Highlands County has many churches, and we are very thankful for the ways God is using believers that are teaching His Word and sharing the salvation of Jesus in many places. We at Grace see ourselves as an exciting part of what God is doing in this community. We have four defining purposes that govern all that we do:
Grace is a place for people who desire to WORSHIP. That means we provide a number of different opportunities in the week to gather with other followers of Jesus and tell God that He is awesome and worthy of praise! We believe that worship is not simply music, singing, preaching or prayer – it is taking the time to open our hearts to God individually and together. We create several different kinds of services to help us together grow in praise.
Grace is a place for LEARNING. We have many opportunities from small group studies to large meetings where we open our Bibles and study them thoroughly. We sponsor the Great Commission Bible Institute where students come from all over the US to study the Word. We take the Bible seriously, and believe it contains the principles to live a life pleasing to the Lord in every way. Expect every message to be a careful exposition of the Scriptures.
Grace is a place to BELONG. We love to get people involved in each other’s lives. We are an active body with a ton of ways to share your life with other people. Some of us have come through deep hurts and will lift your heart with stories of how God brought us through.
Grace is a place to MAKE A DIFFERENCE. We are involved in outreach projects in Highlands County, but also are regularly moving out in mission projects and trips around the world. We train students to become leader-servants in world missions. We want you to become a part of something bigger than you could ever have imagined. Come and visit with us. We think you will feel the difference!
What to expect when you come for your first visit:
We love having new visitors at Grace! Usually every week we have someone that is there for the very first time. Because a visit to a new church can be awkward, we thought it might be nice to have some idea what to expect so you feel at home.
- Our normal worship services are about 1 hour and 15 minutes long. Child care and Nursery is ALWAYS provided. There is a computerized check in and check out procedure, so you will need to “log in” and check in at the children’s desk (our “Kid City” staff will help you). There is a nursing mom’s room as well (ask an usher for directions).
- Dress ranges from jeans and t-shirts to ties and dress clothing - it’s up to you. Everyone in Florida tends to be a bit less formal than “up north” and we really don’t get hung up on that stuff.
- The first part of our meeting is “praise and worship” where a mix of old and new songs will be presented by our worship team and the congregation (i.e. audience) will join in.
- We usually have a time to meet and greet people. We don’t normally have you stand or introduce yourself because we don’t want to embarass you in any way. If you would, we’d love it if you would fill out a visitor’s slip in the bulletin (the program you get at the door from our ushers). Drop the filled out slip in the offering plate when it goes by. No salesman will call… it is to help us know who you are and give you a chance to share any needs you may have!
- The heart of our service is a stirring teaching from the Bible. If you don’t have one, there are Bibles under the chairs in front of you (paper back editions). Our Pastor normally teaches from the New American Standard Bible, because our Bible Institute students use it, and it is very precise. If you brought another version, that’s fine… you’ll catch on with the reading at the beginning of Pastor’s message.
Thanks for visiting. If there is anything we can do to make your time here better, let us know. We feel privileged to be a part of a great community, and we’re glad you came!
