Shelby had been attending Hoboken Grace for only a few weeks when she started looking into this year’s mission trips. When she saw that a team was going to Puerto Rico to help those affected by Hurricane Maria, she knew she had to go.

The people they’d be helping could have been her family, Shelby thought. At one point, the storm had been on track to hit their home in South Florida.

For Astrid, the people who ended up in the storm’s crosshairs are family. She grew up in Puerto Rico, and all of her relatives – cousins, aunts, uncles, everyone — are scattered around the island. It was her family she thought of when she saw news reports about the hundreds of thousands of people still without power or running water months later. Since the storm hit, she’d been praying for a way to help.

“It hit home because it is home,” she said.

When Astrid learned Hoboken Grace was organizing a trip to help with recovery efforts, it was the answer to a prayer.

So late last month, Shelby, Astrid and eight other people from Hoboken Grace traveled to Guayanabo, right outside San Juan. They partnered with a dozen people from two other churches, also there to assist with the recovery.

Each day, they were tasked with different projects – painting, fixing roofs, distributing food and water (including one day with the National Guard). One day, a team dug up a home’s entire water system, replacing pipes and putting in new walls.

“The stuff that we accomplished … I still can’t comprehend how we did it so quickly,” said Shelby.

Shelby’s team spent one day working at a house that was covered in mold. They ripped out cabinets and then went to work clearing a deck that was completely buried in vines and debris.

“It was heartbreaking that in that debris you would find cabinets, and wall outlets from other people’s homes,” she said. To their surprise, they found a driveway underneath as they continued to clear the area.

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2018/03/20180306115305-b9f05139-me.jpg)

At another home, Shelby’s team moved 200 cement blocks and filled in a trench in the rain.

“We definitely leaned on each other,” she said, and it helped that everyone they met had been so welcoming, inviting them into their homes even if they didn’t have running water.

The people they met were so grateful, said Astrid, no matter how small the project.

“No matter where we went, no matter how ravaged it was, they had such faith, such joy,” she added.

Throughout the week, Astrid saw people coming together and helping one another — neighbors checking on each other, younger people making sure the elderly had water and were taking medication. It reminded her of how people had interacted when she was growing up in Puerto Rico, a way of life that had begun to disappear before the storm.

Everyone treated the team like family as well, Astrid said, especially the church in Guayanabo where they were based that week. Church members did an amazing job caring for them, she said, setting up the entire week and ensuring they were well-fed each night.

And the team – all 22 people from three churches — also felt like family throughout the week, Shelby and Astrid said.

“We were fast friends,” said Shelby, who didn’t know anyone on the trip from Hoboken Grace before signing up.

“From the beginning, we hit it off immediately,” said Astrid. “We didn’t feel like strangers at all.”

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2018/03/20180305083123-e1f7f73e-me.jpg)

Each person seemed to be there for a reason, Shelby said. Everyone was vital to the team in their own way. Some had experience when it came to the repairs. Others knew Spanish, which helped them communicate and pray with those they met. And then there were the two people with culinary experience, who made everyone a gourmet-style breakfast each morning.

But what’s more was the way everyone encouraged each other throughout the week. No one complained or expressed negativity, despite how exhausted they were. Everyone was excited to serve.

“If someone asked for help, five people would jump up,” Shelby said.

It was moments like these that Shelby and Astrid say they’ll always remember – the way they saw people caring for one another, the way they saw people pray for one another.

While it was a sense of family that drew both of them to Puerto Rico, Shelby and Astrid left with another family – the nearly two dozen people they’d served with. A week after the trip, they’re still talking, sharing photos and messages over emails and group texts.

“I have never felt so much love in one place,” said Shelby. “Like I said, I didn’t know anyone before the trip. But when everyone met on the first day, we were like, OK, we’re here, we’re family now.”

