In 2010, Grace’s Powdersville campus had only a handful of college students attending on Sunday mornings. These students found themselves in a difficult place of transition within the local church. They were no longer part of student ministry, but they did not yet feel part of adult ministry either.

As such, many of them found themselves struggling for community. In 2011, with the addition of Launch, Grace’s College Ministry, and under the leadership and vision of Jason McCall at the Powdersville campus, these students are now transitioning into adult ministry and finding their place within the local church. Since August, the number of college students attending Grace’s Powdersville campus has grown to ninety students, with at least fifty consistently attending services and other college-focused events. During the last semester, around fifteen students attended Discovery, a handful attended Foundations, and several more were placed in adult community groups. Ten serve as small group leaders in student ministry and a handful serve as ushers and in children’s ministry on Sunday mornings. And every Sunday morning, a group of students participate in leading the church in worship. Thirty-six young ladies are currently going through Ezer, with two college students serving as co-leaders of small groups. And last semester, several of Grace’s Clemson students led a group through Men’s Roundtable on the Clemson campus. These things could not happen without the time, money, and resources available because of those of you who faithfully give. Thank you for investing in the discipleship and development of the future leaders of Grace Church.

Generous and Obedient Teaching Series

Our relationship and connection with the church is shaped by our definition of the church. In this series, we are looking at how connecting physically and financially to the church is a discipleship issue. Giving plays an important role, and can even be a test of our devotion to God and what He is doing in the world.  If God has worked in your life, He also desires to work through you to bless others.  Generosity that is rooted in worship, intentionality, and devotion should be the mark that we are striving for as a church.

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MESSAGE	TEACHER	DATE	FILES
Part 1: The Local Church series: Generous and Obedient	Matt Williams	February 19, 2012

Browse the OneFund Book

OneFund Infographics

OneFund Diagram	Life Change / Connect	Serving
Attendance	Website and Media	Life Change
The Institute	CE: Domestic	CE: Allendale
CE: International	Giving	Two-Year Plan

OneFund Personal Stories

Anna Marshall	The Altoms	The Stipes
The Bells	Tom Fowler	Kevin Jones

A Letter from the Elders

As we look through the story told within these pages, we can’t help but be reminded of Jesus’ parable of the mustard seed. From a small living room in Easley, South Carolina to four campuses in the Upstate and partnerships around the world, Grace Church has grown to become a spiritual home for thousands of people. None of us would have dared to imagine that God would bring us to this place with these opportunities in this span of time.

And while numbers don’t tell the whole story, changed lives do tell the story of God’s grace as the Holy Spirit continues to bring people out of darkness and into His glorious light. God has been gracious to us, pouring out His favor in such a way that even those who do not know Him are taking notice.

In light of this amazing opportunity to serve others and to make His name glorious, we must own the responsibility to worship God with the resources entrusted to us. God doesn’t need our money but He does demand our faithfulness. God has given us direction from His Word to make disciples. We have a clear plan to apply that calling in our context, but we cannot accomplish it unless we all share in this responsibility.

As your elders, we are calling on you to move toward generosity. We are calling on you to give so that others might know the blessings that we have known as a part of the Grace body. We cannot tell you how much to give, we can only charge you to give in proportion to God’s gifts to you. Please take the time to pray and consider what God would have you do to fulfill the calling He has placed on us as His people.

- Grace Church Elders

Each quarter, we will host ParentLink – A Quarterly Parenting Conversation.  This evening is an opportunity for parents to receive direction and insight into parenting different seasons of life and meet parents of different life stages.

• Audio Download from 1st Quarter | January 31, 2012

Please join the conversation by submitting parenting topics, issues or questions you would like discussed in this or any upcoming family meeting in the form below.   The evening is free but your registration is requested.  Childcare will not be provided

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Since opening the Downtown Baptist campus in May of 2010, Grace Church has received multiple requests for some type of ministry focus for the Governor’s School students in downtown Greenville. The Governor’s School For The Arts and Humanities is a public, residential high school for students in the performing arts. All of these students live on campus among their peers. Students are not allowed their own transportation and many do not have family in the area. The majority of students are not believers. With the addition of Grace’s Cultor House residency program in 2011, resident Will Plonk began developing student ministry for the Downtown Campus. Will began pursuing students at the Governor’s School joining them for lunch, attending their performances, and building relationships with them. Five weeks ago, he began a small Bible study with 7 students and 2 leaders. That Bible study has now grown to 19 students and 5 leaders, with sixty percent of those attending being Governor’s School students. Four of those students have attended Discovery and one is now serving as an usher on Sunday mornings. Ministry is happening at the Governor’s School as a result of the resources given by our church body, resources that were unavailable when the Downtown Campus first began. Lives are being changed, the Gospel is spreading, and much of that is due to those who continue to faithfully give of their time, their money, and their resources.

When

Who

Topics (a few of the questions that will be raised)

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Schedule

Price

The Elephant Room: Round 2 from Harvest Bible Chapel on Vimeo.

• Pelham Road Campus
  Services at 10 & 11:30am
  Childcare* up to 3 yrs old available both services
• Powdersville Campus (Wassail Fellowship at 10am)
  Service at 10:30am
  Childcare* up to 2 yrs old available
• Downtown Campus
  Services at 3:00 & 4:30pm
  Childcare* up to 4 yrs old available at second service only
• Golden Strip Campus
  Service at 1:00pm
  Childcare* up to 3 yrs old available

*We will offer childcare for children (ages listed above) during the services noted above. Children older than the ages listed above are encouraged to attend the Christmas Eve service with their family. The service will have a shorter teaching time and extended worship so it is a unique opportunity to worship together as a family.