A Decade of God’s Grace
This past weekend, we celebrated GraceWay’s 10-year anniversary, reminiscing over God’s abundant provision over the last decade. One of my best friends first invited me to GraceWay in June 2015 after meeting Pastor Brad on Capitol Hill. We had both just graduated college and were interning in DC for the summer. I’ll never forget that first Sunday I walked in the door of Drummond Hall at the Hill Center. God used the music, the preaching, and the people to confirm that I had found a home in DC.
In the Lord’s providence, I returned to DC in January 2016 to begin another internship. Because of GraceWay, I haven’t left since. Over the next several months, I grew more and more attached to GraceWay and its people and became more involved in various ministries. By the end of that summer, my diligent job search had not yet yielded full-time employment. I was beginning to get discouraged as I was about to begin my fifth internship. I remember one particular Wednesday evening after our weekly running group had finished our trek down the National Mall, Pastor Brad pulled me aside to ask how my job search was going. I’ll never forget what he said. He said he knew I was going to get a job and that he was looking forward to working together at GraceWay for the next 20 to 30 years. I smiled and nodded but didn’t really believe it deep down. I desperately wanted to stay in DC to work in the political arena and serve at GraceWay. A few weeks later, the Lord answered my prayer with a fulfilling full-time job at Family Research Council, where I would serve for nearly seven years.
There are so many memories that I have of the last decade at GraceWay that are too numerous to note here, but I’ll mention a few. In 2016, the Lord blessed us with many Marines from the barracks just down the road from Hill Center. These young men became close friends, and it was a joy to watch them commit their lives to God and begin serving in the church. Nearly every weekend, the Wells family would invite us over to their house for the weekend, providing us a home-away-from-home that was always the highlight of the week for me. I’ll never forget their generosity that year.
In 2018, GraceWay began renting a house in the Eastern Market neighborhood near Hill Center as a gathering place for church events. The house was named the Shepherd’s Cove, and the church graciously allowed me and two other young men in the church to rent the bedrooms upstairs. Although we only lived there for a year, I’ll never forget the memories made in that house. This home gave me two of my closest friends and allowed us to remain roommates in DC for the next two years.
In 2020, the pandemic turned everyone’s lives upside down; and conditions were particularly difficult in DC. GraceWay was forced to meet remotely for the next three months and then began meeting outside and in various small gatherings during the spring and summer. It was a unique time, but our people prioritized our time together even more to ensure no one was isolated. We played sports on the National Mall and even got to have our Thursday night Bible studies next to the Capitol reflecting pool.
In 2022, I was offered an opportunity to return to my home state of North Carolina. I agonized over the decision and sought counsel from trusted mentors. Ultimately, I could not leave DC because of one thing—GraceWay. I knew the Lord wanted me to stay and continue serving in this city. The Lord soon blessed my decision with an even better position on Capitol Hill where I now lead the Congressional Family Caucus with Congresswoman Mary Miller.
GraceWay is the most loving, prayerful, and unified church I have ever been a part of. I’ve never met a more loving or giving family than the Wells, and I feel incredibly blessed to be a part of the GraceWay family. I can’t wait to see where God will lead us in the ne