If I’m being honest, the morning of our departure greeted me with feelings of both excitement for what was in store for us but also a sense of uneasiness (and maybe even a little fear). “I don’t know anything about construction—am I in over my...
What does it mean to live a life that is on mission? For some people, this means going on a mission trip to Allendale over the summer or making the trip across the pond to Kenya. For others, it means helping out with the Foster...
There’s been a shift in our society. We have become accustomed to knowledge that is broad but shallow, sharing digital experiences with a wide spectrum of people, celebrating or mourning alongside the many but only for a brief moment. Like it or not, once an...
Jump Start, a Grace Church We Choose Partner dedicated to stopping the cycle of recidivism, has started a program of discipleship classes in 16 state prisons. Over the past 10 years, 2,500 incarcerated men and women have completed the program and have returned to our communities....
While I grew up going on church mission trips, I have always wanted an opportunity for my entire family to go on one together. Recently, that goal was accomplished. Now I can say my family has officially gone to Allendale—twice—and survived!...
Being culturally engaged is not about a service project. It’s first about love....
At the end of living in Allendale for six weeks during the summer, I was more than eager to return to Greenville. I had forgotten what life was like to have Target within 20 minutes of your home and to have more than three options...
The problem of affordable housing throughout the Upstate is multi-faceted, and it’s our desire to partner with organizations like Homes of Hope who are a part of the solution. Grace Church has donated a residential lot and $35,000 to Homes of Hope to build a...
A massive storm may hit our state and neighboring states early next week. We are preparing alongside local churches and organizations to meet the potential needs of friends, family, and neighbors. The uncertainty of the weather - from the intensity of a storm to the areas...
Please consider ways you can respond to current needs and intentionally plan to contribute to the long-term....
Caring for orphans through foster care and adoption can be difficult and draining. When we've been in our most difficult days we have been blessed by the volunteers who are willing to serve our family by playing with our children one night a month so...
As the baby of the Frick family, I had little to no experience in disciplining; instead, I was the one throwing temper tantrums as I was punished by every other member of the family- mom and dad, brother, cousins, grandma, aunts and uncles- quite literally,...
My heart is broken, I am full of anger and loneliness and just pure anguish over losing a child. I am working through the stages of grief and I’m not to the end yet. But for this reason I still have hope: because of the...
Speak Up: Voices for Foster Care Reform® provides a microphone for children in foster care to be heard. Last year, thousands of people across South Carolina joined together as one voice to encourage the legislature to hear and respond to the needs of children in foster...
Being a good neighbor isn’t as easy as it sounds. I’m often tempted to think it means making sure your dog doesn’t poop in other people’s yards and waving to your neighbors when you’re both outside. Unfortunately, many of us go for years without even...
Many of you may be aware of our partnership with Miracle Hill but might not know all the facets of the ministry. Although they are largely connected with the fostering and adopting of at-risk children, Miracle Hill also provides food, shelter for homeless adults, and...
By partnering with these two local churches, we from Grace Church have a chance to encourage them in their mission. They are already doing God’s work, and we have the privilege and pleasure of being a part of it....
Over 150 individuals from Grace Church gathered to “meet Jump Start” last Thursday evening. Members of the Jump Start staff shared their experiences with the ministry; many of the current staff are Jump Start graduates themselves, and almost all of them have spent time in...
While there, I was abused mentally, physically, sexually, and emotionally. Anything they could do to me was done. I was told several times that I deserved what was being done to me. It was during this time that I started to get angry with God....
I don’t know what all the answers are, but I know the church can help bridge that gap, and in the process, make a big difference. I know Hebrews 13:3 says, “Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself.”...
Adoption is a beautiful, messy, scary thing, sometimes unpredictable, but always worth it. ...
At dinner, our family spent a good 30 minutes or more sharing memories of all our friends and favorite moments from our season in Allendale. I think about Allendale a lot, I get happy talking with others about it. I love when others visit our...
For as long as I have understood what adoption was, I have known it to be a beautiful thing. I had a family friend who was adopted and her parents always talked about it openly, about how they waited for her and felt so grateful...
In hard-hit North Carolina, swollen rivers are at last receding. As residents return to communities that were underwater for days, the Red Cross is delivering meals, snacks and relief supplies, including cleanup kits to help families muck out flood-ravaged homes....
Life is a funny thing. It passes slowly and yet quickly. The longer we live it, the more sure we become that our time is passing and fleeting. We long to live lives filled with meaning, but then we find ourselves filling our day-to-day with...