Stephen Riddle – Page 3 – Grace Baptist Church. You Belong Here.

Welcome!!

Welcome to the Community of Grace page! Thanks for visiting!

We are a downtown church that serves a very eclectic group of people. College students, homeless, the mental health population, families with young children, and the LGBTQ community. In an atmosphere of diversity and dignity, everyone is welcome to be a part of this exciting congregation. If you ever felt you don’t fit anywhere else, come to Grace and you’ll find a home!

The latest happenings at Grace will be updated here on our community page. Just scroll down to see the latest announcements and upcoming events.

If you would like more information about our church, our worship services, small groups, or volunteer opportunities, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

GBC’s American Baptist Women’s Ministry

Grace Baptist Church’s ABW ministry for the 2013-14 year was very successful despite its shrinking membership.

ABW’s ministry includes donating 26 ditty bags full of knitted caps, socks, bathroom items, games, and hard candy (total value $312) to the Seafarers Ministry of the Golden Gate; adopting a low income family via InnVision’s Christmas Adopt-A-Family program (total value $615); rolled bandages for mission hospitals in the Condo; and donating monies to various charities ($100 each), such as the Kodiak Alaska Mission, Downtown Street Team Ministries, AB China Mission, Christmas gifts to GBC’s own homeless, as well as a Love Gift to ABW National Missions.

GBC’s ABW also holds a tea in May to benefit a chosen Special Project, such as CIC ministries, digging clean water wells in Haiti, or the local Bill Wilson Center that helps homeless youth complete their education, find jobs, and housing. This past year’s total donations totaled $1,940.

Grace’s ABW ladies would be happy to receive financial help from the congregation with their mission projects. To help, please contact any of the ABW officers: Doris Vaughan, Marge Burns, or Celaine Krois.

Annual Homecoming Picnic

Sunday, September 21st – 12:30 pm

We hope you will join us for the Annual Homecoming Picnic in History Park! Join us for the Sunday worship service and then follow the crowd or hitch a ride to beautiful History Park on Senter Road.

We would especially like to invite those who we haven’t seen in a while. Let’s truly make this a HOMECOMING event by reconnecting with friends and family and bringing them to this fun event. It is always a good time! Pick up the phone and bring someone along :)

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Feeding Others

Once again, Grace has stretched its soul and it’s physical resources to encompass a new ministry for us and our community. Starting on March 3rd, Grace Baptist Church begins collaborating with and hosting the Loaves and Fishes food mission–5 days a week!

Loaves and Fishes is a community based non-profit organization that provides nutritious meals to those in need throughout the city of San Jose. They have been doing a one-evening-a-week pilot program here at Grace for several weeks. Now they have geared up to provide a meal five evenings a week in our gymnasium, Monday thru Friday. They begin serving at 4:15 pm and serve for 1 hour. They are cleaned up and ready to leave by 5:45 pm.

Being mindful of Jesus’ words about feeding the hungry, we are embracing this opportunity even though it means some adjustments to our mindsets, scheduling, and creative problem solving. Oh, if only we owned a parking garage!!!!

In Loving Memory

Lloyd Spencer Burns, Jr. – Jan 16, 1928 – Feb 19, 2014

Lloyd Burns Lloyd passed away at home on February 19th after a long illness. He was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., grew up in Garden City, N.Y., and graduated from Kalamazoo College in 1950. He spent 2 years in the U.S. Army Chemical Corp. He worked for General Electric Co. for 37 years plus 10 more after retirement.

He taught Sunday School and was very active in the life of the church. He loved sailing and spent many Friday nights racing on San Francisco Bay with the Berkeley Yacht Club.

Lloyd is survived by his wife of 59 years, Marjorie, his daughter, Deborah Simonsen (Eric), son Lloyd Burns (Barbara), daughter Elizabeth Swanson, eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild. A memorial service will be held at Grace on Saturday, March 15, 2014 at 1:00 p.m.