Peek into Grace

A Church with Open Arms

Ashley Gallaher — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 04:31:25 +0000

Grace Fellowship Church welcomes all with open arms to a God loving environment. The church prides itself on serving and reaching out to others sharing and spreading the word of Jesus Christ. Read more about Grace Fellowship Church.

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Serving this Season

Ashley Gallaher — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 22:27:42 +0000

Christmastime is all about people giving and sharing the Christmas spirit with others. Read more about how Grace Fellowship Church serves the community through its ministries during this season.

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A Day at Sunday School

Ashley Gallaher — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:45:21 +0000

Grace Fellowship Church offers many different children’s ministries for all different ages. Dean and Tricia Landers volunteer their time with the 3-year-old children’s ministry.

Grace Fellowship’s Commitment through Habitat for Humanity

Ashley Gallaher — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 03:05:16 +0000

Grace Fellowship Church is committed to serving the poor and unreached through Habitat for Humanity. Listen to this story to hear more about Grace Fellowship’s involvement with Habitat for Humanity.

Growing in faith through small groups

Ashley Gallaher — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 07:44:41 +0000

On Wednesday evening, Peggy Sullivan and Maria Trillos gather with their small group and discuss God's Paternity and Person, the bible study topic for this week. (Photo by Ashley Gallaher/Towson University Student)

On a recent Wednesday evening, Peggy Sullivan walked into her small group home and was surrounded by warm colors and the fresh scent of flowers, as she sat down around a candlelit table and joined in random conversation.

Sullivan has been attending Grace Fellowship Church for 12 years and decided to become a part of a small group when she attended a launch that encouraged people to become more involved in the church.

“I think the church has started to change. It’s started to become more membership oriented and letting us know what our responsibilities are too… Because our church is so big, you really do need to get involved with a small group,” said Sullivan.

Grace Fellowship Church is now offering its congregation the chance to become official members of the church if they meet specific requirements. One of those requirements is to get involved in a small group. Many more people are joining small groups whether to fit the membership requirements or just to belong to a smaller community.

“People need to be held accountable. People want to belong to something bigger than themselves… People need people,” said Donna Lyon, the Ministry Associate for Community Life.

The church is having small group launches to help draw more people in. During church services, people are sharing their experiences of being part of a small group and the difference it makes in their lives.

Basically, the church is reaching out to the congregation in hopes of getting them involved with something that will deepen their faith. The small group brings people closer together in a church that has over 5,000 people attending.

“It’s really important because it’s easy to get lost in the numbers… It’s nice to know that there are people that will pray for you… It’s beyond your family,” Sullivan said.

According to Lyon, the small group is just a small part of the church as a whole, but it is the foundation of the church and offers intimacy with people. When people get more involved and become more knowledgeable, it allows for a much stronger foundation for Grace Fellowship Church.

“To have a small group and a bible study to do, it keeps you focused… I think it’s very important to always keep God in your mind and to do things throughout the week to remind you that you’re not just a Sunday Christian,” said Maria Trillos, a member of a neighborhood small group.

People can get to know others and get more comfortable in their surroundings when such a large church is taken and broken down into smaller groups of people. Several different types of small groups are available: women’s, men’s, youth, recovery, serving and neighborhood.

“It is a small group. You can speak your mind. You’re not afraid to voice your opinions… just the teaching itself, to learn so much from others… It allows you to grow as a Christian,” Trillos said.

Eventually, Grace Fellowship Church hopes that all of its congregation will not only become members but also belong to a small group. As of right now the launches seem to be working well, Lyon said.

As Sullivan sits around the table with her bible open, discussing with the rest of the group God’s Paternity and Person, which is the topic for the week, she hopes in the future she can be involved in a lot more volunteer work.

“The more people that get involved in smaller groups the deeper they’ll go in their faith and in their search. We come in at all different levels. Some of us have been Christians a long time, others of us only a short time,” Sullivan said.

