Information

Our Vision and Mission

Grace UMC has always been of great and vital importance in the future vision of the United Methodist Church in Missouri. Grace began in the living room of our founding pastors’ home as a vision of a few faithful Christians to reach the next generation for Christ. We have had our ups and downs, but the vision still remains the same. We are called to reach the least, the last and the lost of this world. God continues to shape His church to reach the non-churched, once churched and badly churched. We make disciples by connecting people to God and neighbor. Through the good and tough times, we have continually strived to be a light in the darkness.

The Challenge

Over the past few years we have seen our attendance go from below 200 to near 350 in worship. Our current facilities are placing serious constraints on the existing ministries of our church and will prevent us from expanding into new ministries in the future. Our current facilities cannot accommodate the existing or anticipated growth of our congregation nor will they support the expanded ministries envisioned by our church leadership. Over the next ten years, we anticipate growth to over 500 in worship. We have tried to make changes to the current facility through the Chapel renovation in 2005 and the Student Ministries Center in 2007. We have utilized to the best of our ability all of the space available for worship and Sunday school. Our building is full nearly every night of the week. Our preschool continues to grow and add classes. The struggle is that in the next three years we will be completely out of space at Grace.

The Solution

Over the past few years as we experienced rapid growth in worship and ministries, several of the church leaders and committees have been discussing our next step. Through a great deal of prayer and discernment the leadership of Grace feels that we have been called to build a New Sanctuary. This new building would seat 400-500 people for worship. We also envision a large lobby for gathering before and after worship. In addition to worship space, we anticipate adding a new nursery and several classrooms. This New Sanctuary would be connected to our current building via the hallway from our current main lobby past our preschool and nursery rooms. We would also like to see a renovation on the outside of our existing building so that it will match the new one. Many of us know this is a leap of faith. We feel that this is the next step for Grace to build for future growth, the next generation and to reach those who are far from God.

Where Do I Fit In?

Right now, we are asking all those who call Grace their church home to start praying for God to bless, lead and guide us in this endeavor. Spend a few moments every day praying for our leadership, our church and that we will all listen to God’s plan for His church. Over the next few months as we seek after God’s vision, please be open to the leading of the Spirit. Know that we are doing this as an act of faith, and our hope is that we might be able to reach those who have not found God. As you spend time in prayer, please also consider what kind of sacrificial financial gift you might be able to give to the campaign. We have partnered with RSI, a highly successful capital campaign consulting firm, to help us achieve this bold vision for Grace. We all have friends, family members and coworkers that we know struggle with God. A few years ago we imagined a church that was kind, loving and compassionate to all that entered. We are living into the dream every week now. We welcome everyone with open arms. We should not allow our current facilities to hinder our mission and vision. Please prayerfully consider what role you might play in this God given vision.

Worship has grown these past few years from below 200 to over 350
With a new building we anticipate worship over 500
Our preschool continues to grow and add classes.
Student Ministries (6-12th grade) has over 120 youth in the building on Sundays.
Our choir continues to grow.
Our adult small groups have exploded these past few years with over 150 adult involved
Our commitment to LSSS and Restart is stronger than ever!