As we gathered to begin Graceway Church almost four years ago, our passion was to be what the early church was: committed to worship, committed to Biblical instruction, committed to genuine fellowship and committed to reaching out to our community.

These objectives are taken directly from Acts 2.42-47, where Luke tells us that the church was committed to worship, instruction, fellowship and evangelism. 

⁴¹ So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. ⁴² And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. ⁴³ And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. ⁴⁴ And all who believed were together and had all things in common. ⁴⁵ And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. ⁴⁶ And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. Acts 2.41-47

• In verse 42, notice the commitment of this group to the instruction of the Word – they were hungry for the Words of God, to understand all that He had accomplished for them through the work of Jesus on the cross.
• They were also committed to fellowship with one another – meaning they were invested in the lives of one another. Part of their fellowship with one another included eating together and praying together.
• In verse 47, note the commitment to worship – praising God together for all He was doing in their lives personally and corporately! This should be the focus and passion for our worship.
• They also, by the grace of God, were enjoying favor or acceptance in the community at large, and because of that response to them, individuals in the community were drawn to Jesus because of their transformed lives and interactions with one another in the church.

As a result of the example of the early church, this is our goal: to be a God-Exalting, Christ-Centered, Spirit-Motivated, Word-Focused local body of Believers!  We are striving to accomplish this goal with four specific objectives that govern what we do and how we do it: Exalting our God and our Savior, Jesus Christ; Edifying through the Word; Encouraging one another and Engaging our community. 

With this goal in mind, we do our best to try and be Biblically balanced in our approach to ministry.  We genuinely long for our worship to be sincere and focused on the character of God, his ongoing faithfulness, the work of Jesus on our behalf and the implications of that work for our daily living.  Often if we are not careful, we can fail to see that living our lives for Jesus is a sacrifice that is pleasing to God, it is our spiritual act of worship.  Romans 12.1

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Romans 12.1(ESV)

We also focus very heavily on the Word of God – what does it say and how should that message change us?  This is our primary focus each time we approach the Word as a congregation.  We long to understand the Word so that we can be transformed.  Change is impossible without the grace of God, at work through the Spirit of God, applying the Words of God specifically to our hearts and lives. Most Sunday mornings, we focus directly on Jesus – His life, His ministry, His work on the Cross and the impact each one of these can and should have on our daily lives. 

We also intentionally create opportunities for genuine fellowship and interactions that are fellowship oriented.  Our question and answer time is an opportunity for us to discuss the message of the morning, but to do so through discussion or real fellowship, focusing on the works of God on our behalf – primarily the work of Christ on the cross and all that it means for us as followers of Jesus.  Our evening service again features a time of discussion as a group considering how our passage can and should be lived out in the context of our body of believers.  We also gather for life group, a little less often in the winter months, but every other week in the summer months.  These gatherings are shaped around fellowship – discussing the truths of the word and its impact in our lives.  We also have a bi-monthly men’s breakfast and ladies fellowship gatherings to promote genuine fellowship. 

Finally, we strive to impact our community through our individual involvement and our connections in the community.  We also attempt to lovingly engage our community through serving in a variety of ways.  We have done many projects for a local elementary school and especially their faculty.  We long to demonstrate the love and compassion that Jesus demonstrated to all those that he came into contact with throughout his earthly ministry.  Jesus often met physical needs, without a spiritual decision following; yet, because of his compassion and love for even those who would reject him, he served them.  So, we attempt to lovingly serve our community.  Our passion is that our community would see our love for God, for one another and for them!  By God’s grace, we long to have favor with our neighbors, friends and those we serve in this community that the Lord would continue to add to his church those who will be saved.  (Acts 2.46-47) 

Our passion is to be a church that exalts our God genuine in worship, through edifying instruction, encouraging through genuine fellowship and engaging our community.

Join us as we seek to please our Savior as the believers in that 1^st Century church did!