Grace Presbyterian Church recently celebrated its 25th anniversary with a banquet at the church.

The banquet was attended by congregation members and many friends of Grace. Special guests were former pastor Mark Cushman and his wife Leslie, and Jim and Ann Patton. Jim and Ann were two of the original members and were instrumental in starting Grace Presbyterian.

Pastor Scott Parsons opened the banquet by sharing with all a letter written by another of the original members, Comer Turley. Turley could not attend but wanted to express his thanks to God for all he had done at Grace, thanks to brothers and sisters who have served through the years and the eager anticipation of looking forward to where God will take Grace in the future.

Jim Jolly spoke and provided a historical perspective of 25 years of God’s work at Grace. One important facet of that work has been the church’s desire and commitment to support missionaries and entities such as Covenant College and the Tennessee Valley Presbytery. The commitment and emphasis on missions support continues to be a priority at Grace and for the past two years has increased with significantly more local outreach efforts.

Jim also used the historical perspective to underscore how clearly we can see God’s hand in the details of the life of the church and its members and how the past points forward in the knowledge that in all we undertake in his name, God is faithful.

After 25 years, Grace is now a generational church. Paul Belk reflected upon being raised at Grace Presbyterian and now serves as a deacon. Paul emphasized how important it was to him to have been raised with a solid foundation in the truth of scripture and the delight it is to see his children being raised on the same foundation.

After 25 years, Grace is now a cross-cultural church. Assistant pastor Carlos Ireta provided a humorous and poignant perspective of how God moved in his life to bring him to Dalton. Carlos and his family were content to be serving in Laredo, Texas, and weren’t seeking a move. Through several years and various contacts and circumstances, Carlos was continually invited to Dalton until it was clear this was where God was preparing a field for him to work. Along with Carlos, his wife Adela and their three children, God also called assistant pastor Alfredo Ramos to Dalton.

Former pastor Mark Cushman took a moment to reflect upon how God used the time at Grace to shape his ministry and how thankful he was that Grace Presbyterian stepped out and offered the pastorate to a young man and his young family. It was a fond recollection of his ministry to the congregation, and in turn how the congregation ministered to the Cushman family.

The words of testimony by the various speakers were echoed by songs of praise. Ward Satterfield and Jonathan Beam led the worship. And at the closing of the evening, the choir came forward and led the worship by singing “Total Praise.”

Pastor Scott Parsons was the final speaker and expressed the joy of hearing how God had shaped the ministry and congregation at Grace Presbyterian.

The celebration capped 25 years, and the most recent years under Parsons’ leadership have seen an increased effort toward local outreach and service. Some highlights are:

• Construction of a missions team house — The house is used by churches from assorted parts of the country who come to Dalton to demonstrate the love of Christ to those in need through home repair and construction projects. Teams have come to Dalton from North Carolina, Mississippi, Michigan and Florida.

• Establishment of medical missions in the community — On three consecutive weekends this past month, Grace has hosted a clinic as well as going out into the community. This initiative will increase in emphasis and in the summer of 2009 will be aided by the full-time presence of Dr. Wiley Smith. Smith currently serves in Belize with Mission to the World.

• Missions trips — Teams have gone to Palmer Children’s Home in Mississippi, Nicaragua and to Louisiana for disaster relief efforts. The disaster relief efforts and the local construction projects are aided greatly by Rebuilding Hope Ministries. Rebuilding Hope is the calling of Grace members Jim and Cheri Boyd.

• Plazas Comunitarias — The Plazas Comunitarias has reached an enrollment of more than 80 students and provides computer-based and classroom education for adults and teenagers for all levels of instruction (elementary through high school). Moreover, the Plaza includes counseling and other life skills teaching. The Plaza is a community outreach initiative and is sponsored by the Mexican Consulate with support from the Georgia Department of Education.