Music Team

Grace Downtown’s music team is a rotating, eclectic group of musicians with formal training or performance experience, which rehearses on Wednesday evenings and before Sunday services. If you are a musician who has training or experience and who is comfortable with improvisation, consider serving as a regular team member (or a substitute for those have limited availability).

For more information or to sign up for our next quarterly audition, contact music director Cheryl Francis.

Welcome Team

We have many new faces come through our doors each week and welcoming them to our church and helping them get oriented is a tangible way to welcome people into our community against the backdrop of a city that can be overwhelming.

While we encourage everyone to reach out to newcomers, our Welcome Team is specially tasked with welcoming visitors to our Sunday services. Members of the Welcome Team serve on a one-Sunday-per-month rotation handing out bulletins, welcoming visitors, and answering questions attendees may have. The Welcome Team is divided into five smaller teams, each with a dynamic team leader. Team members are expected to arrive at 4:15pm on their particular Sunday, meet with the team and pray together, get into various posts and be ready to greet and help folks from about 4:30-5:15pm. For more info, contact Welcome Team leader Erin Ferree.

Setup Team

This is a great way to get involved behind the scenes. Arrive early on Sunday once every couple of months to help prepare the building for worship, and stay afterward to make sure the Sanctuary is put back in order after the service. The work is fun and requires a moderate degree of physical strength and mobility, but all who are interested are encouraged to join! Contact Salomon Menyeng for more info.

Communion Team

The Communion Team is always looking for more recruits to arrive early to the service and prepare the wine, juice and bread for the communion table. They also need volunteers to wash cups during the week. The more the merrier! This would be a once every two months or so commitment. Email Abby Huber for more info.

Library Team

At Coffee Hour on the second and fourth Sundays of each month, our Library Team manages our lending library, helping curious attendees find books on the Christian faith that line up with their interests and check them out. Team Members also help welcome newcomers by being a resource to get to know our community. Books can be returned to the cart or Info Table any Sunday. Questions? Contact Harry Moedinger to get involved.

Children’s Ministry Team

The Children’s Ministry Team serves the youngest members of our community and their families. They lead children’s worship, plan youth group events, and care for children in the nursery on Sundays and during special events. There are many opportunities, so if you can play a guitar, cuddle a baby, read a story, act out an event, welcome new families or recruit others to do any of the above, we need you! Contact Lisa Moore for more information.

Nursery and Children’s Education

When a child is baptized at Grace Downtown, the congregation promises to help the child grow up in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord”. Accordingly, each Grace Downtown member serves in the nursery about once every six months. Our Children’s Ministry Team helps with childcare at Grace Downtown events, kids’ programs such as the Christmas Play and Vacation Bible School, and other fun activities. Contact Children’s Ministry Administrator Lisa Moore for more information.

Children’s Church

Many volunteers share the privilege of teaching our children during our Sunday services. If you are interested in becoming a part of this very special team, you will be asked to serve about once every three months. Contact Children’s Ministry Administrator Lisa Moore if you have any further questions about the program or are interested in volunteering.

Care Team

This team aims to reach members of our church during times of need, such as providing meals to those who are sick or who just had a baby, giving a helping hand to those who are moving and much more. Contact Leah Carpenter to learn how you can get involved, or if you know someone who might need a helping hand!

Mercy Team

Want to help and encourage our struggling neighbors and people in need? Join the Mercy Team to join in the Diaconate’s work providing practical expressions of God’s love and mercy. Each team member serves in the lobby during Sunday services once every few months to provide special attention to our homeless neighbors, latecomers, visitors or anyone who wanders through our open doors. Team members can also join our deacons and deaconesses as they meet with people who ask the church for practical assistance. Our goal is to build lasting, encouraging relationships that meet needs and point people to Jesus. Training is provided. Contact the Diaconate for more information.

Prayer Team

The Prayer Team encourages our congregation to pray and prays for God’s love to radically touch our lives, our city and our world. The team prays regularly for the ministry of our church and its people, and receives and responds to prayer requests from the congregation. They also meet quarterly to be encouraged in prayer and to pray strategically together. Check out all of our prayer ministries and contact prayer@gracedc.net to get involved.

Coffee Hour Team

Grace Downtown asks each Community Group to host one coffee hour a year. Fun themes are welcome, but ordinary coffee and cookies are always enthusiastically appreciated. Contact Robert McAlister or Holly McAlister to see how you can get involved with organizing and facilitating these events.

Eat and Meet Team

Twice a month folks from Grace Downtown enjoy gathering over a meal at a local restaurant after Sunday service. ALL are welcome: newcomers, regular attendees, single, married, families, young and old! Contact David Edmondson for more info.

Fourth Friday Dinners

On the fourth Friday of each month, dinners of 8–12 people are hosted across the District at homes of Grace Downtown attendees. To sign-up for a dinner, check our calendar to register for our next available dinner, or find us on the Events & Announcements page. To host a dinner, or for more info, contact Melissa Fett or Jerry Huang.

Social Events Team

Picnics in Rock Creek Park, swing dances, hikes on Billy Goat Trail, book clubs, dinner parties, white water rafting—the Social Events Team (SET) creates chances to grow together as a community, and provide venues where we can invite curious friends and colleagues to see Christianity in a non-worship setting.

Typically, the SET plans one event per month. Being a part of this team is committing to attend quarterly meetings, plan or co-plan one event a year, and assist with other events as you wish.

To find out how you can help in this area, or get involved implementing an idea you have, contact team leaders Jenni Newbury or Jim Armstrong.

To find social events that are coming up, view the announcements or browse our online calendar.