Dear Grace Chapel Family,
This email is the first of regular monthly emails which the Board of Elders will be sending as we move forward together as one body as we expectantly plan Grace Chapel’s next steps in accordance with the Lord’s leading.
We have heard from many of you in our congregation as you process the departure of Joshua, share your prayers for our church and share thoughts on what is next for Grace Chapel. Be assured that we are sharing and incorporating this valuable feedback as we process and plan.
As we meet regularly as an elder team, we are sharing what we are hearing, beginning to plan next steps, and praying for Grace Chapel. We are also meeting with some church consultants to understand all our options and what other churches have done in similar seasons.
Our initial focus had to be how we work through Easter and the weeks following in key ministry areas including our Sunday preaching calendar. With incredible gratitude for our gifted pastoral staff, many of whom you have heard in recent weeks, we have a plan that supports that now through May and it is here below:
- March 30th: Jon Kim preaching
- April 6th: Joshua Clough preaching
- April 13th Palm Sunday: Campus Pastors preaching
- April 18th Good Friday: Campus Live Preaching - Campus Pastor or Associate Pastor by campus
- April 20th Easter: Tom VanAntwerp preaching
- April 27th – June 1st Sermon Series: Tim Ghali will lead this sermon series and bring in other preaching staff for some of the weeks. The staff teaching team will finalize the sermon theme and help Tim assign those preaching with him in this series.
We look forward to engaging with many of you as we meet with many of our key leadership teams, connect for coffee or simply chat a few moments in the lobby after services. Know that we are here to serve you and welcome your prayers, support and ideas in the days ahead.
We are in prayer during all our Board of Elder meetings, and we are encouraged to see and hear of the many in our congregation who are praying as well.
Our God has been the one constant in our 75-year history: our hope, our purpose, our salvation, the reason we gather and the reason we reach out to greater Boston.
We trust in God’s precious promise that He is with us - as Tim Ghali so beautifully reminded us - even when there are “detours”. God has the only plan that is worth following today and in this next year.
We are in a period of discernment and will continue to communicate through email, your campus e-News, grace.org, and in conversations about any next steps as we are guided on the path ahead.
From,
Victor Gerdes, Mark MacDonald and the other members of the Board of Elders:
Andrea Dacayanan
Daniel Mitchell
David Prince
Kevin Johnson
Marie Marchesseault
Rebecca Li
Rob Stutzman
Sandy Shen
Tim Min
