VISION
While serving with his wife, Susan, as BIMI (Baptist International Missions, Inc.) missionaries to U.S. military personnel and their families in Bicester, England, Pastor Sligh was encouraged by his mission directors to consider starting a Baptist church in Grafenwoehr, German to minister to the Grafenwoehr Training Facility. This was prompted by news of a dramatic increase in the overall number of troops to be stationed in the Grafenwoehr military community in the near future.
After a survey trip to Grafenwoehr and prayer for God's will, they felt God's leading to move to Germany and start a church in Grafenwoehr that would preach God's Word clearly and practically (and with balance and relevancy), reach out to win soldiers and their families to Christ, and help those who have found Christ to grow in grace.
BEGINNINGS
Grace Baptist Church began as a weekly mid-week Bible study in September 2003. Our first Sunday services were held on May 2, 2004 at the Grafenwoehr Stadthalle (town hall) and the church was formally organized on July 18, 2004 while still meeting in the Stadthalle.
2005 was a year of advancement for Grace Baptist Church in which, in addition to starting Childrens' Church classes, we began a number of new programs: a missions program, a teen ministry, ladies ministries, a monthly men’s prayer breakfast and a children’s club for children on Sunday evenings. All of these advancements presented numerous challenges during a time of great convulsion in USAG-Grafenwoehr and USAG-Vilseck, the military communities we minister to. In 2005 and early 2006 both Army posts were practically emptied to allow for reconstruction and to prepare for the incoming brigades. Even as the two military communities lost more than half of its soldiers and families, the attendances of Grace Baptist Church remained relatively stable for the entire period. Furthermore, our small church, averaging in the 40s in 2005, raised over $30,000 towards a building program.
BUYING AND REMODELING OUR BUILDING
The focus of 2006 was to improve our current programs, advance our evangelistic outreach, prepare for the two brigades coming into the area in 2006-2009, finish the legal requirements to become a German tax-exempt organization, and purchase a building. God opened a wonderful door of opportunity by allowing us to purchase a building. This building is just outside Gate 1 of USAG-Grafenwoehr, and is prominently located. There is honestly not a better location or building in the entire town of Grafenwoehr! Once we obtained our tax exempt status with the German government, we put a 100,000€ down payment on a building and property costing 250,000€, raised with the savings of our own congregation and funds raised by BIMI from churches in America.
In November 2006, we moved into our new building. The entire church came together in a monumental effort to paint, remodel, make repairs, clean, build a platform, install the sound and projection system, tidy up the grounds, move furniture in, etc. to be prepared for two "dry run" services on November 19 and 26 to work out any problems in all our new systems put in place. The first "official" service in the new facility was our Dedication Service on December 3, 2006.
2007 was a year of building and construction. Several workers who are in "helps" ministries with BIMI came and assisted and supervised us in various projects, some living with us for several months at a time, working steadily. We also had a 5-person C.L.A.I.M. (Christian Laymen Assisting in Missions) Team with BIMI who laid the tile for our new sanctuary. Also during that period, Steve and Debbie Kissling came for a 3 month missionary internship in our church, which, I'm sure to their surprise, consisted of helping much with our building projects. By mid-February 2008 all of the major reconstruction projects were finished. There is no way our church could have finished our building without the valuable assistance of these many servants of God.
REFOCUSING ON MINISTRY
Late 2007 was also when we began two important ministries in our church: Homegroups and our Downrange Soldiers and Families ministry. Starting with one single homegroup (small group Bible studies during the week in homes) in September 2007, our Wednesday attendances grew dramatically and remained steady, and more people are growing in God’s grace and truth. In February 2008 we expanded to 3 homegroups in different geographical locations, days of the week and times so that we could minister to the maximum number of people possible. The Downrange Soldiers and Families ministry began in September 2007 just after the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment (2SCR) deployed to Iraq to minister to both the downrange spouses and their families left in our community. This consists of various programs to minister to them in practical ways (providing a monthly “Mother’s Day Out” on a Saturday, various activities for the spouses, letters of encouragement to their soldiers downrange, sending iPods to soldiers downrange with the previous 6 months GBC sermons loaded on them, etc.). After the 2SCR in Vilseck returned, the 172 Infantry Brigade from Grafenwoehr deployed to Iraq, and we have continued this vital ministry of our church.
