Grace Chapel invites the diocesan community on Sunday, Nov. 18 at 10 a.m. for a celebration of its eighth anniversary. Grace Chapel hopes to be able to also celebrate its admission into the diocese as a mission congregation, which the Diocesan Convention will consider on Nov. 3.
Grace Chapel, an English-speaking, multicultural congregation rooted in the Anglican/Episcopal traditions, began in June 2010, as a Bible study group and a ministry of St. Paul’s Church in Brockton with the coming of the Rev. Moses O. Sowale as an associate priest for outreach and evangelism, with a particular mission to develop new, flexible, worship that engages people of diverse cultural backgrounds and age groups. The first Sunday worship of this new ministry was held on Aug. 8, 2010.
A major change in circumstances, but not in mission, came when the Diocese of Massachusetts determined that the expense of supporting St. Paul’s Church (a small congregation with a large building in need of expensive repairs) was no longer sustainable and St. Paul's was closed in December 2010. Despite this closing, the diocesan commitment to an Episcopal Church presence in Brockton remains strong and the outreach ministry which began at St. Paul’s now continues as Grace Chapel.
Grace Chapel's two outreach programs--the Brigade Youth Program and the Abigail’s Women’s Project--have helped it to build a community, family church that reaches beyond the traditional Sunday services.
Grace Chapel is located at the First Evangelical Lutheran Church on the south side of Brockton. For more information visit its website here.