Grace Church Greenville, SC

In September, Inspire Coffee House will be offering Two-for-One Tuesdays! Stop by and purchase your favorite drink and get another one for free. Some of the new fall flavors they are excited to offer are a Raspberry Chai Latte, Toasty Pumpkin Spice Latte, S'mores Latte, and Cinnamon Roll Latte. To learn more and stay in the know, follow them on Instagram .coffee.house!

National Assisted Living Week is coming up September 8-14 across the country, and Grace Church is excited to encourage the staff and residents of our Senior Honor partners. Each of our campuses partners with an assisted living community in close proximity to care for and serve staff and residents in various ways, and this week will be a special time to show them the love of Jesus!

Campuses will be sharing specific ways you can support our Senior Honor partners throughout National Assisted Living Week. To find out how you can get involved at your campus, check your campus newsletter, campus page, or reach out to your campus admin.

Gratitude is essential to our growth as believers. It is a pathway to faithfulness by reorienting us to God's sovereignty and helping us surrender control of our lives, even in dark moments. While Ruth has experienced great loss, her faith is honored by Boaz, and ultimately by God, for her steps of obedience. In the midst of tragedy, she still recognizes the grace of God in her life and expresses thankfulness.

As we see throughout Scripture, God is a rewarder of faith. He sees small moments of obedience and responds with even greater faithfulness to us. In your current life circumstances, how can you cultivate the discipline of gratitude? Spend some time reflecting and expressing gratefulness to God now.

"When I think about this summer, I think of the goodness of God. I've learned that his goodness is on display each and every day—I just have to open myself to seeing it. It is shown in simple ways and big ways, and I can see him at work in the lives of our camp staff, our kids, and their parents."—Jessica Poore, Front Porch Housing Staff Member

Front Porch Housing summer camp began as a way to meet a tangible need for parents by creating an accessible, safe environment for their children during the summer so that they can continue to go to work. Through camp, not only have we been able to create safe spaces for children, but we have also had the opportunity to share the gospel with them.

Many of our members from Grace Church volunteered consistently to help run summer camp. During the school year, there is always a need for volunteers to help with Front Porch’s after school program, and they will need more volunteers to help run spring break and summer camps next year! We are so thankful for the ways God is working through these opportunities and to be part of what he is doing through Front Porch Housing.

As you start making plans for this season, consider what it looks like for you to be growing and learning in the context of community. All of our campuses have different studies and groups being offered this fall! Click below to find opportunities for discipleship happening at your campus.

https://bit.ly/3SZVaEd

In the opening chapter of Ruth, a scene of great tragedy unfolds—loss of homeland, a spouse, and children. Yet even in the midst of her grief, Naomi believes in the power of God. She speaks God’s blessing over her daughters-in-law, and she moves towards a small glimmer of hope. Though this is not the end of Naomi's story, we get a glimpse of God’s ability to infuse hope into darkness.

We all will face times of darkness and despair, and we will have a choice to respond in faith. In those moments, are we willing to see the hope God provides and move towards it? Whether you are in difficult circumstances or know someone else who is feeling despair, how can you move towards hope or encourage someone else?

We started a new teaching series at church this weekend! Swipe to learn more about the main characters in the book of Ruth ➡️

Calling all college students or anyone ages 18-22! We are excited to announce the NEXT Retreat is happening on September 13-15. We expect God to use this time together as a catalyst for life change and as a launching pad for involvement in the local church. Click below to find out more information and to register, or share with a college student you know!

https://bit.ly/3YNSDkt

The psalmist recognizes the challenge of living in a broken world where evil and injustice seem to be winning at every turn. Instead of being paralyzed by worry and anger, we have freedom in Christ to both cultivate goodness in our world and find shelter in God in times of trouble. Waiting on God in these times involves actively releasing control to him and believing in his sovereignty.

What does it look like for you to find shelter in and wait on God when you face difficult or uncertain situations in life?

