Grace United Church of Christ

Have you ever been in a place where warmth and caring energy surround you? That is the kind of experience that people have in the community of Grace Church.  People feel embraced, supported and cared about.  Grace Church is above all a “caring congregation.”  We are a church family that cares for and supports one another on the mountaintops of joy or through the valleys of struggle and despair. We offer our members and friends the hand of fellowship and the assurance that they are loved, wanted, and needed members of God’s family. We are Grace United and united in grace.

Everyone is welcome

Grace Church had her beginning 113 years ago, with God the giver and sustainer of her life. But the builders were men and women, and children, who desiring to create a fellowship for worship and study, laid plans, worked hard, struggled to ignite the spark which produced our beloved Church. In gratitude we remember the dedicated persons, pastors and lay people, who have nurtured Grace Church during the past 113 years. They have given us a priceless legacy.

The Sunday School first met in a rented room in a building at the corner of Hanover and West Streets on Sunday, January 14, 1895. It moved to Walker’s Hall the next week on Hamburg Street. The first building was located on the corner of Fort Avenue and Clarkson Street, dedicated in 1896.   The second and present building is located in historic Federal Hill and is 13^th Century Gothic architecture, dedicated in 1928.

But the church is so much more than a building. It has been the spirit of the people and their commitment and faith in God which has fanned the spark to flame. The original spark which marked our beginnings has grown into a flame of continued worship,  learning and reaching out to serve.

Pastor:    The Reverend Jennifer Keiser Knighton

Rev. Jenn was ordained in 1985 by the United Church of Christ. She is a graduate of Catawba College and Lancaster Theological Seminary, where she earned a Masters of Divinity Degree. She is committed to helping others and inspires with her message. Compassion and enthusiasm fill her work, whether in the pulpit, at the hospital, or ministering to people in crisis and conflict. Rev. Jenn’s office is always open.

Office Manager:   Barbara Burck

Barbara keeps the administrative aspects of Grace Church in check. Bulletins and newsletters, along with accounting tasks keep the office a busy place.

Minister of Music:   Greg Satorie

Greg has supplied the console and directed the choir for fifteen years. He coordinates all the Choir Cantata’s and solo work at Grace Church.