Have you ever walked into a church, worshipped, and left without speaking to a single person? I have. As an extrovert, it’s a major downer. During my graduate school years, it happened a lot while my wife and I were church hunting in a new city. We longed to skip ahead to the part where church felt like home — where people knew our names, and there was always someone to grab lunch with after church.
But how do you get to that part? Do you just sign up for a class? Ask a random stranger to lunch? It can be awkward navigating from an outsider to an insider at church, especially if you’re new to church in general.
In Ephesians 2, Paul encourages Gentiles — those new to Christianity — concerning their identity in Christ. In verse 19, he writes, “You are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of His household.”
You belong.
That’s basically what Paul is saying. You, Gentiles — who were once far from God — you belong in God’s family.
Here at Grace, we echo Paul’s words. We are genuine family and we want every person to feel valued, connected, and welcomed. So how can you take steps to move further into the genuine family of Grace Church?
Here’s a brief roadmap for getting plugged in at Grace:
Join or Start a Watch Party
If you’re ready to watch our online services with one or two other families, learn more about starting or joining one. You can learn about an existing Watch Party, or start one of your own by gathering a couple of friends. Watch Parties receive weekly content so they can discuss the sermon immediately after watching it, get question prompts for their kids and students, and dig deeper later in the week with personal devotions based on the series.
Sign-Up for a Grace Community
Grace Communities are a little more involved than watch parties. They typically meet throughout the week (either in-person or online), and are led by committed Grace members who take their Grace Community through a book or Bible study. Find a group today.
Take a NEXT Membership Class
Our NEXT membership classes are designed to help us get to know each other, and to get you connected. They’re broken into three simple sessions: Discover Grace (the history and vision of Grace), Discover Truth (exploring the gospel, baptism, and Grace’s statement of faith), and Discover Purpose (uncovering your spiritual gifts and checking out opportunities for service and community at Grace). Sign up for NEXT today.
Serve on Team Grace
Nothing bonds people quite like serving together with a common mission. Back when I was a car wash manager, we’d clean out the pit beneath the conveyor belt once a month. Imagine a bunch of guys, neck deep in grime, shoveling sludge out of a pit. We’d laugh, sweat, and work like crazy together.
You develop a special camaraderie when you’re up to your armpits in mud together…or singing Bible songs with five year olds in graceKids!, sweating it out in the parking lot, refilling coffee, or setting up pipe and drape. Nothing bonds people quite like team work, and at Grace we have nine different teams you can test drive.
In this unique season, some of these teams are functioning a little differently, or temporarily on hold, but one thing’s for sure – there’s a team waiting just for you!
Set Up a Prayer Call
Finally, let us pray with you. If you’re looking for a quick connection, or you could really use 15 minutes of intentional and specific prayer, set up a mini prayer session with someone from Grace. After listening and praying over you, we’d be happy to talk about next steps!
