PEORIA MAGAZINE October 2023

Grace Presbyterian Church in Peoria. Photo to the right, Greg Grindinger, adult ministry pastor at Grace Presbyterian Church, greets parishioners

made its home in what used to be a grocery store in a high-traffic, mostly retail area of North Knoxville, while doubling its seating capacity. Nonetheless, church leaders work hard to maintain a personal connec tion. The design of the Worship Cen ter is such that no one is more than 70 feet away from the worship leader, said Manbeck. He describes the church membership as a mix of ages, although it is trending younger as married couples with chil dren gravitate toward Richwoods. He said they also have a strong nucleus of members in their 50s and 60s. The church has become a “joyous respite,” said Manbeck. ““Our hope, at a bare minimum, is that if you come to this church, you will find joy, even if you don’t agree with what I’m saying, and for an hour and a half, get a short respite from what is going on in your life.” By 2013, Richwoods had become one of the largest churches in town, said Manbeck. Average attendance at the two Sunday morning services is around 950, while total membership is about 1,400. Attendance fell to around 300 during COVID, but the numbers have steadily returned. GRACE CHURCH Grace Church was established in Mor ton in 1958. It outgrew its building on Fourth Street — now home to Morton School District 709 offices — and moved to the east edge of town at the intersec tion of Tennessee and Jefferson Streets. Its landmark giant cross is visible from I-74 and for many miles around. About 750 congregants attend Sunday worship services, said Senior Pastor

Jonathan Farrell. Most are from the Morton ZIP code 61550. “We don’t count online attendance, but streaming is available live through our website,” Farrell said. The church is affiliated with the Fellowship of Evan gelical Services, one of about 80 across the Midwest. Farrell said he believes church is not about coming to a place, but about being part of a family. “When I’m talking to people in the community, I don’t ask them, ‘Do you have a church that you go to?’ because I think a lot of the time that’s the de fault perspective. It should be, ‘Do you have a church family that you are part of?’ That speaks to relationships and community.” Is bigger better? “I wouldn’t affirm that bigger is better,” answered Fer rell. “We are just thankful for the many churches in our community preaching the gospel and loving people well. “We always want to be welcoming for others to join us while also serving those who are a part of us.” A church with more facilities and staff is able to create opportunities to do ministry in creative ways, said Ferrell. At Grace Church, Upward Basketball is a prime example. As many as 400 boys and girls in first to sixth grade converge on the church’s two gymnasiums on Saturday afternoons from January to March for instructional basketball, cheerleading and religious devotions. “We teach the fundamentals of basketball, but even beyond that, it’s parents and others in the community investing in these boys and girls,” Ferrell

said. “We are concerned with the whole child, not just whether they can do a crossover dribble.” MASTERS OF MEDIA One thing that most large churches seem to have in common is extensive use of the internet and social media to communicate with the wider world. Technology allows his church to reach the homebound, the elderly and those who miss regular services for any reason, said Grindinger. It also connects people with teaching materials and resources to grow their faith. Manbeck said 70% of giving at Rich woods church is online. “Very few checks are written nowadays,” he said. When COVID shut down churches in 2020, many were already geared up to stream services live. Entire Sun day morning services are archived on church websites and YouTube channels. “People are used to getting everything immediately through the internet,” Grindinger said. “Technology has been our friend and we have what it takes to make it happen.” Livestreaming and other digital resources are available on the Grace Church website, but Ferrell said the church is cautious about relying on me dia at the expense of meeting in person. “We’ve grown convinced that to be a church, we have to, whenever possible, get together as a church,” he said. “We use online so people can check us out before they come and check us out,” said Manbeck, drawing parallels to a virtual tour of a bed and breakfast or a web-based restaurant menu.

OCTOBER 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE 59