Our Desire
We desire to foster Christian renewal in worship, biblical faith and lifestyle, and unity among Christians. We believe that the church is the primary presence of God’s redemptive purpose on earth in this age. As we live life together, we are given the opportunity to demonstrate the power of the Gospel. In this, we are given the ability and desire to share the Gospel to our neighbors, and to the world through the building of authentic relationships.
Our Vision
We see the church giving to God the glory due Him through worship and good works. The church as a community, therefore, prioritizes worship toward God, the proclamation of God’s redemptive work, and good works toward our neighbors in the world. The church is constantly renewing and being renewed because it is composed of imperfect but saved people in a changing world. Therefore, we need to welcome the winds of renewal and be open to change.
About Grace Fellowship
Grace Fellowship’s roots go back to the Jesus Movement of the late 1960s. God was using evangelistic groups to produce hordes of new believers, but the youth culture did not fit into the established churches. Baby Christians often floundered for lack of contemporary “containers” for their newfound spiritual life.
Grace Haven Farm was established in 1968 as a work-study program where new believers could become grounded in their faith, and practice living the Christian life. Teaching was provided in the mornings, and work experiences, including meal preparation and household maintenance, agriculture and animal husbandry in a dairy operation, and production and sale of craft items, filled the afternoons. The need for a larger facility became apparent very quickly,
and in 1972 the two-story portion of our present building was constructed to meet that need. In the decade-plus when the work-study program was operational, hundreds you young adults were discipled in Christ. Many moved on, and many also settled in the area.
The 1970s saw Grace Fellowship expanding into Mansfield in two arenas: Seven small home churches were established in several neighborhoods, and The Yellow Deli Restaurant and Bookstore was opened on the square downtown. Two Victorian homes on Park Avenue West were renovated and inhabited by Yellow Deli employees. Home church members alternated staffing the restaurant on Friday evenings when local music groups entertained. Expanded outreach also included sending staff members to nearby college campuses to assist their Christian
fellowship groups. Grace Haven hosted many retreats for these campus groups, as well as large summer conferences and arts and crafts festivals.
Maintaining unity while configured as more-or-less autonomous home churches proved difficult. After a period of increasing disunity and disagreement among the leadership, the home church concept was abandoned in favor of one unified group with a plurality of eldership. Discipleship through participation in small groups, however, continues to be a hallmark of Grace Fellowship. A loose association of like-minded pastors and their congregations (in other cities) came together to form the Alliance for Renewal Churches (now called Table Fellowship).
Outreach continued to be an emphasis, with the development of Cross Training Camp and Discipleship Training School. Missions trips ranged from inner-city to international. Our association with the Funehiki Evangelical Church (Japan) has resulted in numerous young adults teaching English in Japan for 1-2 years each, as well as our hosting visiting Japanese students, and the formation of a sister city relationship between Mansfield and Tamura. Leadership training was also a focus, as a succession of young men served Grace Fellowship as Youth Pastor while completing a degree at Ashland Theological Seminary. Table Fellowship also hosts leadership conferences regularly.
Growth in church membership prompted construction of a new sanctuary which was completed in 1994, and growth in our youth and camp ministries required construction of a youth building in 1998. The sudden death of our long-time pastor, Tim Barber, to whom the youth building is dedicated, led to development of a columbarium on the property.
Grace Fellowship continues to strive to be a place where sinners receive grace from God, where faith grows into discipleship in the midst of community, and where the light of Christ is demonstrated in our everyday lives.