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2018/03/20180305083117-0af17afc-me.jpg)


Finding Family in Puerto Rico

When Jim and Lyla visited Sierra Leone last year as part of a mission trip with Hoboken Grace, Jim suggested taking their kids on the next trip.

“I said no way,” said Lyla, laughing.

But Jim continued pressing the idea, hoping to bring their two oldest daughters, 9-year-old Loren and 7-year-old Luca. After all, he had lived in Africa when he was their age, when his father worked as a professor and missionary in Zimbabwe.

“It had a massive impact on him, and he wanted a similar exposure for our children so that they’re aware of the plight of other people who are less fortunate,” Lyla said.

As the trip approached, it was decided that both girls would go. And they wouldn’t be the only kids on the team — two of their friends, each accompanied by a parent — would also be going to Sierra Leone.

During the weeklong trip, the team would be serving the staff of Enable the Children, a program that supports more than 900 little ones with disabilities such as autism and cerebral palsy, who otherwise might be abandoned, ostracized or neglected in their communities. The team would be helping the program’s staff throw a giant beach party for the families they support, as well as organizing a retreat for staff members and their families.

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2018/02/IMG_8882-1024x768.jpg)

When the team arrived in Sierra Leone last month, one of the first stops for Loren, Luca and their parents was to pay a visit to Nenneh, a girl with cerebral palsy who they began sponsoring through Enable the Children six months ago.

“When she saw me, she just ran up to me and hugged me,” said Loren.

They brought letters they’d written wishing “much hope and love” for Nenneh, whose sister had died a few days earlier. And Loren gave her a doll she’d bought with her own money.

Meeting Nenneh in person was a moment they’d been excited about for months. But they hadn’t expected Neeneh’s home to be so unlike their own. At one point, Luca turned to her dad to ask why they hadn’t visited Nenneh at her house — she didn’t realize that this cramped space was where she and her family lived.

“The places we visited — the slums — were even worse than I imagined,” said Loren. “I thought they would be built out of stone, but instead there was just stone wall and metal sheets for a roof.”

But during her visit with Nenneh, another thing that stood out was her pretty pink and black dress.

“I was glad we sponsor her so she can have nice things like that,” Loren said.

The girls saw Nenneh the next day as well, during Enable the Children’s beach party. And while the adults served more than 1,400 meals to the families that attended, Loren, Luca and Nenneh danced on the beach, built sandcastles and held hands as they walked out to the ocean.

“You guys were showing everyone that kids with special needs are God’s children, too,” Jim told his daughters.

For Lyla, it was the moments like this – when all the children were playing together, despite language and cultural barriers – that stood out most.

But perhaps the greatest example of this, she and Jim say, was the last night the team spent with Enable the Children’s staff and their families. They held a huge bonfire and talked into the night, discussing the program, challenges of the past year, and how they’d seen God working. The children, meanwhile, spent the night laughing and dancing on the beach, starting a conga line and burying one another in the sand.

“It was just a beautiful vision of God’s community, one family,” said Jim, speaking of the interaction between both the children and adults. “Just being there together, despite being so radically different in so many ways. All centered on Christ.”

In retrospect, Lyla says it was great that the girls came on the trip.

“They’re not able to process everything yet, but they’ve already asked some questions about inequality — like, why they can’t just build more schools — so I think it’s starting good questions and good conversation,” she said.

Loren and Luca, meanwhile, are already thinking about their next trip to Sierra Leone.

“I want to go back next year,” said Loren, “and I want to go back the year after, and I want to go every year that I’m able to.”


Their First Mission Trip


The last two years have been pretty crazy. I’ve experienced incredible highs and devastating lows. My husband and I tied the knot in 2016, moved, changed jobs and, the most exciting change — this year we’re expecting our first child. In the midst of that, we’ve experienced the loss of several family members, including my father-in-law and an aunt I loved dearly.

