Church In Real Life
Love Your Neighbor
At Grace Hill we make it our priority to live on mission and love our neighbors. Here are seven helpful principles to provide some perspective as we look to make much of Christ in our community.
Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing
Love God and love your neighbors. Don’t let those moral imperatives drift from the center of your Christian life. “I have come to believe that, as followers of Jesus, one of the worthiest endeavors we can undertake is to take the Great Commandment seriously and learn to be in relationship with our literal neighbors.” – Jay Pathak
Resist Hurry
It’s hard to love your neighbor when you’re too busy for your neighbors. “Love and hurry are fundamentally incompatible. Love always takes time, and time is the one thing hurried people don’t have. Can I live at a pace that allows me to be available to those around me? And if not, are all of the things I’m doing more important than the neighbors God has placed me in the midst of?” – Jay Pathak
Occasionally Say No to Inward Activities
Sometimes, you have to say no to neighbors in the church to say yes to neighbors outside the church. Have you ever heard of an ingrown church? An ingrown church is like an ingrown toenail. God designed our toenails to grow outward. But sometimes, a toenail curves and grows inward. The result? An unhealthy, painful toe. God designed a church to move outward toward its neighbors. But when a local church neglects or forsakes that outward movement, it begins to become ingrown. And an ingrown church is an unhealthy church. "But as we get more and more involved in the ministry of our church, it’s easy to get so wrapped up in what God is doing in our congregation that we lose sight of the big picture—God’s kingdom” – Dave Runyon. We are giving you permission to prioritize your unbelieving neighbors. Even if it occasionally comes at the cost of time spent with one another.
Draw Boundaries
If you aim for everybody, you hit nobody. Who are your neighbors? Focus on the neighbors who live directly around you and the neighbors nearest to our church.
Embrace the Mess
Loving your neighbor WILL BE messy. This neighboring stuff is messy. Part of the reason churches become ingrown is because neighboring is really messy. If your neighbors aren’t Christians, then they probably don’t act like Christians. Or talk like Christians. Or parent like Christians. And you know what Jesus says to you and to me about them? Love them as yourself. And if you find yourself shying away from the mess, remember Christ who stood condemned before the people He came to love as they yelled “crucify Him!” And though they did and though our sins were the reason He went to the cross, He went to the cross anyway. Nobody entered into the mess like Jesus did for us. And it resulted in our salvation. And our joy. It will be messy. But it will be worth it.
Commit to Every Member Neighborhoodism
It has to start with pastors. The moment that the leaders of a church put loving the neighbors outside our walls in the backseat, the church becomes ingrown. But it has to extend beyond the pastors. The moment that outreach becomes the sole job of the pastors, a church becomes ingrown.
Tell Neighbors the Gospel
We are called to proclaim. To preach. To proselytize. To evangelize. To persuade. If there’s anything we hope our neighbors love about being our neighbors, it’s that they have come to know Jesus and His love through us.
Thanks to pastors over at Cross of Grace Church for these insightful principles.
Let The Children Come
At Grace Hill our goal is for every child to worship with the church. However, not every child is ready for this, and we work hard to make our church a safe place for parents to train their children. If you have young children, don't feel you must suppress their wiggles while we worship. You are encouraged to quietly explain the different parts of the service and the actions of those leading us. Remember that our children learn by watching. So relish the opportunity to worship with them by your side.
A Safe Place For The Little Ones
Though children are welcome during the service, volunteers are on standby to help you every step of the way. Grace Hill provides nursery care during the morning worship for children ages 0-3 years of age. And should you need to leave the service with your child, feel free to do so. There is also a cry room available in the rear of the auditorium.
A Work Of The People
The word “Liturgy” sounds foreign to some of us. The word is often used today in reference to the formal order of worship in church. Some people assume that such language came from the Roman Catholics or Anglicans. However, the word liturgy is a biblical word. It comes from the Greek leitourgia, which is the combination of two other words: “people” (laos) and “work” (ergon). A liturgy then, is a “work of the people,” or perhaps more helpful, a “public service.” Therefore, at the most basic meaning, “liturgy” refers to the order of a corporate worship service.
In the New Testament, the word liturgy is used broadly to speak of our service to God (Rom. 12:1–2) or our service to others (Phil. 2:30). It is also used narrowly to speak of service in relation to the formal worship of God when his people gather together (e.g. Heb. 9:21; 10:11).
