We need the church to be a place where we don’t have to put on a show—where we can come and be honest about our lives and find true hope.
In the last few years Greenville has gone through massive changes and growth—the city is replete with new construction, and often the comment from people who visit for the first time is how pristine and even perfect it appears to be. And as exciting as that can be, and as truly wonderful as it is to live in a place like Greenville, the temptation for its citizens is to try to appear the same way. To clean up the outside—to appear pristine and perfect.
The problem is, there isn’t anyone who is pristine and perfect. All of us are dealing with pain, and hurt, and doubt, and are longing to truly be made whole—not just cleaned on the outside, but to be made whole from within. We need the church to be a place where we don’t have to put on a show—where we can come and be honest about our lives and find true hope.
In almost every area of our lives we have become increasingly divided and distanced from people who are different from us—we’re separated economically and racially—we can exist in jobs and neighborhoods that shelter us from ever having to interact with people whose lives and struggles are different than ours. And we are more lonely and more impoverished as a result. This should never be true of the church—the church should be a place where you might rub elbows with a doctor on your left and someone who is homeless on your right.
What has Grace & Peace meant to our church family?
The Story of Grace & Peace
Back in 2016 we began to form a new church in Greenville—a place that isn’t flashy or very sophisticated—but is simply a place where you might be welcomed by Jesus and taste and see that he is good. A place where you might encounter the grace that only Jesus offers, and as a result, begin to experience peace in your own life and in your relationships. A place where dividing walls between class and race are torn down by the good news of Jesus. A place where people who are being healed and made whole in Christ are also healing divisions that used to exists between them.
One of the key issues that the Apostle Paul was addressing in many of his letters in the New Testament was this very thing—the bringing together of radically different people, from different classes and cultures, into one body through the work of Christ. And so, he would address them with these two words—Grace & Peace. Grace being a typical Gentile greeting and peace being a crucial Jewish idea—but now they were one.
In Paul’s letter to the Roman churches, after he has gone through great lengths to explain the way Jesus has brought us into the family of God, he simply says to the church, “Welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you.”
This is why Grace & Peace exists—we have been graciously and miraculously welcomed by God, and we want to welcome others to taste of his grace. Jesus always moved toward the forgotten places, the dark places, the places that others had neglected, and the places that seemed to have lost hope. That is where he found us, and that is where we want to find others. We believe that in welcoming those who may have been pushed aside or neglected, we are not primarily helping them, but they are helping us to remember that this is where grace flourishes.
Our church exists at a crossroads in Greenville—between the progress of downtown and the poverty of West Greenville and the mill villages. We think the church and its gospel is a bridge between these worlds.
The Renovation
We’re not unveiling a new program or new mission. We’re giving thanks for what God has done in our two and a half years. We’re pausing to remember and reflect. We’re asking God for MORE of what we’ve already experienced and what He’s already granted.
MORE worship
Over 150 corporate worship services
80 + chapel services at Greenville Rescue Mission
Men’s Bible study and Morning Prayer
more welcome
17 Neighborhood Groups meeting throughout the city
Flourishing partnership with the women of Renewal
We have tripled the size of our original core team in less than 2 years
more welcome
2 wonderful Poe Mill Art Camps reaching kids in our neighborhood
The purchase of Buncombe Road property prior to launch
An incredible core team of about 75 adults
Why are we renovating this building?
MORE DEPTH
The truth is, we are no longer a small group of folks trying to figure out how to plant a church. We are now a substantial group of folks working to be the church.
In the past three years we have tripled in size, established our leadership, and hired an additional pastor. We have seventeen Neighborhood Groups meeting regularly throughout the city, and many of those will multiply in the coming year. As we glance around the sanctuary on Sunday morning we quickly realize there are many faces we don’t know as much as we would like. And, honestly, there are some faces we don’t know at all.
We don’t simply desire to grow in number — we desire to grow in depth of grace. Depth of love. Depth of wisdom. Depth of true community and fellowship. Depth of mercy.
Some of us are deeply embedded in the mission of the church, and others of us are just learning about Grace & Peace. Some of us have grown up in a church and have studied the Bible all of our lives, while others of us are part of a church for the first time — or might be returning after a long absence. Even though we may be at different stages of life, or even different stages in our faith, we want the mission of our church to flow out of the one thing we have in common — not the size of our family, or the color of our skin, or the amount of money in our checking account, but the incomprehensible reality that we are recipients of God’s grace. All of us have received the opposite of what we deserve. We are now, through no merit of our own, members of God’s family.
We don’t simply desire to grow in number — we desire to grow in depth of grace. Depth of love. Depth of wisdom. Depth of true community and fellowship. Depth of mercy.
While many factors will contribute to our growth in depth, more space is undeniably needed to facilitate that growth. This building project will give us over 11,000 square feet of additional space. How might that space help us to grow in depth?
DEEPER RELATIONSHIPS
Fellowship Hall and full kitchen
Room to socialize on Sunday mornings
Space to prepare for meals
Room for meals together
MORE STAFF
Four offices and two conference spaces
Additional space for future hires
Collaborative workspace
DEEPER KNOWLEDGE
Five additional classrooms
Expanded adult & child education
Room for larger group studies and classes
Space for our growing youth group
DEEPER OUTREACH
Expansion of annual Poe Mill Art Camp
Space for community events
Neighborhood Association meetings
Recovery meetings
Faith & Finance classes
Elevator access to all floors
PMAC Partnership
It’s sad to think how many square feet of church property in the city remains unused during the course of an average week. Which is why we want this space to be a hub of activity for our community — a place of welcome for the children and families of our neighborhood. Our hope is that our neighbors, whether they belong to our church or not, feel like this building is also their building.
One of the most exciting aspects of this project is the opportunity to more closely partner with our friends at the Poe Mill Achievement Center, by giving them a space to grow and thrive. We not only support the work of PMAC, but believe their presence will help us all grow in depth of our mission. Their work will give us all opportunity to connect more closely with the children of our surrounding neighborhoods and their families.
details on the renovation project
The design
cost & timeline
how you can help
