Grace Abounding

One year ago this month Grace Church of Alexandria hosted our launch service and began meeting publicly in the city of Alexandria. My wife Christy and I along with a core group of 14 others began meeting in November 2007, gearing up to start Grace Church. Then in September 2008 we launched a web site, invited our neighbors & friends, put up dozens of yard signs, and hung Grace Church posters in the city. Since that time, we’re amazed to see Christ forging a closely-knit church family from the varied individuals and families He has gathered to be Grace Church of Alexandria.

We’re Growing!

We have grown numerically, for we have about 60 people who regularly attend or have joined as members. An average Sunday brings about 45 worshipers to Samuel Tucker Elementary School where we meet. Particularly, God has faithfully nurtured and grown our congregation in spiritual growth and unity of the Spirit. I’m thrilled to see the friendships springing up, which are focused on helping each other see and savor Christ.

A Diverse Group

When you visit, you’ll find a a diverse group – vibrant believers who are Ethiopian, Japanese, Korean, Caucasian, African-American, and me, a pastor with Hispanic roots. We’ve been able to minister to Congressional interns who are here for  just six months, business people who are always traveling internationally, military families from the Marines, Navy, and Army, coffee shop baristas, and even a family of a major league baseball team player! We are residents of Alexandria, Arlington, Washington D.C., Springfield, Manassas, Quantico, Maryland, and Fairfax.

An Ever-Changing Congregation

The transience and mobility of residents in the Washington D.C. area poses challenges for starting a stable & mature congregation. Many families are posted here for one or two years for their military or government jobs. We don’t mind the turn-over, for it allows us to equip families to live by the Gospel and carry this God-centered way of living to the ends of the earth. One family has been called to a several-year stint teaching English in China, representing the King. Another has gone on to pastor a Gospel preaching church in Ohio.

Thank You

To all of you who financially give to Grace Church of Alexandria and to Jonathan & Christy Matías as missionary church planters, thank you! The Gospel is advancing inside the beltway of Washington D.C.! Your investment of prayer and finances is enabling us to baptize & disciple believers, herald the Gospel which brings life, and display the glory of God in our nation’s capital. We continue to rely on the gracious support of churches and friends to minister here.

You’re Invited

If you’ve never visited Grace Church, please be our guest! We endeavor to be a Christian church with a love for our community, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and each other. We seek to faithfully preach the Word of God as inerrant and true, words which bring life and hope. We constantly keep our gaze on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, for there we find the power and grace of God to live for God each day. It is our prayer that in 2009 God will allow us to lead neighbors, co-workers, and friends to faith & repentance in Christ. Come join us as we build a new community for God’s praise together in the Washington D.C. metro region.