35 Years & Counting

By: Gary Hutchison

It’s hard to believe that it has been 35 years since Grace Community Church started.  We are so humbled and grateful that God has allowed us to partner with Him on this great adventure.

When we first started meeting as a church, we had two simple goals. First, let’s see if we can get God to come to our meetings, because if God isn’t going to come to our meetings, then why should anyone want to come.  We knew that if we would seek Him with all our hearts, we would find Him (Jer 29:13), and if we would draw near to Him, He would draw near to us (James 4:8).  So, seeking God with all our hearts in worship became a priority and a passion for us.  And sure enough, God started coming to our meetings.

Our second goal was to see if we could learn to love each other, because if we weren’t a loving community, then why should anyone want to join up with us.  So, being a loving community became a key characteristic of who we were.  And sure enough, many others wanted to be a part of such a community.

Since those early days, Grace has expanded in ministry in so many ways.  But my hope and prayer for the future is that we don’t lose those two qualities we had when we first started.  May we never stop seeking God with all our hearts in worship, and may we never stop loving one another.  If we continue to love God and love each other, we cannot fail. Because love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8).

Pastor Gary