MINISTRY - Where Do You Fit In?
At Grace Fellowship, we have two types of ministries, those that WE provide to YOU and those that YOU provide to US. Let me explain. The ministries that WE provide to YOU are services such as nursery care while you are worshiping or studying, Youth activities, Small and Large Group sponsorship. You get the idea.
On the other hand, the ministries that YOU provide to US are areas where YOU serve. Like the music team, where you might sing and/or play an instrument during one of our worship services. Or ushers and greeters - we all know what those folks do. Anyway, these are the services that make this place run on Sundays and Wednesdays and all the times we have any special activity going on. Below we highlight the main ministries that we provide to you and have grouped the service areas under Opportunities to Serve. If you would like to get involved or want more information, please contact the church office.Children + Youth
Learning is an essential part of what we do for our children, but we also love to combine it with other fun events including: Easter party, summer play dates, back to school swim party, Fall Festival, and Christmas party. Please check out our monthly calendar of events to keep up with all the fun activities. For more information about children's ministry, please contact our director of Children's Ministry, Mary Alred at mary@gracefellowshippca.com.
Sunday School
Preschool - Kindergarten: We are studying the Bible using The Bible Building Blocks of the Faith curriculum. 1st - 2nd Grade: We are using the "Show Me Jesus" curriculum for lower elementary.3rd - 5th Grade: We are also using the "Show Me Jesus" curriculum for middle elementary. Children's Church: Children's Church is for ages 3 years old until 1st grade. This is a time to help transition our little ones from the nursery to worship service.
Wednesday Nights
Children's choir meets from 6:30-7:00. During this time, the children learn scripture along with hymns and songs. The age for this class is Preschool - 5th grade. We then separate into our classes from 7:00 - 7:30: Preschool-Kindergarten and 1st - 5th grade.
Sports Camp
Every year in June, Grace Fellowship partners with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) and the Albertville Recreation Center to hold our annual Sports Camp for ages 7 - 13. This is our alternative to Vacation Bible School (VBS) and is used for outreach and service. We bring in expert sport instructors and well-known Christian athlete speakers to offer a week of fun, food, sports and the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. During past Sports Camps, we hosted over 350 area children and had 99 decisions for Christ! Some of these children had never heard the Good News prior to Sports Camp and many attended on scholarship. Thanks to the generosity of our members, sponsors and volunteers, we are able to impact our community in a way that has eternal implications. To God be the Glory!
Groups: Small + Large
Small Groups
Our small groups operate within our men's and women's ministries. Our studies are designed to go deeper into Christian maturity, equip and encourage evangelism, and incorporate service both within and outside of the church. Our groups typically meet every week during the school year. During the summer months, we have mixed groups. Please call the church office for more information about any of our small groups.
Large Groups
Grace Fellowship utilizes large groups for maturing in the Christian life, equipping for ministry, evangelism and service. These groups include our classes on Sunday Mornings and Evenings, and on Wednesday Nights. Please see the Children and Youth section below to learn about their current curriculum. Large group opportunities for adults include:
Adult Sunday School
Sunday mornings from 9:30 - 10:20.
Wednesday Night
Fellowship meal from 5:30 - 6:30 and discipleship from 6:30 - 7:30.
Outreach: Near + Far
True to our Mission and Vision Statements, we are committed to supporting missionaries around the world financially and through prayer. We support both home and foreign missions. We also support local outreach organizations.
Foreign Missions
Through our support of Mission to the World (MTW), we currently support missionaries serving in the following locations (some information withheld):
- Belgium
- Belize
- Comoros
- England
- Germany
- Japan
- Lebanon
- Romania
- Senegal, West Africa
- Zimbabwe
Home Missions
- Big Oak Ranch
- Birmingham Theological Seminary
- Clete Hux/Apologetic Resource Center
- Covenant College
- Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA)
- Providence Presbytery
- Reformed University Fellowship (RUF)
Local Outreach
Dayspring Center for Christian Counseling is a ministry of Grace Fellowship Presbyterian Church. It is operated by Terry Nelson, LPC, who is also an elder at Grace Fellowship. All clinicians are licensed and see a wide spectrum of counseling issues including:
- Marriage & Family
- Pediatric through Adolescent
- Divorce Recovery
- Parent-Child Relationships
- Adjustment Disorders
- Mood Disorders
- Addiction & Recovery
- Trauma/Abuse
Biblical principles and the Gospel of Jesus Christ are used to bring healing and restoration to hurting souls. Real Life Crisis Pregnancy Center is supported financially and prayerfully by Grace Fellowship and offers our members ministry opportunities to serve as counselors and operational staff. Some of the services offered by Real Life include:
- Free pregnancy tests
- Information about pregnancy
- Accurate information on abortion
- Adoption education and support
- Post Abortion counseling and support
- Maternity and infant clothing
- Infant furniture (when available)
- 24 Hour message line
- Non-judgmental support and acceptance
- Speakers on abstinence and
pregnancy related topics - Literature on abortion, adoption, sexually transmitted disease, etc.
- Abstinence education
Evangelism
True to our Mission and Vision Statements, and obedient to the Great Commission of Jesus Christ, Grace Fellowship Presbyterian Church conducts various Evangelism Training throughout the year. Some of the methods we use are:
- Evangelism Explosion (EE)
- Bridge to Life
- Life Issues