Why Grace United Methodist Church is Our Church Home

Mike and I were married at the Pana United Methodist Church after finishing college. The early marriage years took us to Texas as Mike served in the Air Force. We chose to move back to Central Illinois to be near our families. When we began our search for a church, Mike and I, with our one-year-old daughter, visited Grace UMC and immediately found our church home!

Grace offered us a welcoming congregation, an excellent pastoral staff, heart-felt music, and opportunities to be involved and grow our relationship with Jesus and church members. When we had our son several years later, our participation in activities in the church increased. Over the years when we were participating in a small group, helping in the nursery, teaching Sunday school, chaperoning a youth group trip, serving on a committee, attending Bible study, helping bring food for one of our famous Methodist dinners or actually washing the dishes, we found our friendships growing with Grace members. Those friendships were the ones where we knew the people REALLY CARED about the trails and celebrations of our family. Grace church gave our children close friendships and a firm foundation for their adult lives. During these years our personal spiritual journeys were also growing.

Grace provides an atmosphere for quiet reflection, prayer, happy rejoicing, and music that touches our hearts. The teaching of the Bible not only grows the Holy Spirit in our hearts but guides us to share the Holy Spirit with others. In recent years we are becoming more prayerful, realizing the need for us to go to the Lord to be thankful for our many blessings and share them with others! For about fifty years Grace has been our church home and has many offerings for all to grow in Christ.

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