E is for Outreach

One of the things I love most about Grace Church is that not only are we faithful to cross oceans to minister the gospel to the nations, we are also faithful to cross the street to minister where the nations have come to us. In addition to coming alongside our missionaries in global outreach, we are also involved in vital and fruitful outreach ministry on the local level.

Equipping. The apostle Paul tells us that Christ has given pastors and teachers to His church to “equip the saints for the work of the ministry” (Ephesians 4:12). We seek to be faithful to this charge by offering classes that equip our church family with the fundamental doctrines of the faith as well as how to effectively proclaim the gospel. We also offer various evangelistic resources at the Local Outreach table each Sunday on the patio.

Evangelism. The Bible describes Christians as ambassadors for Christ—those who were saved to “proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). One of the most joyful duties we have is to proclaim this great gospel to others. To this end, Grace Church members hold evangelistic Bible studies in jails, rehab centers, assisted living facilities, hospitals, and on Skid Row. Groups also go door-to-door right here in our own neighborhood.

Empathy. A heart that has experienced the compassion of Christ desires to express His compassion to others. While we care most about relieving eternal suffering, love dictates that we not be indifferent to temporal suffering either. To that end, our church partners with organizations like Children’s Hunger Fund, and sends volunteers to local pregnancy centers and rescue missions.

Ethnic. Here in Los Angeles, the nations truly have come to us. In addition to our thriving Spanish Ministry, Grace Church has Bible studies that reach out to the Arabic, Filipino, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Thai communities, and offer teaching in those languages.