Our congregation is blessed to have many talented, dedicated, and hard-working members who give of themselves to direct the many ministries of our church. Below are some of our Deacons and the ministries they lead. Please prayerfully consider becoming a part of their team. They’d love to have you!
Christian Education
Janet Devaux
The Christian Education Ministry exists to lead us towards deeper faith in Christ. Participants in the various classes, geared for their age or interest should find themselves encouraged or challenged in their faith, or discovering faith in Christ and His transforming presence. At Grace, Christian Education encompasses three main components: Nursery, Sunday School, and Children’s Church.
Nursery: Nursery welcomes children from birth through age 3
Grace Fellowship benefits from a dedicated staff of volunteers working in the nursery to:
- Provide children with a safe and loving environment
- Give parents the peace of mind they need to focus on their own spiritual growth and fellowship needs
Nursery is available:
- During 9:40 am Sunday school (main floor: infants & toddlers together)
- During the 10:30 am worship service (main floor: infants 0-2 years old) (upstairs Room 5: toddlers 2-3 years old)
- During Wednesday Night Alive from 6-7:30 pm (main floor: infants & toddlers together)
We consider the care of your children a contract of trust. With this in mind, the following important features have been integrated into our nurseries:
- A pager system, allowing parents to be contacted when needed
- Clean, organized rooms with plenty of activity for the children
- A Childcare Training class required for all nursery workers, which includes a contract of responsibility for our records and the children’s safety
- First aid kits and telephones installed in each nursery for emergencies
- A caring staff, working in pairs or threes, never alone
- A committee overseeing scheduling, staffing, and on-going improvements
- A waiting period of 6 months for newcomers joining our childcare staff
Sunday School: Classes offered to ages 4 to 104
We seek, at age-appropriate levels, to pave the way to a Christ-encounter through a study of his Word, prayer and fellowship. Classes meet between our two worship services, from 9:40 – 10:20. A complete “menu” of classes and locations is available in the foyer and hallway.
Children's classes are presently (2010 – 2011) divided as follows:
- Pre4 – 2nd grade (upstairs, Room 3)
- 3rd – 7th grade upstairs, Room 6)
- 8th – 12th grade upstairs, Room 2)
Adult class offerings and locations (2010 – 2011):
- Ladies’ class "The Importance of a Woman’s Words", Upstairs, Room 1
- Co-ed "Foundations of the Faith", Upstairs, Room 4
- Co-ed "Elijah: From Ordinary to Extraordinary", Fellowship Hall
Children’s Church: Offered to children age 4 through 2nd grade during 2nd service
Children’s Church provides a “kid-sized” church time during the pastor’s sermon in order to make faith in Jesus relevant to their lives. Through a curriculum of lessons and activities that appeal to the younger mind, Jesus’ love and redeeming work are communicated in simple language.
Children are dismissed for Children’s Church after the singing and prayer portion of the 2nd service. Children follow the teacher to their class (upstairs, Room 3) for the remainder of the morning service. Parents are asked to meet their children upstairs after the service.
Our teachers serve for two Sundays at a time on a rotating schedule.
Do you have a gift for working with children? Has the Lord given you the ability to teach His Word to children? to adults? See Janet to explore how to become involved in this ministry.
Fellowship
Kellene Limpert
The Fellowship Ministry’s purpose it to bring the church family together through various events and activities throughout the year. Some of these are:
- Church Movie Night
- Easter morning fellowship
- Spring and Summer Dinners for 8
- Pie Social and Hymn Sing
- Brunches for our missionaries
- Farewell dessert night for families moving away
- Annual summer picnic
We can always use help with fellowship activities, including the cooking club, clean-up crews, coffee clubs and planning events with the fellowship committee. Please talk to Kellene if you would like to roll your sleeves up and get involved with our family!
