Grace Church is
Growing in Faith
Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4:9
Growing in Faith Through Annual Giving
Rick Francis shares why he pledges to Grace:
Parishioners Rachel and Evan Cook tell us why they pledge:
Grace has a Roll of Honor tucked away on a wall in the back of the sanctuary. It lists the names of Grace parishioners who served in World War I. We’ve often looked at that list of names and been humbled by the thought that more than 100 years ago, those people sat in the same pews where our family sits today. Even more humbling is the thought that the church was already at least 65 years old when that Roll of Honor was placed on the wall. But Grace Church is more than just a historical building — it is a living congregation, and it persists and thrives because its parishioners have passed its stewardship lovingly from each generation to the next.
We have been attending Grace for seven years. Those seven years already feel like a lifetime (probably because we now have three kids and can barely remember what it was like to attend the “adult” service), but that time is really just a blip in the church’s long history. Grace was here before us. We give faithfully to Grace to ensure that it will be here after us.
James Newton, one of Grace’s newest members, shares why he has decided to pledge:
I’ve been attending Grace for just over a year now, having first come at the end of September 2019. I grew up singing in my parish choir and after a few years’ hiatus for college and teaching abroad, followed by my move to Brooklyn in 2017, I began to feel an itch, a rootlessness. I went up to Paul following the service, showed up to rehearsal that Thursday, and the rest is history!
My experience at Grace, short though it may be, has been so rich. There was something intimidating about seeking out a spiritual home for myself for the first time as a young adult and I feel so blessed to have been steered here. At lunch around the corner one Sunday with members of the choir and parish, the conversation turned to engagement, and other matters pertaining to Grace, among them pledging. I felt moved to ask, having never quite considered it or received guidance on the subject, “When is it normal to start pledging?” The reply I received from the group couldn’t have been clearer, more insightful. “When it feels right. Just asking that question is kind of an answer in itself.”
This was prior to March when our familiar days began to unspool. Since then, through the various forms of Zoom worship and having the privilege to return to the sanctuary a few times, my love of Grace has continued to swell. I pledged for the first time in my life last month and it felt so powerful to commit myself to Grace and the important outreach it supports in the greater community. Like the flipping of a switch, this transition marks for me the beginning of a more established connection to this amazing community, and my desire to empower it through thick and thin. Those roots I longed for now grow more deeply in rich, fertile soil.
Abagail Nelson shares why she, husband Grant (Smith), and their children Mikaela and Vita pledge to Grace:
Craig Whitney shares why he and Heidi pledge to Grace: