About Grace

Welcome to Grace Church, a congregation which continues to be a lively, growing and welcoming center of spiritual transformation, as we celebrate 150 years of ministry to the always changing landscape of our community.

Members of Grace Church hold various opinions on all sorts of matters, from politics to scriptural interpretation. It is that lively interplay of God’s personal revelation to His Church which challenges us to deeper devotion and to a stronger life in unity, not uniformity.

I love my Grace Church Family. I am thankful for their fellowship, and for the commitment of many who serve our church, to make it better for all of us. All of us together are greater than each of us individually, and that's what makes our church congregation special.

How We Started

After the Civil War, a small group of local ladies began to gather weekly for prayers in their homes; within a year, they had organized a self-supporting parish and constructed a wooden church at our current location, without windows, doors or heat. From these humble beginnings, the congregation has grown to a worshipping community of over 600, including thriving Spanish and youth ministries and a vibrant ministry through St Luke’s Nursing Center, the Episcopal senior housing facility in Carthage.

1869

Our new building is built, a wooden structure on the site of the current church, on land given by the developer of the new suburbs, Col. Cloud.

1869

1874

Our rector, the Rev. Robert Wall, holds the first Episcopal worship services in Joplin, a town then only one year old.

1874

1972, 1992

Reaching out to the community's needs, we founded St Luke's Nursing Center for seniors and the Grace Church Shelter for the homeless (now known as the Carthage Crisis Center)

1972, 1992

2000

We celebrate with a commitment to education and health ministry in Haiti, and a new Hispanic ministry, among the very first ministries to reach out to our community's newest residents

2000

2011

Joining with sister parishes in Joplin and Nevada, we respond to the historic Joplin tornado with squadrons of sandwiches for rescue workers, thousands of hours of direct hands-on community clean up, two massive "free garage sales" for those who'd lost everything to the winds, and the fully-funded construction of the Rose Cottage, Lafayette House's transitional home for families moving out of abuse situations

2011

2019

In celebration of our 150th anniversary, numerous special observances are held throughout the year. And the third (of five) installments is paid on our new, custom-built pipe organ continuing the heritage of music started way back in 1869, when the ladies' auxiliary bought an organ before they obtained land or called a priest!

2019

Partnerships

The Anglican Communion

A global fellowship of worship, with some 100 million members in 170 countries

The Episcopal Church

Our nation’s oldest denomination, worshipping uninterrupted since 1607, has some 2.5 million members in the USA and mission areas abroad

The Diocese of West Missouri

48 congregations, a hospital system, two nursing homes, a day school and other ministries in the western part of the state of Missouri, led by our Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Martin Field.