Just before Jesus ascended into heaven for the last time, he left his disciples missional instructions. He said, "you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Many churches, since that time, have taken Jesus' words as a missional framework, seeking to work locally, nationally, and internationally. Grace Anglican Church has done the same, seeking to partner in mission to reach people with the Good News of Jesus Christ in Louisville, in the United States, and outside of our own country. See below to learn more about our missions partnerships and the current work going on with each one.
In Louisville, we have partnered with Refuge International, an organization that seeks to "glorify God by partnering with local churches to love refugees and immigrants." Refuge says of themselves (on their website): "We are intentionally focused on cultivating long-term relationships by making ourselves as accessible as possible to refugee and immigrant communities. We pursue our vision through three main initiatives: (1) operating a Welcome Center embedded in an ethnically diverse neighborhood, (2) coordinating Welcome Family Teams to introduce local churches into the lives of refugees and immigrants, and (3) hosting various medical/dental/sports clinics and events that serve as relational connection points for local churches and internationals."
Members of Grace Anglican Church can minister to refugees in many ways, including:
1. Language specific Bible studies
2. English mentoring
3. Co-journer teams
4. Employment connections
5. Social events/Kitchen trainings/other one-off opportunities
6. Prayer
Listen to a recent presentation Refuge International made to Grace Church HERE.
Refuge has several other volunteer opportunities available. Learn about them HERE.
For a list of 2024 Refuge International events, click HERE.
Email the church at info@graceanglicanlou.com for more information about what we're currently doing with Refuge and for details about how to get involved.
Grace Anglican supports the ministry of Refuge International through its budget, but if you would like to support them individually, do so HERE.
Samir B. (his full name is withheld here to preserve his safety on mission trips to Muslim nations) serves Intervarsity Christian Fellowship in two ways, both of which Grace Anglican is proud to support. First, he serves international students at the University of Louisville, both encouraging and discipling Christians as well as sharing Jesus with students who do not yet know him. Secondly, he has a national ministry training Intervarsity leaders and students to share the Gospel with Muslim students. Samir converted to Christianity from Islam himself and so has a special burden for the salvation of Muslims. He also knows the common objections and effective ways that the Good News of Jesus Christ might be shared.
Listen to a recent presentation Samir made at Grace Church HERE.
Grace Church supports Samir in our annual budget, but if you'd like to support him individually, you can do so by clicking HERE or by sending a check:
Attn: Donation Services InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA
PO Box 7895
Madison WI 53791-9703
Memo: Donation to Samir B.
In many ways, Mission Hope began a decade ago when Fr Jim Sallie moved back home to Parkersburg, WV to plant a new Anglican parish. Almost 6 years later, Fr Derek Roberts moved back home to Charleston, WV to do the same. Jim and Derek were the forerunners to Mission Hope, which formally began in 2018 as Mission Hope: Beckley, which is now Christ the King Anglican Church. Our aim is start more Anglican parishes all over the State of West Virginia, an area of the country desperately in need of Gospel proclamation and ministry. To that end, in January 2022, Bp Steve Breedlove (bishop of our Diocese, the Diocese of Christ Our Hope) called Fr Ben Sharpe to be the Canon Missioner for West Virginia. Fr Ben has been charged to lead the work of mission in West Virginia. Presently, there 3 churches in West Virginia, and the plan is to have (at least) 3 more missions begun in the next year (with many more to follow). We need laity and clergy alike, devoted to Jesus Christ and his gospel, willing to give up their lives and come to wild and wonderful West Virginia.
To hear Ben Sharpe's presentation to Grace Church in 2024, click HERE.
Grace Anglican Church supports the work of Mission Hope through our budget, but if you'd like to support them individually, you can do so HERE.
The Diocese of Christ our Hope (the Diocese in which Grace Church resides) has a long-standing relationship with the Anglican Church of Rwanda. Many of our churches received their first pastoral care and oversight from Rwandan bishops. Now, Grace Church is partnering with an organization called Friends of Gahini to strengthen the witness and outreach of the Rwandan church to its own people. Friends of Gahini is a 501(c)3 corporation in the United States which will be made up of six "western" churches, each partnered with an archdeaconry in the Diocese of Gahini. This partnership will be relationally-driven and Gospel-centered, and will work toward sustainability in that archdeaconry. Ben and Cherie Weber (see below) provide logistical support for the relationships between member churches and the local archdeaconries.
Each year, a group from Grace Anglican travels to Gahini to engage in cooperative mission with our partner archdeaconry, the Nyagatare Archdeaconry in eastern Rwanda. This trip will occur concurrently with trips by the other five churches involved in Friends of Gahini, so we will not only be serving Rwandan churches, but we will be building relationships with other Anglicans from around the world. This concurrence will also allow members of Grace Anglican to connect with mission teams from other churches whose missions more closely dovetail with their personal giftings. Some planned outcomes of this missional partnership are:
1. We help the Diocese of Gahini build systems towards long-term sustainability.
2. Each archdeaconry and their parishes will grow.
3. We will see more people come to Christ and grow in Christ.
4. We will see an exchange – some people from Gahini will come to our churches and stay and worship with us and fellowship with us.
Meet our missionary partners: Ben and Cherie Weber
Ben and Cherie both felt called to the mission field at an early age. By the time they met at Columbia International University, they were both interested in Asia. They got married in 2008 and were convinced that God was calling them to Asia. However, those doors clearly shut for them in those first few years of marriage, so they put their desire to go aside. Instead, God called them to minister and serve in local churches and ministries in North Carolina for the next 13 years. They were confirmed at Church of the Redeemer in Greensboro (in our Diocese) in 2015. In 2021, God brought the desire to go overseas back to them and they began praying about where God was calling them. They received an invitation from Bishop Manasseh in the Gahini Diocese of Rwanda to come work with him. Ben and Cherie will provide the connection point between the "western" churches, including Grace Anglican, and the archdeaconries involved in Friends of Gahini.
To hear Ben and Cherie's presentation to Grace Anglican Church (which gives a short history of Rwanda, introduces themselves more personally, and explains a bit about their planned ministry in Rwanda), click HERE.
Grace Anglican supports the Webers through its annual budget, but if you would like to do so individually, do so HERE.
Email the church at info@graceanglicanlou.com for more information and details about how to get involved.
