If you walk through the doors of The Church of Grace and Peace you will quickly discover it is undeniably a regional church with a growing emphasis on living life together. That’s our culture. It’s who we are. We have existed for over 2 decades living with the singular purpose of “Building the People that Shape the World.” As a result of this focus we are able to maintain a constant state of excitement about what God has done historically through the saints, while at the same time look expectantly toward what He has in store for us.

At The Church of Grace and Peace (GAP) we want to advance in the five-fold ministry gifts (see Ephesians 4:11), so we continue to look for ministry opportunities for what has been called, “the day of the saints.” This simply means we have a strong belief in “every member ministry.” We are building a team of volunteers to reach the masses, taking advantage of technology and multi-media. We desire to coach leaders from our congregation who will minister in every area of society. At GAP we see believers as ministers affecting the culture. This belief requires all of our members to be continually discipled in order to carry the message of Jesus Christ to their individual spheres of influence.

So what are some of the specific focuses of The Church of Grace and Peace in the coming days? Let’s take a moment to look at a few.

One of our main focuses will be to continue to advance as a House of prayer. We believe prayer to be the key to all of our successes; past, present, and future.

II Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and forgive their sin, and will heal their land”

Another significant focus is we are forging forward with an even stronger emphasis on Life Groups. Our goal is to have people of every age and background connected to one another. We want to impact the world we touch with God’s agenda. Life Groups provide the believer and non-believer alike with an intimate, non-threatening setting outside the physical walls of the church. In a Life Group we find a balance of relational accountability, a safe place for discipleship, with a spirit of evangelism. We never want these groups to become introspective or exclusive.

A brand new focus for 2009 is the launch of EPIC, a college and career (20’s and 30’s) ministry preparing the way for the next generation. We believe a key component to the success of this group will be one-on-one mentoring and coaching. This group will provide both an atmosphere for spiritual maturity as well as social activities.

At GAP, our seniors are esteemed highly and considered invaluable. We especially value the wisdom and experience of these devoted saints and provide for their needs as well. We understand there is no retirement in the Kingdom of God. Sizzling Seniors is a place for an extremely important generation to find their place of ministry and fellowship through the mission of GAP.

In the area of children’s ministry we will continue to minister to every age group beginning with Infant Care and Pre-School ages. We currently house a Christian Academy with grades K-5 and middle school grades 6-8. We compliment these age groups with a vibrant Royal Ranger and Missionettes program. We have a dynamic youth ministry, Cutting Edge Youth, skillfully led by a youth pastor second to none. We are exploring the possibility of providing affordable high school age education as an alternative to the public school system.

We also plan to continue expanding our Missions program in local, national, and foreign regions. We will continue to strengthen our local outreach to the community. We want to reproduce our ministry by planning growth through church planting. We are committed to educating and building people spiritually; making true disciples of Jesus Christ who live life with a Christian world view.

To accomplish these goals we have established a teaching curriculum of basic discipleship lessons which move new attendees from novices to mature believers. We want to make certain every person coming to The Church of Grace and Peace has an understanding of the assurance of salvation, answered prayer, victory, forgiveness, guidance, instruction on receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit, water baptism, communion, the gifts of the Holy Spirit (including a foundational understanding of the motivational gifts). In all this we work diligently to provide an environment where every believer can continue on their quest to know the truth through more in-depth studies. I encourage you to check out our adult schools and training centers on this website.

At GAP, we want to be seeker friendly but at the same time never compromise our core values demonstrating; holiness, the fear of the Lord, sound doctrine, and pointing every person to Christ.

You are welcome to join us on our journey!

Gary Panepinto

Senior Pastor Designate