In April 2009, after bringing missionaries Steve and Debbie Kissling to our ministry, we began GrowGroups Sunday School. We had never had the manpower (and womanpower!) to sustain a Sunday School program until them. But Steve and Debbie made it happen, adding another valuable teaching ministry to our church.
VALUABLE CO-LABORERS IN THE LORD’S VINEYARD
No pastor can be successful without a faithful, loyal wife by his side. Susan Sligh is one of those “behind the scenes” specialists who serves to please the Lord, not for public recognition. Pastor Sligh insists that “she is the brains behind this outfit.” With a loving spirit, and a willingness to sacrifice for her Lord and her husband’s ministry, she assists in so many little and big ways. There is no way to list them all, but her example for our ladies, her practical teaching in ladies Bible studies, and her capable administration of the nursery stand out.
God has been gracious to raise up from within our own church body several key people to help the church at strategic times and to start key ministries that define Grace Baptist Church. Jesse and Melanie Hazelet have been with us almost from the beginning of Grace Baptist Church. Jesse was saved and called to preach in our church and God has gifted him as a great preacher of the Gospel and communicator of God’s Word. Jesse and Melanie serve in a variety of ministries making them an invaluable part of our church. Jesse is finishing his undergraduate degree in preparation for the ministry and became a deacon in 2010.
Another key couple has been Don and Kum Prater. Don is a PA in the Medical Clinic in Grafenwoehr. He is a gifted teacher of the Word of God, and has been a blessing as our primary Adult GrowGroups (Sunday School) teacher, noted for his verse by verse exposition of books of the Bible. Don and Kum (who is Korean) were underground missionaries in China for a number of years and their converts are being used as pastors of large underground churches to this day. Their international experience has made them invaluable in heading up our International Homegroup and supervising a weekly Korean service in the Korean language on Thursday mornings. Don became one of ours deacon in 2010.
When we decided to start a small group ministry in our church, we didn’t know where to begin. The Lord brought Mike and Kim Mansell into our midst at just the right time to show us the way, and in the process they made themselves indispensable to our ministry, not only in modeling a successful homegroup for us and administering the homegroups, but Mike also assisted in the teaching ministry of our church and Kim started and administrated our vitally important Downrange Soldiers and Families ministry, as well as countless other ways they both helped and contributed. Mike also became a deacon in 2010. Though Mike and Kim PCSed in June 2010, the ministries they started and administered are still going on and blessing our church.
In late 2008 Steve and Debbie Kissling, fellow missionaries to the military with BIMI, moved to Grafenwoehr to work with us as co-laborers in the ministry. Steve is the Assistant Pastor of Grace Baptist Church. They minister in many ways in our church, beginning by helping us get our GrowGroups Sunday School program off the ground in April 2009. which they continue to ably administer, along with our Sunday morning K.I.D.S. Church and our Sunday Evening church programs. They also assist in countless other ways in Grace Baptist Church, including preaching and teaching adults, and have become a vital part of our ministry through their love of our folks and faithful ministry to them.
We always tried to reach out to our teens, but it was Jonathan and Carmita Criss who jumpstarted our Teen Ministry in early 2010. Beginning with only a couple of teens, they loved, taught, preached to and encouraged our teens and built our teen ministry into a rather sizable group. Their ministries included a weekly Thursday night teen meeting, a large and robust GrowGroups (Sunday School) class and many activities, some just for fun, and others focused on service and ministry. Many of the teens became passionate about God and sharing His love with their friends. Jonathan became a deacon in 2010. They PCSed in March 2011, leaving a thriving, vibrant group of teens for our next teen leaders.
Welcome to
Grace Baptist Church