It seems as if one minute we’re celebrating and the next we’re mourning. Although I’ve continued to trust and thank God in all of it, I started to feel myself living life always thinking about what was around the corner. I felt worry and fear start to creep in. I remember just having a moment where I asked God, “What is going on?!” In that moment, He brought me back to my college graduation day — which seemed strange. I remember thinking, “What does this have to do with anything?”

Out of what seemed like a hundred speakers, I remembered one in particular. She talked about the many random jobs she worked after graduating college, and how she felt they were all so different and far from her “dream” job. Years went by, and she finally found herself in the place she wanted to be. But when she looked back, she realized that each role had contributed to where she was and that she had learned something from each job.

It’s a story that reminds me of Romans 8:28: “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

My own story includes both joyful and painful moments, but God uses even my failures and sorrow to craft a beautiful story. I can rest in knowing that whatever comes my way, He uses it. He uses the good, the bad and the ugly, and not just for my good. He uses all of our stories, and they work together to create an even bigger picture.

As a member of the Communications Team, I see this happen with the stories in our church community as well. Each of our stories – the good, the bad and the ugly — work together to show how God is moving. Each photograph, each blog post and each video is merely a glimpse.

And just as that speaker’s story resonated with me so many years later, the stories we share can reach people right where they are. Whether they’re stories about grief or joy, God can use them in completely unexpected ways.

##### [![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2018/02/27545511_1826299640727420_1728589270506293369_n.png)](http://hobokengrace.com/teams/)_Visit [hobokengrace.com/teams](http://hobokengrace.com/teams)._


It’s All Part of the Story

When you look back at the last 10 years, one of the biggest stories is one that’s perhaps not as obvious or often talked about: the number of Hoboken Grace weddings.

Over the past decade, at least 17 couples have gotten married after meeting through Hoboken Grace. That includes couples who got to know each other at connection events, on a mission trip, at a choir info meeting and even while working in the church office.

So as we continue to celebrate Hoboken Grace’s 10th birthday this month — and mark Valentine’s Day this week — the Writing Team asked some of those couples to share how they met.

[![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2018/02/erinjames416.jpg)](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2018/02/erinjames416.jpg)

**Erin & James** _Married 3 years_

“This depends on who you ask!” said Erin. “If you ask me, we met outside the Boys & Girls Club during Hurricane Sandy when the church was organizing groups to clean up different projects. I annoyed James by singing ‘Tear Down the Walls’ by Hillsong all week while we were _literally_ tearing down walls. (Luckily for James I’ve gotten funnier as time has gone on…)

The truth is we technically met then, but that’s not how we got to know each other.

We got to know each other when we went on the Guatemala mission trip in March 2013\. Aside from the fact that a mission trip is a great way to get to know the people you’re serving with, our translator for the week seemed like he was on his own ‘mission’ to get us together.

On the last day of the trip, he spent 45 minutes (in front of the entire group) asking someone who knew James well what qualities a woman needed to have in order to be a good match for him. After each quality was mentioned, he would ask someone who knew me well whether I fit that description, and she assured him that I did. It was completely embarrassing (think red-in-the-face, can’t-look-in-each-other’s-direction embarrassing), but looking back, the experience seems like it was just what we needed to get us out of our own way and paying attention to what really mattered.”

[![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2018/02/Wedding-1.jpg)](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2018/02/Wedding-1.jpg)

**Mike & Flor** _Married 2.5 years_

“Flor and I met after church one Sunday while we were both serving on the First Impressions Team,” said Mike. “I was a new believer and had recently been baptized, and Flor had been growing in her personal relationship with God while living in a new city in a new country. God had pierced both of our hearts to serve others, and in doing so, He brought us together. We are thankful for the opportunities we had to serve at Hoboken Grace, and we are excited to pass on what we learned and help create structure for people to serve with our new church family in Boston.”