In different seasons of our lives, we may find ourselves struggling with difficulties and realize that we need a little help to press on. As an equipping church, Grace Church views the struggles of our lives as discipleship opportunities for us to grow even in the midst of our pain. In providing different care ministries, we seek to create environments where you can not only find the strength “to make it” but to move forward to a better place in your life and relationship with Jesus. Whether it's grief, divorce, chronic illness, recovery, or caregiver support you need, we want to help you find a biblical community to walk through these things. You can visit grace.sc/events to view all Care & Recovery offerings at our campuses this fall 🤍

We have so much to celebrate from mission Lowcountry this summer! Here are a few highlights from BridgeBuilders camp in Hampton county:

-80 campers registered for the program, and several more were waitlisted.
-About 290 students and leaders served in Hampton County this summer.
-Seven paid Junior Staff members from the Allendale and Hampton communities and six local student volunteers gave up their summer to help make BridgeBuilders happen.

We saw campers take steps of faith this summer; please join us in praying that their faith continues to grow throughout the school year!

"While campers were being picked up at the end of the day, the pastor of Varnville First Baptist Church was able to hang out at camp and get to know campers' families and make connections with people in the community. We are so thankful and hopeful that the children and families who were involved at BridgeBuilders will be able to build upon these relationships and seeds planted with Varnville First Baptist Church staff to become more involved in their local church. The Lord was faithful this summer, and we have so much to be grateful for!"—Margaret Middleton, BridgeBuilders Director

Psalm 71 offers wisdom for both the young and old. Small steps of faith throughout our lives lead to a bigger, more robust faith later in life. Which season are you in right now? What steps can you take to invest in a life of obedience so you can impact the next generation?

We 💙 our interns! Kairos wrapped up last week, and we are celebrating a great summer! Pray for this group as they head back to school or enter into work—that they would continue to grow in their faith and the Spirit would continue to guide them as they process and respond to all that they learned this summer.

This year at Ascend camps we had a total of 74 kids attend who are experiencing various forms of grief and hardship. With the sacrificial care of our amazing leaders and volunteers, the kids and students experienced fun, connection with other kids in similar situations, and the love and hope given to us by Christ. One of our Ascend volunteers from our Pelham campus, Robert Hall, had this to say about the week:

"As I worked with the kids and heard their stories and some challenging questions, I was reminded that despite the brokenness of our world today, Jesus has redeemed us and will one day return to make our world one of perfection again, without sadness, fear, anger, or death. That is a comforting truth to hold onto!"

We hope you will join us in thanking God for the way he has and is continuing to work through Ascend!

Calling all parents—don't forget this weekend is Grace Church Kids promotion. Make sure to get to church early to check in your kids and find their new classrooms. If you have questions, you can find a GCK team member for help!

As believers, we are called to live out God’s Kingdom on earth—to model Jesus’ life of hospitality, giving our time and resources freely to others even when it makes us vulnerable. What would it look like for you to orient your life around creating pathways for the vulnerable to get the care and access they need?

We have a team in Colombia right now exploring new mission partner possibilities. Please join us in praying for their safety as they travel and a fruitful trip 🤍

This summer, a team of 12 adults and 10 students traveled to Kenya to support our partners in OVC Kenya, a program that provides sustainable support and promotes long-term relationships with orphans and vulnerable children in Kenya. Through our partnership with Bernard Kabaru and local churches in Limuru, Kenya, we are helping expand an existing program that provides physical, academic, and relational support to children in need within each church’s local community. To read about how God moved on this trip, click below to view the full We Choose story!

https://bit.ly/4ddPPky

Knowing God as our Shepherd only makes sense when we see ourselves as sheep. When we acknowledge this reality, we will experience rest in both green pastures and dark valleys. Take some time to think about your fragility and need for a Savior. How can this knowledge strengthen your relationship with God as your Shepherd?

This team of eleven adults and five students is currently in Puerto Rico working with our partners at on construction projects. Please join us in praying for them:

-That they would have safe travels home
-That there would be fruit from the seeds of faith that were planted in the hearts of the people they encountered this week
-That God would continue to bless the construction and rebuilding work in Puerto Rico

We've got some news—we're hiring!

If you think working with us might be a good fit, we invite you to look at our available job openings and apply! Do you know someone who might be interested in one of our open positions? Share this post with them! Swipe to see just a few of the roles we are hiring for and use this link for more information on all of our job openings ➡️ https://bit.ly/3Y8V8NU