to come. If you want to change the world, then you should serve in Kid’s ministry.
Student Ministry
In Student Ministry, we disciple students by providing a space for them to learn from God’s Word, be encouraged to ask questions, and get connected with leaders who can speak God’s truth into their life and walk alongside them as they discover the challenges and joys of life with Jesus. In the last year we have prioritized building connection in small groups, have equipped students to read and understand the Bible on their own, and have taught about biblical identity and the Gospel’s life-changing power in our lives. One of our volunteer leaders said the following of what they’ve been able to see God do during their time serving over the last year with the high school girls…
“My favorite is our mix of students who have been raised in the church and those who have been invited by friends. For about half of our group the whole concept of Jesus and the church is new. It is exciting to watch God at work as they take steps to discover Jesus for the very first time or grow deeper in a personal way with Him. I love seeing them interact with one another, learning to encourage each other as believers even though they come from different backgrounds.”
- Jennifer Machado (Volunteer Leader)
Our students have communicated they enjoy and benefit from Student Ministry because they feel safe to ask questions, feel loved and supported, and know they are heard and understood. We also have often heard that they enjoy worshipping together, learning about God and His Word, and engaging in community with peers who share the same beliefs.
Although throughout the year we have connected with over 100 different students, during each week we see 40-50 different students connected with student ministry programming throughout our Sunday morning student service, our Tuesday night middle school gathering, and our Wednesday night high school gathering.
“72 percent of adult evangelicals were saved before age 18”*
We ask for our congregation to partner with us in Student Ministry by considering serving in a committed discipling role within the group, or simply committing to praying for our students and connecting with them when you see them around the church.
*Grey Matter Research Consulting & Infinity Concepts "The Spiritual Journey: How Evangelicals Come to Faith", 2024
Young Adults
Our Young Adults group has continued to grow and thrive over the last year, building further connection and community for young adults ages 18-29 that have already been attending Grace, as well as attracting young adults who have just recently been connected to the church. It has grown into an encouraging and joyful space for our young adults to gather twice a month and build relationships, hear how God is working in each other’s lives, worship, and discuss God’s Word together. Our desire is to continue to challenge and equip young adults to be an active part of the intergenerational community here at Grace while also learning how to make the Gospel the most central piece of their identity. We have seen the group grow from just a few people each gathering last year, to now having often over 20 people attending, with close to 30 connected with the group in some way. We would love to see our congregation continue to reach out to and connect with the young adults in our church as you see them, inviting them to be a part of the life of the church as an adult and helping support them along that journey.
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
John 13:35
Reaching out into our community
While Grace Community Church is our church family, our neighborhood and city are where daily life happens. We take the Good News of Jesus by serving families, schools, and the impoverished. We serve foster children through Foster Parents Night Out by providing desperately needed respite care for Foster Parents. Our Hogan Road Community Garden grows relationships and produce with our neighbors in the community. We have a deep partnership with East Gresham Elementary School; through this partnership, we celebrate the holidays with the Community Christmas Party. Over 1000 people enter our building for dinner, crafts, food boxes, Christmas trees, and volunteers sharing the love of Jesus through their actions.
Backpack Blessings
Through our partnership with East Gresham Elementary, we help fill the gap for 58 families in our community who struggle with food insecurity. We ensure they have enough food for their families over the weekend. This ministry seeks to provide easy-to-prepare nutrition to kids over the weekend.
Serve East County
Every August, we partner with other local churches to bless and serve East County. We do this because we take seriously our responsibility to go and be a blessing in our neighborhood. This year, we will have 14 churches at 11 sites from Rockwood to Sandy. Sites will include East Gresham Elementary, My Father’s House, and more. Join us this year on August 17th.
Vacation Bible School
Vacation Bible School in July 2023 had over 270 children attend, and over 30 kids accept Jesus as the Lord of their life. We changed our schedule this last year to be evenings only, and we saw a positive shift in the amount of families from our neighborhood that were able to attend. We are excited to do it all over again this year, and expand the gospel further in our community!
Financial Update
As we pursue our vision this coming year for greater impact through discipleship and evangelism, we will be considering and voting on a 3.9% increase to the 2024-2025 budget (that begins September 1st, 2024).
As we end this ministry year, we are lagging behind in monthly giving significantly. Would prayerfully consider giving to the mission and vision of Grace?
We also hope that you will join us with your time, prayers, and service so that we can continue to faithfully and effectively love and do our part to transform East County in the name of Jesus Christ!
If you’d like to read more about our new budget plans, click below.