This weekend we heard from the Espinosas on their time in Allendale. Their family has lived in Allendale for the past two and a half years and will be looking to transition out the area the summer of 2014. Though their time in Allendale is...
If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? We often speak of missions as something we do, go on, or experience. Many a college counselor has read the dreaded my-summer-mission-trip-experience-changed-my-life essay from high school seniors. ...
I love the energy, rush, and excitement of big cities. I love the people, cultures, languages, and ideas that constantly buzz around a city. Recently, I went to Starbucks and in the first 5 minutes I heard no less than 4 languages, the last of...
This week we had the opportunity to hear the stories of several Lapilo men as they share their testimony of the work God has done in their lives and the lives of their families through Joseph Osborn. We are honored and excited to be a...
Social media channels like Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and the like provide a window into what our country’s populace finds worthy of note. Interestingly, we are hearing from newscasters such as John King, formerly of CNN, and from renowned author on leadership Steven B. Sample...
I’m the kind of person that gets to the theater early, not so I can snag the best seat, but so I can watch all the previews for upcoming movies, especially when they’re as captivating as the trailer for Magnolia. I love movie trailers!...
In Genesis we read how God eloquently created all things, from the air, water, sea, moon, stars, ocean, and animals. However, on the sixth day he made something far more unique than anything else prior. He crafted something with far more distinction than the birds...
Mutual Benefit. In the context of mission, those words often sound, at the least, misplaced, and at the most, very selfish. I mean, when speaking of mission, our service comes from a place of selfless love and a desire to serve as our loving and...
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1734CDSWDg4&feature=youtu.be[/youtube] We laugh at these Saturday Night Live sketches because we can all relate to being made to look and feel like a fool because of a lack of knowledge, resources, or understanding. We all want Nick Burns to fail because he is so arrogant and...
Recently, “feel good” service projects—almost synonymous with the social work done by evangelical churches—have come under fire, and not without reason. Without sufficient relationship, honesty, and intentionality many of these good deeds hurt the people we’re trying to serve. It is mostly likely that the...
What does it mean to engage culture holistically? Perhaps a little girl from Louisiana named Hushpuppy could help us arrive at an answer. Take a look at this trailer for Beasts of the Southern Wild. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LA6FFnjvvmg[/youtube] “The whole universe depends on everything fitting together just right. If...
Culturally Engaged is the “externally focused” branch of Grace Church. It is the core value that compels us to move outside the walls of our church to be a blessing in our communities, our city, our region, and around the world. While we believe it...
This year’s Oscar winner for Best Foreign Film came in the form of Austrian writer and director Michael Haneke’s “Amour.” As suggested by its title, the film raises questions regarding the true nature of love. It tells the story of an elderly French couple, Anne...
Guest column: Avoid 'toxic charity' when you give to others Written by Reid Lehman View Article on Greenville News GUEST COLUMN Reid Lehman has been president and CEO of Miracle Hill Ministries, a network of shelters across the Upstate for 27 years. For more information go to www.MiracleHill.org. A foundational...
On this day millions of people will flock to cathedrals and churches the world over to have a sign of the cross drawn in ash on their foreheads. This action is done in commemoration of the first day of Lent, the forty-day journey through death and...
I was just about to leave my apartment to run an errand as The Avett Brothers’ “Tear Down the House” serenaded me from my computer’s speakers. A few lyrics caught my attention: “I remember crying over you And I don’t mean like a couple of tears and...
Today is the day that Keith and Lori Doster, along with their two daughters, Sarah and Emory, have been anticipating for months. Unless an ice storm can deter them, they will be leaving Greenville en route to the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas to...
Hurricane Sandy hit the Northeast Coast shortly after Matt’s sermon on 1Timothy 5. He talked about how the Church's credibility and the power of the gospel are linked to how we fulfill the needs of the truly vulnerable. Our family along with a couple of other men...
“Tell the people at Grace that we love them, we are thankful for them, and we are praying for their work in America.” I heard some version of this from pastors and church leaders over and over again in the highlands of central Kenya, and...
In recent years (and with good reason) the traditional short-term missions trip has come under plenty of scrutiny. Are these trips really worth the effort, time, and money we invest in them? Joey Espinosa, a Grace Church member serving Allendale County, speaks to this question...
The following is a brief summary of Bernard Kabaru's teaching this past Tuesday night (July 31) which was attended by 130 Grace Church members. Bernard is our primary partner in the country of Kenya, and he served us through this lecture by giving us the...
Denise Belk comments from San Jorge, Nicaragua on some things she is learning about cross-cultural ministry. She is one of twenty Grace Church members in Nicaragua for a full week of ministering through medical clinics, construction projects, children's ministry, and pastoral training. At debrief this week,...
This past week, I was able to go on the high school student ministries trip to Allendale, SC. As a Culturally Engaged intern, I had heard a lot about the area and the ways that Grace Church is partnering with people in Allendale/Fairfax. Having...
This past week in Fusion, our 5th and 6th grade ministry learned about symbols and the significance of symbols in our spiritual walk with Christ. We spoke of baptism being a symbol of our spiritual cleansing and new life with Christ. We spoke of communion...
For three years I could not get a specific little nursing home in my town of Fountain Inn out of my mind. God put this nursing home on my heart but I kept ignoring Him with the excuse that I didn’t have time....