Freedom on the 4th!

Grace River experienced one of her best days yet at the park on the 4th of July.  We had our second highest attendance in our brief history of 118 people.  There were an additional 15-20 who joined us later on for our cookout.  The message was on the freedom that Christ brings and the worship matched up perfectly.  The highlight of the day was our very first baptism service at Grace River.  When we were all finished eight adults and three children had stepped into the very cold water of our newly purchased inflatable pool and had followed Jesus in obedience to His command to be baptized.  The afternoon was filled with food, fellowship, and lots of games.

I want to let you know about a new resource that one of our members has put together for us.  It's a blog called "Observing Grace" and it's purpose is to chronicle our history as our new church continues to grow and to experience God's grace.  You can find it at http://www.observing-grace.blogspot.com/.  Amy has compiled emails and pictures dating all the way back to our beginning in December of 2009.  If you are interested in following the Grace River journey, then you will want to check in often at "Observing Grace".

July marks our seventh month of existence as a church and I have to tell you that I am thrilled to see all that God is doing with us in these days.  As our service was developing on Sunday, a lady strolled past the back of the crowd and sat down on a picnic table to listen.  She left before I could meet her but I'm trusting that God gave her what she needed that day.  That's the beautiful thing about being in a public space like a park.  Anyone can show up--and they often do.  I've done outdoor services with other churches but I've never had the opportunity to be in the park week after week.  I believe that it is a perfect worship center for us as we seek to be all that God has called us to be--a safe place where anyone can come as they are and find hope and healing for their hurts, habits, and hangups.