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2018/02/unnamed-2-e1518712636227-1024x735.jpg)

**Chad & Joanna** _Married 4.5 years_

“I first saw Joanna my second week at church as she waded into the pool on stage to get baptized at the end of March 2010,” said Chad. “She gave a short testimony and in the span of 60 seconds I was captivated spiritually, intellectually and physically. She was articulate, beautiful and knew who she was in God’s eyes. And all I knew was her first name.

So, I’d show up at connection events, sit nearby on Sunday to ensure she was one of those I ‘greeted around me.’ Some might call it light stalking, but I considered it an opportunity for prepared serendipity. It took a full year before we had an actual conversation. Then I asked her to a meeting — not a date — just a drinks-turned-into-dinner-back-to-drinks meeting. That carried into witty (for me) banter on Facebook. Then, suddenly it seemed, we were dating.

We made French macarons. We had our first kiss on the corner of Houston and Broadway. We went to other people’s weddings. We got stuck in the rain after _Billy Elliott the Musical_. We had our first fight over Bugs Bunny. We prayed together. We searched the neighborhood for her lost cat. I told her I loved her. Weeks later, she said the same.

Waiting on God’s timing can be achingly frustrating. I had literally stood under a clear night sky both begging and yelling for Him to deliver a companion. He’s worth waiting on. She’s so much more than I could have ever imagined.”

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2018/02/10173632_886181997546_1129233650_n-1-e1518712739526.jpg)

**Sarah & CJ** _Married 4 years_

“Sarah and I met at a Hoboken Grace connection event roughly seven years ago,” said CJ. “I recall two things from our introduction: 1). Her accent spoke of a town far, far away and 2). I was eager to get to know her more. I made attempts to interact with her when I saw her at church and, unbeknownst to me at the time, a mutual friend of ours was separately trying to set us up. We began dating shortly thereafter, and in March 2014, Pastor Chris pronounced us husband and wife. We’re forever indebted to our Hoboken Grace family for the love, support and encouragement they provided us during our dating years and continue to provide today.”

[![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2018/02/bradandsusiwedding-e1518408552587.jpg)](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2018/02/bradandsusiwedding-e1518408552587.jpg)

**Brad & Susi** _Married 4.5 years_

“Brad and I met in 2010 at Hoboken Grace when he was working for the church and I started TRUE Mentors,” said Susi. “It was only the two of us in the office most of the time (except for Pastor Chris), and we got to be good friends. A year later we started dating and two years after that we got married at Hoboken Grace.”

[![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2018/02/4-Alter-133.jpg)](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2018/02/4-Alter-133.jpg)

**Nate & Alyssa** _Married 5 months_

“During a series on relationships and dating, Pastor Chris challenged us to ‘stop expecting a different result when we keep doing the same things in relationships,’ and to maybe consider where we were trying to meet people and to look around the room of our church instead,” said Nate. “Alyssa saw me for the first time and joked with her friend that I was the one. She was surprised when a few Sundays later, a mutual friend (Rachel Norris) unexpectedly introduced us right after the service.

“We happened to see each other again after Worship Night (now called Night of Prayer), when a huge group from church decided to go out together following the service. I asked her out that night and our first date was at the Hoboken Arts and Music Festival after church. We spent the whole day together. We got engaged in Charleston on 2/2/17, and after dating for four years, four months and four days, we were married in Weehawken on 9/9/17.”

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2018/02/Norris-1481.jpg)

**Rachel & Jonathan** _Married 4 months_

Rachel and Jonathan met at the end of 2015, after Nick Lenzi, one of Rachel’s friends and co-workers, told Rachel he thought they should meet. So Rachel did what any girl in this day and age would do: She searched for Jonathan on Facebook, then sent him a friend request.

Jonathan thought it was odd that someone he had never met in real life would ask to “be his friend” on Facebook. But after noticing they had several friends in common, Jonathan did what any guy in this day and age would do: He accepted the request so he could look at more of Rachel’s pictures.

It wasn’t long before they ended up at the same connection event. