No Services August 28 Due to Hurricane Irene

Due to Hurricane Irene and the specific requests of both the Governor and the Towns of Lexington and Wilmington that everyone stay off the roads for their own safety and the safety of others, services are cancelled for Sunday August 28. Note that our worship service from 8/21 will be broadcast Sunday 8/28 on WEZE AM 590 at 9:30am.

High School Mission Trip to New Orleans

I just got back from the Grace Chapel high school mission trip to New Orleans from July 2-9th. It was such a blessing to serve alongside six of our Wilmington students and the rest of the Grace Chapel team. The phrase that sticks out to me most is the "power of God." We were just surrounded by God's blessing and protection all week. Each student went on several "prayer walks" during the week; praying for the neighborhoods we were working in, and with the people who lived there. We were all just overwhelmed by how God worked in our hearts and through those conversations.

Students were also encouraged by the amount of work we accomplished as a team. We cleaned up a house that was demolished by a tornado, and cleaned, drywalled, and painted a half dozen homes in the city. We also threw two block parties in the city for our neighborhoods. It was a joy to see how hard all of them worked.

Thank you for your prayers during the week. If your student has never been on a mission trip, I would encourage them to join us next summer. It's an unforgettable opportunity to see God work, to be used to glorify Him, and to connect on a much deeper level with with a team.


Our whole team getting debriefed on day 1


Here is the small group team I was on (there were 6 in all) after a day of tornado cleanup.


This is our whole group in the lower 9th ward at the site where the levee broke.


One of the houses we worked on


A youth group from New York that we ran into and prayed with.



The students passing my camera around the van. We had 50 min drive into the city each day, including a 24 mile bridge (the world's longest continuous bridge over water).

Isaac Milton
Director of Youth Ministry

Summer at Wilmington

So much has happened here at Wilmington Campus since our opening day in May! Our new building feels full and alive with over 450 people attending our three services each week. We have even started our own Wilmington Campus tradition: a weekly picnic by the gazebo after church on Sundays!

For the summer, we have three Sunday morning services: 8:00am, 9:30am, and 11:00am. It's been fun to have Bryan preach live from the Wilmington stage at the 8:00am service. Our Kidstown ministry is also in full swing, as is Fusion/Gravity. Recently, Isaac and several Gravity students went on a mission’s trip to New Orleans- stay tuned for a blog entry and pictures about their trip! This coming week, a group of Fusion Middle Schoolers will be headed on a trip to The Boston Project- please pray for them as they head into the heart of Dorchester for the next week.

As amazing as the summer has been, we have some great things to look forward to this fall. On September 11, come to Vision Sunday to hear about what our year holds- and to meet your future LIFE Community group! We hope to launch several Wilmington LIFE Communities this fall, and on September 11, we will have a LifeLink where you can meet leaders and check out the locations of this year’s groups. If you’re new to the Wilmington Campus, don’t miss our Welcome to Grace Reception on September 25 (after that 11am service). This is a chance to learn a little more about Grace Chapel and get to meet Pastor Tom and other members of the staff.

Thanks to everyone for your interest and involvement at the Wilmington Campus. See you Sunday!

A Very Special Day!

After planning, praying, and preparing for months to open our doors to Grace Chapel's Wilmington Campus, the day finally came!

Scores of volunteers had the place all set and ready - parking teams and greeters, Kidstown workers and youth leaders, balloons and cake – we pulled out all the stops! When the services began, people started streaming in. The services were worshipful and amazing. Pastor Bryan opened the Bible and spoke with relevance and passion. The parking lots were full to overflowing! It really felt like Grace Chapel!

By the end of the second service, one of the ushers whispered in my ear the total number of folks at the two services – 596!

Nearly 600 people for our first service! It was amazing day – one that far exceeded any of our hopes or expectations. We welcomed over 80 people who’d never been to Grace Chapel before. To top it all off, we were thrilled to know that we were worshiping together with Lexington – one church, two campuses!!

Praise God for a very special day!!

See you on Sunday!

Tom

Opening Day Images!

Painting The Cove

We had a great time last week painting The Cove (the youth space in Wilmington). We had over 20 students and adults help out over the three days we painted. I am so thankful for everyone who came to help. The place looks awesome. It was great to see students starting to own this space. I don't want The Cove to be a place that students show up to, but instead a place that they create.

Here are 3 videos I have taken that show transformation that has taken place in The Cove. This first one is from about 2 months ago:


Here we are after the first day of painting:


This video is from after day 2:


There is still more work to be done. We would love to have you help at The Cove and that rest of the campus this Saturday.

-Isaac Milton
Director of Youth Ministry

Spring Cleaning Day on Saturday, April 30!

Join us for a church-wide spring spruce-up, including some light landscaping, painting, and general cleanup at the Wilmington Campus from 9:00am - 4:00pm on Saturday, April 30th! Pizza lunch provided. Contact Farrell Lindemann flindemann@grace.org for more information.