GracePointe Missions Program
Sharing God's Love
At GracePointe we believe our mission is to share the good news of God's love with the entire world, beginning with ourselves, extending to the next person we meet, and ultimately taking The Message to the uttermost parts of the earth. Our people are consistently prompted to get involved prayerfully, personally and financially with projects at home and abroad. This they have done and are doing to such an extent that what is shared here barely scratches the surface of the great missions story being written in the life of the GracePointe family. From adoption services to evangelists on foreign continents, from home for troubled teens to shelters for battered and broken women our members are actively for new and varied opportunities to show and share Christ's love in creative and sacrificial ways.
GraceTree Project
Each Christmas season, the GracePointe family participates in our GraceTree program, offering a helping hand to children and families in our area who are struggling. This year we provided Christmas gifts for 70 individuals, as well as gift cards for an additional five families. Included were 27 women from a local Christian drug & alcohol rehab center.
Disaster Relief
"Katrina" - just the word evokes strong emotions and grief, even these months after the devastating hurricane swept through the gulf coast. In an effort to be Jesus' hands to hurting people, the GracePointe family reached out in a tremendous way to those touched by this disaster. Here are just a few ways we helped:
- Several CARE Groups adopted displaced children now attending school in Nashville, providing them with needed clothes and school and personal items.
- Over 100 new music CDs were shipped to a pastor in Pascagoula, Mississippi for his congregation.
- More than 250 boxes of food items were provided to be shipped to Louisiana.
- Numerous boxes and bags of clothing were donated for shipment and for those taking refuge in the Nashville area.
- One of our folks volunteered a week in Mississippi assisting in the care of pets left to fend for themselves.
- The church located local dentists and eye doctors to assist children who needed glasses and dental work.
- GracePointe, partnering with the Red Cross, held our first blood drive, donating 31 pints of blood.
Operation Katrina Cleanup
This summer during the week of June 12-16, the GracePointe youth group took 29 youth and adults to Pascagoula, Mississippi to minister to those affected by Hurricane Katrina. Pascagoula is located directly on the Gulf Coast and was devastated by the storm, with floodwaters surging ten miles inward from the shore, damaging much of the city.
When we first arrived and drove through the town, the effects of the hurricane were still visible everywhere. Businesses had closed down, debris was still scattered in some areas, and only 10% of the population was able to live in their homes. Most residents were still living in FEMA trailers, and others were living in shelters and churches. Seeing the damage on television had not adequately prepared us for what we witnessed.
We worked with a local organization called "Operation Love Thy Neighbor," which was run by a local church. They provided meals and lodging for us and also coordinated the work assignments for the many volunteers who were reaching out to lend a hand. Our group split into three work crews: one crew did yard work and mowed lawns for the elderly, another crew cleared out ruined drywall and appliances from the home of an elderly lady, and the third crew helped install insulation and drywall. We also did many odd jobs such as moving furniture and materials, cooking for other volunteers and helping people sort through damaged belongings.
Equally important as the hands-on work, was just listening to the residents as they told their stories; it was really a highlight of our ministry time. We met a lot of brave, courageous and resilient people who had lost everything, however still determined to find a way to rebuild their lives no matter how long it took. While many had moved away from the area after the storm, we met some who refused to leave because Pascagoula was their home.
No one in our group had ever been through a natural disaster like Katrina, so we were richly blessed to work alongside the survivors. Each of their stories touched us deeply, and we were humbled to hear how much it meant to them that we had taken six days out of our lives to volunteer in their city. It was a very inspiring trip and as time goes on, it will become even more clear how we actually touched a part of history by being there.
We would like to thank our GracePointe family and friends for helping to make this trip possible. We could not have had this great experience without your prayers and support.
God bless you!