Restoring River Valley Ranch

Ashley Gallaher — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 08:47:06 +0000

On Aug. 28 in Manchester, Md., River Valley Ranch experienced a severe flash flood resulting in $200,000 of damage.

River Valley Ranch is a non-denominational Christian camp that offers youths the opportunity to enjoy summer camp, retreats, outdoor education and special events. The ranch lost so much from the damage after the flash flood; including several bridges, most all of its picnic tables, an entire paintball course, many of its bunks and mattresses and much more. It has been a great loss to the entire community and camp because they depend greatly on these things to hold events and keep things moving.

Though the initial clean-up for the camp has been completed, they are now looking for help with the rebuilding process. Grace Fellowship Church often provides the opportunity for its children to attend retreats and special events at River Valley Ranch. So, the church hopes to get involved with helping to rebuild the things that were damaged.

Harry Mac Kenzie has been an attendee of Grace Fellowship Church for 18 years. He is also involved with Habitat for Humanity where he is in the process of trying to organize a group of volunteers to assist in restoring River Valley Ranch.

“I heard on the radio that they were in need of skilled volunteers to help rebuild what they lost and I felt a calling to this project,” Mac Kenzie said.

Branching Out

Ashley Gallaher — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 03:14:57 +0000

Grace Fellowship Church started with the goal to expand and branch out into other churches. The church holds over 5,000 members and is continuingly growing. It has sprouted off into several other sister churches. Thus far, it has five sister branches and one that was recently launched, this year.

In 2007, the Shrewsbury campus was launched in Shrewsbury, Pa. Today, they are in the process of constructing the church.

While searching Grace Fellowship’s homepage, I came across some news about the progress of the new sister church in Shrewsbury. The author (unknown) writes of the fine tuning and changes being made to renovate the former Kmart property. They discuss how well things are coming along and how they are hoping to see the grand opening of the Shrewsbury church soon.

However, what the author points out is that what is truly important is the people.

Thus, it’s not so much about a building as it is about people. Thanks to your Grace Rising commitment, we’re able to renovate this facility and make it a place of worship, of healing, and life change.

This statement just expresses Grace Fellowship’s passion and desire to grow and expand by reaching out to other communities. The church is extending itself into other states so it is more convenient for other communities to attend a church with Grace Fellowship’s beliefs and values. This article allows people to recognize that there is a church they can be a part of in their community.

Referring to the grand opening of the church, the author might have considered including what was to be expected once the church is opened. Though they leave us with more to come, so as it is updated hopefully we will find out more details.

29 Years and Counting

Ashley Gallaher — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 05:09:20 +0000

A little over 29 years ago, four couples gathered together with Pastors, Jim Dethmer and Walt Russell in hopes of beginning a church. What started out as backyard barbeque services became a group of 35 committed people. Eventually, this group grew and moved to a renovated furniture warehouse where today you will find Grace Fellowship Church calls home.

Whether you’re a newcomer to Grace Fellowship, you’ve been attending for many years, or even if you have never heard of it; I hope to offer a little to all. You can expect to here about any news regarding the church, some about the sermons, about what the church offers to its congregation and much more.

Grace Fellowship offers a variety of ministries varying from middle school and high school ministry to its worship services on Saturday nights and Sunday mornings to afternoons. They also have a wide range of small groups that people can join which meet on their own times, such as 20 Something, a group specifically for those in college and in their 20′s to 30′s. Plus, for those that have children there is a perfectly accessible nursery for infants to toddlers, as well as Sunday school for toddlers and older children. Both are fully secured and have trained daycare workers, so you can be sure your kids are in good hands.

Along with the many ministries Grace Fellowship offers the people welcome everyone and anyone, even if just to test the waters. When you go you can expect Grace Fellowship to teach from a biblical truth perspective where Scripture is the foundation of their Christian faith. They hope that as you come to see what it is like, that you too will make Grace Fellowship Church your home.