Missions
Lloyd Boyden
The Missions Ministry’s purpose is to encourage partnership with God’s servants who are reaching out to a lost world. Grace Fellowship supports several families throughout the world who minister through
- Campus Crusade for Christ
- InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
- New Tribes Missions
- Youth With A Mission (YWAM)
- Northern Canada Evangelical Mission
- Arab World Missions
- Evangelical Free Church of America (Reach Global Ministries)
We support these families financially as well as through regular contact and prayer support. “Missions Moments” during the church service are used to ensure good communication with the congregation so they can know how to pray for their specific needs. We strive to be an encouragement to them and to maintain a partnership with their work and our church.
We try to involve the church family by keeping them informed of God’s work through these families and by giving them opportunities to experience God’s work through short-term missions trips. These trips provide opportunities for team members to be challenged to grow in their relationship with Christ, to share their faith with others, and to be an encouragement to those they visit.
Do you have a desire to know more about Grace Fellowship’s support of God’s servants doing His work on college campuses and in other countries? Talk to Lloyd and let him share more with you about the ministries we support.
Outreach
Rebecca Schilke
The Outreach Ministry’s purpose is to minister and extend help to those in our town and community that are not part of our church body through services, activities, and events. Some are:
- The Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center
- The Samaritan’s Purse
- Hands of Grace
- Various holiday outreach projects
Adults, teens, and kids alike all participate in these programs, bringing help, comfort, and spiritual blessings to those in need. God has blessed our church family abundantly and we wish to demonstrate Christ’s love through our outreach efforts. We wish to be a beacon of light in the valley of darkness.
Has Jesus blessed you with a ministering spirit or a desire to be a blessing to those in need? Come see Rebecca and join the team!
Property Management
Jim Nieuwenhuis
It is amazing to see how much activity there is in the Bible centered around building. God had skilled craftsmen come together to build the Tent of Meeting and the Ark of the Covevnant. In Exodus 34:4 (NIV) we read, “every skilled person to whom the LORD has given skill and ability to know how to carry out all the work of constructing the sanctuary are to do the work just as the LORD has commanded."
The Lord had King Solomon build an incredible structure called the Temple. “Then Solomon began to build the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to his father David” (2 Chronicles 3:1 NIV). We also see Nehemiah rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem because it was broken down and its gates were destroyed by fire. Here at Grace Fellowship we realize the building is not the church but we are thankful in the fact the Lord has given us a place to worship and to carry on the work of ministry in North Stonington. It is our hope that God would be glorified as it is used.
Small Groups
Paul Hanselman
The Small Groups Ministry focuses on spiritual growth by meeting together with other members in their homes to study and share their experiences and life lessons with one another. We believe Christ wants His family to be known for our love for each other. To that end, we endeavor to:
- Fulfill God’s will of becoming His family (John 15:5 & Romans 12:5)
- Practice and learn how to love, becoming more and more like our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 13:3 & 2 John 1:6)
- Fulfill God’s calling of each believer to ‘belong’, not just believe (Ephesians 2:19b & 1 Timothy 3:15b)
- Practice the commitment of community, building our relational skills and wisdom (James 3:18 & Acts 2:42)
- Prepare each believer for the ministry of reconciliation we are each called to (2 Corinthians 5:18 & Matthew 5:9)
The first century believers met in each other’s homes for prayer, fellowship, and teaching and experienced great spiritual growth thereby. Are you interested in this kind of spritual development? Contact Paul to learn about becoming a member of a small group, or even hosting one!
"The Great Commandment is preparation for the Great Commission."
Worship
Deb Lowe
The Worship Ministry's purpose is to promote services that honor and praise our Lord Jesus Christ. Some of the things we provide are:
- Greeters and ushers to help people feel comfortable, especially when visiting for the first time
- Good quality sound and video
- Music that leads people to worship
- Praise teams comprised of both singers and instrumentalists, and are selected by a rotating schedule
- Video teams that are specially trained to use the equipment, also selected by a rotating schedule
The members involved with the Worship Ministry work hard to help make our Sunday morning Worship Service a blessed time, and contribute great value to the service, no matter how small their efforts might seem to them. From the moment we are greeted at the door, to singing and worshiping our Lord, to viewing the service on VHS or DVD; all contribute their special gifts to make the service a wonderful, worshipful experience.
Has the Lord blessed you with welcoming, musical, or technical talents? Then see Deb and join our team!