Christ-Centered Liturgy
All churches from every denomination have an order of worship. Sometimes we think “liturgical” is only an appropriate adjective for churches that meet in cathedrals. But this is simply not true. If a church worships, it has a liturgy. Churches that claim to be “non-liturgical” all follow a pattern of worship. Since we are all liturgical, the question to ask is what kind of liturgy do we have? What should our services look like? At Grace Hill Church, our goal will continually be to exalt Christ throughout our liturgy on a Sunday morning. While every Sunday liturgy may differ in the elements, the Gospel of Jesus Christ will forever remain at the center of all we do when we gather.
June Youth Event
The youth are invited to the Malone’s home for our monthly youth event on Sunday, June 30th. Our Junior and Senior High School Ministry exists to spread the joy of Jesus to the next generation. We aim to see the gospel applied in the lives of teenagers, trusting it is the power of God to save and transform them into young men and women who worship God.
Sunday, June 30th | 1-4pm
We currently meet once a month to learn and grow. Every meeting is different. Sometimes it's a party. Sometimes it's a service project. Often we have deep theological conversations. 7th-12th graders from inside and outside the church are welcome to join.
Counseling For All
We count it a privilege to help people find hope in Christ and His Word. As a local church, we are committed to giving compassionate, truth-filled answers to the problems of life. All counseling is based on the Bible because we believe God’s Word is sufficient to answer the problems of life, and is superior to any other source of counsel.
Show Them Jesus
We live in a community surrounded by broken people, struggling with anxiety, sin and broken relationships. Our conviction is to give our neighbors hope and to show them Jesus. Therefore, all counseling at Grace Hill Church is currently free to you and the community. Our church family views this as a ministry of the church for the benefit of the church and our neighbors.
Please Pray
Please pray for our counselors as they volunteer their time and services.
Please pray for our counselors as they pursue further training.
Please pray for those in our church and neighborhood that need counsel.
Please pray for Christ to meet the needs of our community and heal the broken.
Counseling Request
Summer School
Though the school year is winding down and everyone is transitioning to summer life, our Sunday School is still in session. Every Sunday morning at 9:00am we gather to study God’s word together. Whether young or old, we never stop learning. And learning God’s Word is always better in community. So together lets make the summer of 2024 a summer of learning on Sunday mornings.
Summer Of Learning
Our Sunday School classes are open to everyone. A team of teachers lead our time together. All classes take place prior to our service and there is no homework. Bring your Bible and get ready to dive into God’s Word together! You can learn more about our current studies by visiting our Sunday School page.
Every Sunday @ 9am
One Another
Our small groups encourage genuine relationships within the church, developing the kinds of relationships that will help us mature and persevere in the Faith together. Small Group is where we intentionally practice the “one another” statements we find sprinkled throughout the Scriptures. We will mature and persevere in our relationship with God as we grow in our relationship with people who are helping one another learn to follow Christ and His Word (Ephesians 4:11-16).
Practicing The One Anothers
Meetings occur in a home every 1st & 3rd week, splitting their time between singing, praying, and discussion. Some groups include young children in their meetings. While every group is unique, we all serve the same Jesus and hope to use our time throughout the week to pursue meaningful relationships that further point us to our great Savior.
Every 1st & 3rd Week
If you have yet to join a Small Group, please use the form below to sign up for your group!
Fire On The Hill
Come roast some marshmallows and engage in a conversation about the doctrines of grace this summer. Beginning in June, we’ll embark on a three month study through what is often referred to as the five points of Calvinism, encapsulated in the acronym T.U.L.I.P., and the heart of Reformed Protestant Theology.
Fire, Tulips and S’mores
What is the history behind these historic theological beliefs? Where does Scripture speak to God’s sovereignty, man’s depravity, and Christ’s particular redemption? How should these doctrines encourage evangelism, missions and worship? And, Why do these beliefs matter for you and how you live your daily lives?
2nd & 4th Wednesdays @ 7pm
Join us around the fire this summer. Every 2nd and 4th Wednesday, from June through August. We’ll gather on the Hill to dive into God’s Word, learn together, ask questions and celebrate the beauty of God’s sovereign grace.
Jesus Is Better
A women’s study, hosted by Amber Malone, will work through the Book of Hebrews. The women will be using a study resource by Richard Philips, “Hebrews: Standing Firm in Christ”
Summer In Hebrews
It will be held weekly on Monday evenings throughout the summer. If you’ll plan to attend, come having completed Lesson 1 in the study guide. For more information, contact Amber or the church office.