Frequently Asked Questions

What do you have for my family on Sundays?

Worship Service [adults, students, children]

• Our Sunday worship service is a 75-minute experience designed to encourage and equip you to live the life God created you to live.

• Dress: Most people dress in nice, comfortable clothes. Coats and ties are uncommon.

Nursery-Preschool (0 yrs-K5)

• Nursery is newborn to under 3.

• Preschoolers are 3-K5. They start with their parents in the service enjoying the music, videos, and testimonies, and then leave to join their leaders for age-appropriate activities. Preschoolers are welcome to stay for the whole service if parents desire.

Children (1st-5th grade)

• Our children start with their parents in the service enjoying the music, videos, and testimonies. They go back for Kid's Group just before the message for Bible stories and games. We are using the Gospel Project curriculum. Kids are certainly welcome to stay for the whole worship service if parents desire.

Youth (6-12th grade)

• Sunday mornings, our youth join our adults in our worship service at 10:30 AM. Some students help in the nursery, children's, praise band, and technology areas.

• Sunday evenings, 6:30 - 8:00 PM, our youth meet. Our youth group time is designed to help our teens discover a God who loves them as they are--but too much to leave them that way. He wants to equip them to impact their world in a way that ripples into eternity. Whether it's the message, music, team builders, small group discussions or just hanging out eating and playing, our youth learn what it means to believe and belong to a group that truly wants to love God and people everywhere.

What can I expect when I visit?

You are greeted at the entrance by people who are there to help. If you have small children, they can get you to the right place.

A welcome center is in the lobby just to the left of the main entrance, where someone is ready to help you find your way around.

Participation in the worship service is encouraged, but not required. We encourage people to simply respond to God authentically as they desire.

A typical service:

• Welcome and opening prayer

• 3-5 songs

• Testimonies, Special word, Prayer, Video clip

• Dismiss children to their Kid's Groups

• Sermon/message (about 30 minutes)

• Invitation/Response (with a song or 2) giving people a chance to give, celebrate the Lord's Supper (Communion), sing, and/or pray.

• Closing thoughts and prayer

The actual order may vary but usually lasts around an hour and 15 minutes.

Do I need to donate money when I visit?

No. We are happy to have you as a guest. Feel free to complete the green welcome card and drop it in one of the four offerings/prayer boxes (located in the worship area). If you would like to give, you can give in the offering boxes or online. Here's how

What is the pastor's message like?

Our pastor's message comes directly from the Bible, with additional material to help illustrate it. It is frequently part of an ongoing series. You can hear some recent messages on our messages page or our YouTube channel here.

Do you give invitations at the end of the service and what are they like?

Yes, we give an invitation to respond to whatever God is doing in your life at that moment. It includes a time to celebrate the Lord's Supper (Communion), pray alone or with others, give, and/or sing.

What happens after the service?

We talk to each other, gather our kids, pick up information in the foyer and meet new people. Some families or groups might go eat lunch together.

What am I expected to put in the offering/prayer boxes?

Nothing, but if you would like to share your contact information on the welcome cards and place them in the box, that's great. This will help us get to know you better. The offering is another way we worship by cheerfully giving to God offerings out of gratitude for what He's given to us. Everyone is welcome to share prayer requests on the back of the welcome cards and then drop them into the offering/prayer boxes (our leaders pray over requests Tuesday mornings).

What denomination are you?

We are non-denominational.

Are you associated with any other organizations?

In one sense, we are associated with any church that follows Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. As a result, we partner with other churches on projects and events that share our vision for changing our community with the love of Christ. We call them part of the Church of Charleston.

Practically, we are an autonomous church made up of people from various denominations and church backgrounds. We do associate and/or partner with other like-minded churches and ministries. Some examples include:

Local & US

• Water Mission -Clean water systems for those without it

• Cypress Project -Church planting network in Charleston and beyond

• Lowcountry Pregnancy Center -Giving mom’s better options

• Lowcountry Orphan Relief -Helping orphans in our city

• Magdalene House of Charleston -Helping girls rescued from trafficking + children in Uganda

• ChucktownUltimate.com -Reaching out to high schoolers in our city

• Mission Charleston (mChuck) (Every June) -Loving on our city in Jesus’ name

• Connie Maxwell Children's Home -Loving and serving orphans in Orangeburg

Global

• 141 Impact (Missions to widows and orphans in Uganda)

• Support missionaries (especially) in Curacao, and Uganda

• Curacao Awana Mission to Fuik Neighborhood (Every July) -Missions to children

• Water Mission

What is your leadership structure?

We are led by a Council of Pastors/Elders that function as a plurality of leaders. Currently, this council includes four elders.

We are also led by a group of Deacons & their wives. Our Deacon teams function as men (with the help of their wives as appropriate) to meet the needs in our congregation where the family structure has broken down. In a sense, they are "standing in the gap" to help people get back on their feet after a crisis or trial. Our first line of care ministry happens through our groups. Currently, our deacon team is made up of seven couples.

How do I get to know your church better?

The best ways to get to know us:

• Come to our Sunday services for a month

• Visit a Mission Group or Home Group for a month (we can give you a list of groups that meet in and around the Summerville/Ladson area)

Our desire is to be a community of people who follow Jesus together as we learn how to love God and love people by being the best neighbor ever where we live, work and play. We believe that happens best in relationships around the Bible. So we encourage our people to informally connect weekly in some kind of Christ-centered group for prayer, Bible study, mission planning, and encouragement.

What about groups for adults?

Disciple-making is a big deal at Grace. To facilitate this, we offer 3 kinds of groups for our adults: Mission Groups, Home Groups, and Core Groups.

Mission Groups meet twice a month. This group is “Largest enough to dare” and live on mission together around the corner and around the world. They are either planning a mission activity or living on a mission. All ages are encouraged to participate. In summer/fall 2022 we have 3 mission groups meeting.

Home Groups meet twice a month. This group is “Small enough to care” for one another inside the fellowship. They are usually working through a book of the Bible or a topical series. In summer 2022 we have three home groups to choose from with another to launch in fall 2022.

Core Groups meet weekly. This group is 2-6 guys or gals meeting weekly to discuss what they have been learning from their time in the word the past week. It’s a place where you learn to study the Bible on your own.

What do you believe?

Have a link at our beliefs. What we believe matters because what we do flows from what we believe.

How long have you been a church?

Grace began in November of 1999.