Grace Community Church (Kevin Pinkerton, senior pastor) has much to offer the Fremont and Paulding areas of Ohio. Their campuses offer ministries to every age and demographic, leaving no stone unturned in preaching of God’s Word.
This focus of Jesus’ message applies, of course, to middle and high school students as much as the next age group. To accomplish the presence of this message, a new student center in Fremont has been constructed to accommodate this mission field. The need for such a building was the amount of students that Grace found themselves crowded with on Wednesday nights.
“We have a master plan for the continued growth of our church.” Pastor Kevin Pinkerton explains, “Creating space is part of the plan that our staff and board have developed over the last several years.”
The plans for a new student space had been in the works at Grace since 2008. It wasn’t until 2011 that the church started raising funds needed for a space that would be geared toward teens. By 2014, the board was in discussions with contractors to design and build the new center. Once the ground was broken, construction took roughly ten months. In addition to a gymnasium and common worship area, there was also a café and multiple youth rooms added to the design. Grace held the center’s grand opening on April 3, 2016.
Wednesday nights are the weekly key for this awesome new space at Grace Community. An average of nearly three hundred teens gather for the ministry known as Fuse. Then every Sunday are classes for students in addition to the main morning services. The center is also utilized for Upward Basketball and any other event that the congregation needs the space for… whatever the age! It is a great use of wiggle room for Grace and its work in building relations throughout the community.
“We have already seen growth in our student ministry because of our new space.” Pastor Kevin Pinkerton beams. “The teens are excited about their new facility and are inviting their friends to Fuse. It can all be used to serve student needs.”
And the congregation hopes that it will meet many more needs in the future. On a project that cost over two million dollars to bring about, the church family of Grace shows their commitment to building room for others to hear the life-changing message of Jesus Christ. — by Haley Bradfield
Featured photo: The cafe at the new student center at Grace Community Church gives students a place to relax, enjoy a snack, and fellowship with other believers.
Editor’s Note — The new space at Grace Community Church in Fremont, Ohio, will be utilized during Access2017, the national conference of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches. It will be held July 25-27, 2017. Click here for more information.
[Connect:] To send the hardworking leadership at Grace Community a letter of encouragement, click here.
This story first appeared in GraceConnect eNews. To subscribe to the weekly e-newsletter that includes news and information from congregations in the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches, click here.