New Staff Members & 2021 Highlights!

December 30th, 2021
by Grace Church

As we step into 2022 on Saturday and worship together as a community on Sunday, January 2nd, I am thankful to be able to do so with our full staff team in place. Both our new Director of Worship & Arts, Andrew Paonessa, and our new Children’s Ministry Director, Kaitlyn Latham, will be starting their new positions this Sunday. Amy Breza, our previous Children’s Ministry Director, will be stepping into a new role as our Director of Discipleship with a special focus on family ministry. If you have not taken time to do so already, please welcome them into their new positions at Grace.

This Sunday lead pastor, Sung Kim, will be highlighting how we can live out our calling as a community in the new year as he wraps up our two-part series, “Looking Back/Leaping Forward”.

As we enjoy our final hours of 2022 (and hopefully close it out with a U of M football victory; Go Blue!), I want to recap and celebrate some of the ways we've seen God at work in and through our Grace Ann Arbor community in 2021 through the lens of our values of Worship, Community and Mission.

WORSHIP

Each week we have been privileged to welcome and connect with new people and help them further engage as part of Grace Ann Arbor.
Throughout 2021, we celebrated 7 baptisms and the dedications of 5 children.
We have extended our reach beyond our physical locations by offering an online service each week giving the opportunity for people to connect around the globe.
Our incredible volunteer teams stepped up their commitments to sustain our Sunday services through significant staff transitions.
Weekly support for our Grace families through weekly Grace Student Ministries gatherings, GraceKids ministry programming, and resourcing of parents for the ongoing discipleship of their children at home.

COMMUNITY

Our Grace Ann Arbor family has remained united and strong because of the way you so graciously handled church decisions you may not have agreed with throughout the year.
Grace has stayed relationally connected through solid and adaptive leadership and consistent engagement of almost 300 people through Community Groups.
Over 60 people new to Grace gathered at Newcomers Receptions to eat, hang out, and meet staff and others new to Grace.
Grace Young Professionals connected at a Lake Day event, and Grace Families connected at a Picnic on the Farm event; we are excited about more opportunities in the new year.

MISSION

So many people from this community have faithfully and generously given financial resources to support the ministries and mission of Grace.
Grace Student Ministries went on a summer mission trip where they served in Detroit.
Served about 50 families by stocking and staffing the “Pride for Parents” Christmas store in partnership with Hesed in the Brightmoor neighborhood of Detroit, among other service projects throughout 2021.
Sending out missionaries and supporting dynamic mission work around the world in places like the Congo, Honduras, Guatemala, Nepal, Thailand and Cambodia.
Partnering locally with Hope Clinic in a variety of ways and helping build a house with Habitat for Humanity.

I am thankful for the tangible and impactful ways you stepped forward and empowered us, with God’s help, to persevere through the challenges of this year and live out our core values together. Now, as we close out 2021, and look forward to all God has in store for us in 2022, some of you may want to give an end of the year financial gift. You can do so in the following ways: