Reflections: Core Values

Welcome to our first e-newsletter! We're hoping that this might be helpful in drawing us closer as a community, both through celebration: recounting and sharing God's work in our community and city, as well as illumination: growing in our understanding of his mission. In the pace of life—even church life—these things can get lost. Toward that end, I wanted to begin by considering the big picture.

Over the past few months the elders at Grace DC have been wrestling with the question: What sorts of convictions do we hope to see in our church community? Some people call them core values, others church DNA; they're usually a combination of fundamental biblical convictions, and the unique calling of a particular church. Without conscious core convictions, it's so easy for the ship to be "blown and tossed about," instead of steered toward a meaningful destination. So we want to use these eight core convictions as a way to orient ourselves. Please consider them for a moment with me:

Gospel, Relationships, Calling, Expectation, Kingdom, Service, Witness, and City. Click here for a full explanation of each. We believe our commitment to these eight values will be life changing-both for us and our city.

Grace and peace, Glenn

Spotlight: Community Groups

Community Groups have been a priority at Grace DC from the beginning, and exist for the purpose of spiritual growth, fellowship and accountability, and service. The following is a recent testimony from one of the 375 people involved in these groups:

"I came to Grace DC at a time in my life when I had nothing else. I felt let down by 'the church' and lonely for community. I had just moved in with two girls from Grace and one invited me to come along to her Community Group. I remember my first visit to my CG-it was a potluck dinner. I instantly felt at home as we chuckled about life and connected very quickly. We all came from different places but miraculously God worked through our group and we grew together every Thursday. Both of my leaders individually reached out to me over the next year. Calling to check in on me, sitting with me during a particularly painful meeting, inviting me to supper before CG and writing me emails of encouragement. They brought me into the fold when I was longing for a family. We got messy together, our whole CG. We dug deep into the Word, we laughed, we cried, we had dance contests in their basement, and we even ran a race together in the winter.

"When the time came to transition out of my CG to the other side of town I was sad about leaving my 'family.' My group didn't forget about me though. Just as I transitioned out of the group my car died. And they surprised me by giving me a gift certificate for a bike shop in town and I was able to get a new set of wheels. : )

"My second group has been totally different than the first. I was afraid to open up to a whole new set of people but the leaders made it so easy. Their kind and encouraging demeanor helped ease and encourage an openness among the group members. We have a time of worship each week led by a different member of the group. Everything from a song to a poem to a piece from NPR that week. Each person brings a different element to the group. We also have a time every once in a while for a group member to share about their life. We have a deeper relationship with each other by listening to each others' stories."

This and other testimonies continued here >>.

Announcements

Spring Picnic coming up Saturday, May 5 at Rock Creek Park! Contact Grace Reidy or Katie Kuperus to help out. Please bring the following food items based on your bday: Jan-Mar (chips), Apr-June (sides/salads), July-Sept (drinks), Oct-Dec (desserts). Click here for map. Download the brochure. We’ll be having a shuttle bus (for real) running from the Van Ness metro (red line) at 1:30 and 3:00 pm.

Swing Dance Fundraiser on Saturday, May 19, 8:00 pm (location TBA)! The cost is $10 per person in advance, $12 per person at the door. Sign up online. We need lots of volunteers to make this work, so to help out, contact Betsy Blackwell. We’ll be raising money for Anacostia Gracious Arts Program (AGAP). View pictures of AGAP kids and download the brochure. View pictures of last year’s dance.

Camping Trip: Save the date for the second annual summer camping trip, June 8-10, at Big Meadows in Shenandoah National Park. View some pics from last year, and plan to join us and bring a friend!

More events and annoucements > >