3.20.26

Dear Grace Family,

A vicious wind storm, warm sun, a blizzard, then…a meteor strike?! Just another 7 days in Northeast, Ohio, I guess! But, wow, not boring! 

In spite of extreme challenges around the globe, we still have much to celebrate as we look to Jesus, our rock, our cornerstone, our living hope. From a recent staff member talking to someone who was contemplating self-harm in our parking lot… but ended up giving his heart to Jesus, to men giving their lives to Jesus at Life Re-Launch, we’re grateful. And, look at our Lorain campus where after years of preparation in the School of Ministry, one of our guys on the inside, Ricky, passed his C&MA accreditation interview becoming the first Alliance worker inside a prison! Wow. This is what heaven’s news reel looks like in real time. 

Like Pastor Joe reminded us last week, our first identity and our first allegiance is to the King and His Kingdom. This helps us to maintain perspective on what happens in our daily lives as well as the big picture around the world. I want to encourage you to consider continuing to follow the Savior who came, not just to make us more comfortable or in power, but to save us from our sins, from our pain, from ourselves. 

West Park Campus 

We’re also celebrating our new Campus launch. In case you missed it on Sunday, we've officially chosen West Park as the home of our next campus, which will open in fall of 2026. Pastor Josiah continues to build a great launch team and we’re getting closer by the day to finalizing the physical space. We’re trusting God to provide $500,000 to help cover all costs related to this launch in West Park. I mentioned on Sunday that we were already half-way there thanks to the generosity of people at Grace but now we’re getting even closer. Over $250,000 has been given to this launch. Thanks for considering your gift to this exciting ministry. Rachel and I were glad to hit that button on Sunday morning so we could share in this joy. Give Here.

Forever Young Leadership 

Thank you for praying over these months as we’ve asked God to provide the right leader for our Forever Young ministry. On Tuesday night the Elders unanimously voted to welcome Bill Steele as our next Pastor of Senior Adults. Bill and Becky have been serving across many areas of our church, so you may have already met them. Bill brings with him decades of Alliance pastoral experience in Vermont, 8 years in the Navy, and an origin story that starts here at Grace. I’m excited for you to get to meet the Steele’s if you haven’t already and to see how God will use them in this new season! 

As we move towards Easter, thanks for considering who you’ll invite to one of our weekend services. Let’s be the church and extend the love of Christ and invite anyone we can!

With gratitude,

Pastor Tim