Remember the ditty you learned as a child when you intertwined your fingers and rhymed: Here is the church, here is the steeple, open the doors and see all the people.

At Grace, the first thing you may notice is the beautiful Gothic architecture, the awe-inspiring English stained glass windows, or the magnificent organ, but it won’t take you long to realize that some people are the foundation on which it all stands. Grace UMC is blessed with many talented leaders and helpers in our midst, including our senior pastor and staff with whom we partner in ministry.

Our staff and lay leaders are eager to answer your questions and help you find a comfortable spot in our community. Once you are comfortable, we hope you’ll consider joining by standing before the congregation and taking the official vow of membership (link to liturgy). We love our church and are eager to see it grow, but we’ll also let you take your time settling in. No pressure here.

It’s just that in the United Methodist Church, each congregation receives pastors at the discretion of the Bishop and Conference Cabinet made up of District Superintendents that preside over all of the various churches and pastors in the conference. We sometimes have little say over whether a pastor stays or goes, depending on other needs around the conference. That being the case, the long-term wellbeing of our congregation is heavily dependent on the consistent leadership of committed members.

To help you feel more at ease when you visit or wish to get more involved, we’ve compiled some videos about people who turn Grace into tangible expressions grace in the world.