We Will Remember

I shall remember the deeds of Yahweh; Surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will meditate on all Your work and muse on Your deeds.

Psalm 77:11–12 (LSB)

Today, Grace Harvest Bible Church marks twenty years of God's incredible faithfulness. As we look back on these two decades, we feel grateful, not for our achievements, but for God's gracious work.

On September 10, 2006, Grace Harvest Bible Church held its very first service at Swift Creek Elementary School. Sixty-two people gathered that morning with a simple desire: to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, make disciples, and plant a church firmly grounded upon the authority and sufficiency of God's Word. Throughout the remainder of that first year, we averaged just thirty-seven people. We may have been small in number, but God was laying a foundation that only He could build.

In 2008, the Lord provided six acres of land where our church now stands, and our average attendance grew to sixty. The following year, during the greatest economic downturn since the Great Depression, God enabled us to construct our first church building. While many questioned whether it was the right time to build, the Lord faithfully provided every step of the way. On Christmas Eve of 2009, we gathered for our first worship service in that building, rejoicing in His provision. That year our average attendance was sixty-six.

As the years passed, God continued to bless His church. We were able to purchase two additional adjoining four-acre parcels, giving us room for future ministry. Then, in 2020, during the uncertainty of the COVID pandemic, the Lord once again demonstrated His faithfulness as we completed our children's ministry building. Even during those challenging days, our average attendance reached 151.

In 2024, we began construction on our new sanctuary as our average attendance had grown to 216. On April 6, 2025, we entered that sanctuary for the first time. What a joyful day it was to worship together in a building that stands as another testimony to God's unfailing goodness.

Yet the true story of Grace Harvest Bible Church has never been about land, buildings, or attendance. The greatest work God has done cannot be measured in acres or square footage. It is measured in transformed lives.

Many of you have come to saving faith in Jesus Christ through the ministry of Grace Harvest Bible Church. Many have publicly professed that faith through believer's baptism. Marriages have been strengthened, children have been raised in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, missionaries have been sent, leaders have been equipped, and countless lives have been changed by the power of the gospel. These are the monuments of God's grace that we celebrate.

For twenty years we have sought to remain faithful to the gospel of Jesus Christ—loving God, loving our neighbors, loving one another, making disciples, and helping believers mature in their faith. By God's grace, that commitment will never change.

As we celebrate this milestone, we must remember that our mission is not behind us—it is before us. We are not a fortress called to isolate ourselves from the world. We are an outpost of the Kingdom of God, commissioned by our King to advance the gospel into our community and to the ends of the earth.

May we never forget the mission embraced by those original members who launched Grace Harvest Bible Church in 2006: Go. Gather. Grow. Go. We go into our communities proclaiming Christ. We gather people into the fellowship of His church. We help believers grow into mature disciples of Jesus Christ. Then we send them out again to proclaim the glorious gospel to others.

As we remember God's faithfulness over the past twenty years, let us also look ahead with faith and expectation. The same God who sustained us in a school cafeteria, who provided land, who enabled us to build during economic uncertainty, who carried us through a pandemic, and who has given us this beautiful place to worship, will continue to lead His church.

May future generations be able to look back and say of us, "They remained faithful to the gospel. They loved Christ above all else. They made disciples. They never forgot the mission."

Soli Deo Gloria. To God alone be the glory.

Your shepherd,

Pastor Mark