@Grace there are many different ministries occurring. Some are obvious, others are subtle. Hopefully the following list will give you some sense of just what we do @Grace as we live out our call to follow that guy named Jesus.
Serve people experiencing homelessness and food insecurity in Boston, Norwood, Dedham & Framingham
Laugh, pray, eat, sing, study
Volunteer at the Chittick School, a low income school in the heart of Boston.
Sew feminine hygiene kits for women in developing nations Learn more
Partner with a Boston Public elementary school to act as an add-hoc parent advisory committee.
Gather as women & men (separately) because sometimes we have more fun without the other gender
Send letters to our local and national representatives to urge them to pass legislation for a more just world
Educate children, but mostly love them and try our best to send them on their own spiritual journey
Collect resources of all kinds from clothes to furniture and redistribute them
Support local underfunded schools
Listen, pray, listen, pray, listen
Engage in the ever changing world
More on what we do...
Community Ministry: Grace community has two ordained ministers, Rev. Abigail A. Henrich and Rev. Jon Paul Sydnor, PhD, who offer spiritual guidance and support to all who seek. From life transitions to hospital visits to counseling, Abby and Jon Paul make themselves available.
Gatherings & Music: We gather almost weekly to be in communion with God and each other. We are exceedingly blessed to have a gifted jazz pianist Greg Woodsbie as our Music Director. Together, Greg and Abby transform the worship service each week into an experience that often cannot be put into words. Truly grace seems to seep into our souls as we draw closer to God. We engage in the biblical narrative, bear our souls to God in prayer, stretch to understand God’s call in our lives, freely share in bread and cup, and sing until our spirits move inside us and sometimes outside of us.
Abundant Bread: Often during communion, we are treated to Abby’s warm homemade bread. We are allowed (even encouraged!) to break off as large of a piece as we like. Then the remaining loaf is passed out so that not a crumb goes to waste. Sound extravagant, indulgent, or not in line with most formal protocol surrounding communion? @Grace communion has taken on a new and intimate meaning; no longer is a small crust-less square of white bread served on a silver platter with a separate sterile miniature cup. Communion at Grace instead is a feast where all are welcome to take a big warm piece of bread. We are reminded that this bread is different, this bread is the bread of heaven and this bread offers us a sustenance that other bread does not. We enjoy the intimacy of sharing God’s meal face to face as we serve one another. Continuing to share chunks of the leftover loaf in community, after all are served, brings pleasure as we gleefully enjoy the abundance of God’s love. Such simple new acts says so much about the fullness and completeness Jesus intended for us to experience each time we share God’s meal.
Spiritual Formation for Adults: Adults engage in an interactive dialogue each week as part of regular gathering. Current and pertinent topics are discussed as we wrestle with our own personal theologies. But most importantly we contemplate how it all relates to us in our day to day life. Jon Paul, a professor and theologian at Emmanuel College, willingly leads the weekly discussion. We are grateful and blessed for his research, expertise and teaching.
Spiritual Formation for Children: Children participate in their own spiritual formation at the same time as adults in a multilevel classroom. They are led by Abby who truly believe that each of us must become like a child to inherit the kingdom of God. The children discover for themselves their own faith as they listen to stories from the bible and other stories of faith. Mostly, Abby replies on the Christian education curriculum, Godly Play.
Joyful & Beloved Children Worship service is open to all ages and children are encouraged to participate in worship. We have nursing babies, infants sitting in the isle or passed to willing adults, toddlers crawling and young children sitting together. Sound chaotic? Perhaps, but joyfully so. The children @Grace infuse our worship with joy. Each Grace child learns they are loved and are a valued part of our community. As a result their behavior reflects respect and interest in their community. The children of Grace Community often know the answers to biblical questions better than many adults and their heart felt comments often speak the truth to questions the adults are reluctant to answer.
Virtual Presence: Grace Community has a significant following of individuals who are connected through facebook. The connectivity of the web allows many to participate beyond our immediate community. Daily, weekly and monthly postings have opened new possibilities and thought provoking ideas. All who have visited, posted or engaged have found ways to “join us on the journey.” In addition are pastor actively blogs.
Musical/Spiritual Coffee House Events: Regularly Grace Community hosts big coffee house events. Join us for an uplifting, foot stomping, spirit moving event featuring our Music Director, Greg Woodsbie and other talented musicians. Your soul will be full and your heart elated when you attend one or all of these events.
Giving: God calls us to love and care for one another. A special discretionary fund was established for Abby to use for anyone in need. This has been funded by special generosity collections taken during the year. Many groceries have been bought, bills paid and more for those who are facing desperate times.
Midweek Prayer Group: Nearly every other Wednesday throughout the year a small group gathers to spend time sharing and praying or engaging in structured study series. The midweek gathering is open to all and provides a smaller intimate time with others to share, reflect, pray and rejuvenate.
Mission: Mission is central @Grace; there are numerous ways to serve others. Enriched lives are those that serve others. At Grace Community central to our beliefs is Jesus commission to “Love one another.” “Feed the hungry, give rest to the weary….(you need to fill in the rest)… Enrich your life by participating in one, several or all of our outreach activities – Abundant Table in Norwood, Common Cathedral Worship Service in Boston, Daniel's Table in Framingham, or 5 day mission trip to rural Maine through Mission in the Eastward.
Green Use of Resources: As a Christian organization we strive to use our resources in an efficient and environmentally conscious way. We are paperless and try our best to minimize our carbon footprint in other ways as a community from borrowing equipment to reusing already on hand things for crafts with the children. We have no intentions of building our own space, but instead are pleased to be using a space that currently was sitting empty.