HISTORY
A History of Grace
In 1983, a handful of families gathered for the first time in a tiny daycare center in Tucker, GA. That Sunday, they planted Grace. Buddy Hoffman – younger and with slightly more hair – outlined the plan: Teach the Bible. Worship God. Make disciples. Each week they came together to pursue that goal in a worship area decorated with the daycare’s weekly “art” projects and perfumed with the sweet scent of overstuffed diaper pails.
A few months later, the small church was desperate for more space. During the search, Buddy connected with an older pastor who had more building than congregation. After a few minutes of conversation, the two men realized that this pastor had organized the tent revival where Buddy had come to faith as an 11-year old child. This pastor was glad to pass his building on to the young congregation and their commitment to share the Gospel with more 11-year-olds. And so the fledgling church was transplanted – to the lovable and rickety old building on the corner of Lilburn Stone Mountain Road and Old Tucker Road.
There, the church began to sink its roots into the community., developing its children and student programs and vibrant missions focus. When the congregation again outgrew its space, the Lord provided our current campus in the heart of Gwinnett, within eight miles of eight of the biggest high schools in the county.
In August 2005, Grace launched a second campus in the heart of Atlanta about two blocks from Georgia Tech. From a fledgling congregation of a couple dozen college students and gray-haired saints, God faithfully grew Grace-Midtown to the point that in September 2010 the church moved their evening gatherings from State Street into the 1100-seat Center Stage concert venue on W. Peachtree. That same month a third campus was launched in Monroe, GA, a short distance from the University of Georgia in Athens.
Twenty-three years after its first season, that good root has grown to produce much fruit. Our neighbors and our families have heard and lived out the Word in our homes, at our neighborhood pools, and in our workplaces. Our perspectives have changed after trips to Peru, Ecuador, New York City, Clarkston, and the Middle East. Our children have come to faith and grown in their walk with the Lord through KidzLife, LUG, and D-Groups. Every week, the Word of God transforms us, and – through us – it transforms those we touch.
Two millennia have passed since Jesus told his small band of followers, “As you are going, make disciples.” Two decades have passed since Grace Fellowship’s first gathering. And while much at Grace has obviously changed, the vision clearly hasn’t: Make disciples in our neighborhoods, in the nations, and in the next generation.
