We Found a Place to Grow and Learn at Grace Alive
We originally heard about Grace Alive from my sister in law in 2016 when we were actively looking for a new church home.
We separated from our previous church in 2016 during a time of unrest in America. We were distressed and filled with grief due to the injustice and the senseless murders of black men and women by law enforcement. We turned to our church for support and found that the majority of the congregation could not relate nor could there offer the support that we, and the small amounts of other black members, needed. We were expecting our first child and couldn’t see ourselves raising him in a church where we did not feel seen or supported.
The first few months after leaving our former church, we visited a handful of churches, trying to find a good fit for our family. We made a list of the things that were most important to us: Christ centered, Bible focused, multicultural, established church with great worship and older families who we could live life with.
After visiting a few churches, we started to feel burned out. We remembered Grace Alive but didn’t think it would be a good fit for us since it was church plant. We decided to wait and ended up visiting a few weeks after the launch in 2017. What we found at Grace Alive was a new church plant, made up of young adults, at a local YMCA. It wasn’t what we were looking for. A month went by, and we decided to visit a second time, then a third time, and before we knew it, we were regular attendees.
Grace Alive wasn’t what we were looking for but it ultimately became what we wanted and needed. We didn’t find a church that crossed off everything on our list. Instead we found a place of worship, filled with amazing, loving, strange but great people who love God and loves our family. These people have become friends and family. We found a place to grow and learn, a place to support and receive support. At Grace Alive, our family feels welcomed and at home. My son is nurtured and seen. Our faith is challenged and encouraged. We’ve committed to Grace Alive. To Go Bold and use our time, talents, and treasures to help be the hands and feet of Jesus alongside our new family.
Best,
Loockmy Jean-Charles
