Grace Church of Greater Akron, a Grace Brethren congregation in northeast Ohio (Jeff Bogue, senior pastor), has been named among the top in America in 2017 by Outreach Magazine. Listed at number 80, the church has seen a 10 percent growth in the last year, and is number 90 in the largest churches participating in the survey. A portion of the story from the magazine appears below. Click here for the complete article.
ONE INDIVIDUAL AT A TIME: GRACE CHURCH OF GREATER AKRON
Nearly a decade ago, Tony and Kelly Vitrano had friends who asked if they could take the Vitranos’ children to vacation Bible school. After five days of praise and worship, the kids asked their parents to start taking them to church.
“We had two little kids begging us to go to church, and then two weeks later, one of my brothers was killed in a motorcycle accident,” recalls Kelly, who had no religious background. “My husband and I looked at each other and said, ‘There must be something more.’”
They started attending Grace Church of Greater Akron in Ohio and, according to Kelly, were lavished with love from the moment they walked through the door.
“Now, through growing our relationship with Christ, we’ve been able to love on others,” says Kelly, who, along with Tony, now serves in the youth ministry at Grace Church.
The Vitranos are just one example of how Christ builds a church—which, according to Pastor Jeff Bogue, is one individual at a time.
Click here for the complete article.