Members of Grace Covenant Church take seriously John's counsel that love is not just a matter of words and talk; it must show itself in action (I John 3:18). Individually, members fan out across our community every day to fill their places on boards and in other volunteer capacities for a host of local ministries of compassion. Acting together, we support through the gifts of time, advocacy, and financial resources an ever changing and ever growing list of global, national and local partners in ministry. Our primary partners are listed below. By clicking on the names of most of them, you will be able to access their web sites and learn more.
Local Partners in Ministry
Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County is a special partner, since both the Executive Director and the Manager of the Habitat Home Store (the Reverends Susan and Rodney Parrish) are members of our congregation. Grace Covenant is currently beginning our third Ecumenical Build in which we will again join hands with other congregations in our community to construct a Habitat house. Members of our congregation are regular volunteers in the Habitat Home Store, and we participate in a number of activities throughout the year supportive of Habitat’s work. Ecumenical Storehouse: Grace Covenant is one of ten congregations responsible for the financial support and volunteer staff of the day-to-day operation of the Ecumenical Storehouse--a warehouse operation which collects and dispenses good quality used furniture, appliances and household goods to families seeking to establish or re-establish a home under adverse circumstances.
Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties: Grace Covenant supports through its annual budget ADFAC's distribution of local emergency aid and also provides support through volunteers and participation in ADFAC's annual campaigns for school supplies, Christmas gifts for teens, and Crisis Cupboard. Food-4-Kids: Last year in celebration of our 5th anniversary, Grace Covenant partnered with the Oak Ridge Schools Family Resource Center and Second Harvest Food Bank to sponsor the Food-4-Kids program for the Oak Ridge Schools Preschool and provided weekend meals for fifty children through the school year.
Healthy Start/Healthy Families: Grace Covenant annually provides for the care of a child through Healthy Start's professional home visitor services to first-time parents whose babies are at risk for abuse or neglect. CONTACT Helpline: Grace Covenant members serve as volunteers and our budget supports CONTACT's provision of an East Tennessee telephone ministry that answers over 7000 calls annually from people needing listening, counseling, information, referral, and suicide prevention services. CASA of the Tennessee Heartland: Grace Covenant is pleased to provide financial support for CASA's mission to train volunteers to serve as advocates for the best interests of abused and neglected children who are under the protection of the juvenile court. East Tennessee Domestic Violence Shelter also receives volunteer and financial support in the operation of its family shelter.
Global Partners in Ministry
Children with chickens from Heifer International.
Heifer International: Every year since its beginning, Grace Covenant Church has chosen to partner with Heifer International to provide animals to families in need. During our first six years, our congregation has more than filled one of Heifer's "arks," extending hope not only to individual families, but to entire communities. Church World Service: Grace Covenant partners with Church World Service both through our annual budget and in cases of emergency need in a ministry of disaster relief, development, and refugee assistance. Alliance of Baptists Bridges of Hope: Through the Alliance's Bridges of Hope missions offering, Grace Covenant supports the work of numerous organizations addressing human need, education, addiction, peace and justice.
Partners for Peace, Justice and Religious Liberty
Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty is a non-profit education and advocacy agency that has worked in Washington, D.C., for almost 70 years in support of religious liberty through the separation of church and state. Bread for the World (BFW): Grace Covenant is a BFW Covenant Church, joining more than 60,000 members nationwide learning about and lobbying Congress on behalf of those suffering from hunger. Interfaith Alliance, founded in 1994, consists of 185,000 members drawn from more than 75 different religions and belief systems to defend religious liberty and challenge hatred and religious bigotry.
