Greater Grace

The place was a little hard to find, as the church isn't allowed to put up signs at Meadow Mill. Nonetheless, it's worth a visit.

Location: 3600 Clipper Mill Rd, suite 114. It's tucked into Meadow Mill, which you can access by going under the bridge by car or foot on Clipper Mill Road off of Union Ave, right behind the Woodberry Light Rail Station. Once you get there, go 3/4 around the building clockwise and come in the open doors.

The church actually started outdoors and moved into the Mobtown Theatre space last winter. See www.ggch.info for updated locations and events.

Worship time: 10:30 a.m.

Spiritual Leader: Pastor Ben, a younger man who works carpentry full time and volunteers on Sundays. Like all the staff, he doesn't get paid to do what he does, yet he prepares a text-rich comparison of various people and events in the Bible. He is enthusiastic but business casual professional.

Congregation: Only 16 people were there today, but a few were out of town for the weekend. Exactly half the congregation was male. Pretty much everyone but Pastor Ben wore jeans. Everyone was very friendly, and though the ages varied, it ran toward young college graduate age.

In September a Sunday school curriculum for the kids is to be implemented.

Interior: It was inside a small theatre with very nice seats that slid out a little to give more room. The sound was good, and it was intimate enough to work well for a small group. Apparently, sometimes they have to trip over the theatre group's props on stage.

Presentation: The adaption of the theatre space worked well and likely attracts people who have worshipped in similar conditions at college. There were no available Bibles, given the location, but the verses were on screen for easy access.

Sermon: The message was about getting away from following the law just to avoid punishment and moving toward God's grace just making us want to be good. A plethora of seemingly unorganized verse choices followed. One main focus was Moses, who didn't talk to the rock as he'd been told but struck it to give the people water. This sin caused him to be banned from the Promised Land. A few other connections were placed out there, but the organization of them could have been better.

Music: The songs were so new I hadn't heard of any of them, but all the lyrics were put on a projector. A musician with a guitar led the music part, which wasn't as long as I might have liked but was very pretty. A few talented singers in the congregation added harmony.

Overall atmosphere: It was friendly and welcoming. I get the feeling that, with continued community outreach such as the Saturday morning Royal Farms prayer breakfasts at 10:30, the group will continue to grow.