In September of 2014 our church came to the completion of an eight-month discernment process regarding our name. As of December 15, 2014, we have transitioned from New Grace Church to Grace Anglican Church.
The idea of renaming started in January when Senior Pastor Mike McDonald was struck during the church's daily Bible study with the account of the Apostle Andrew introducing his brother, Simon, to Jesus. Simon's name was immediately changed to Peter by Jesus to reflect his future role in the establishment of the Christian church. This experience led Mike to believe that God was working in a similar way to clarify New Grace's unique identity.
The name change was considered and prayed about by the church’s vestry during Lent, then by the entire congregation over the summer, including several parish-wide meetings. From these discussions, two very important aspects of the church’s identity immerged:
1. Grace Anglican is a church that not only preaches grace, but which tries to daily live it as a people saved by grace.
2. The congregation is proud of its participation in the newly formed Anglican Church in North America and is a member of the Gulf Atlantic Diocese.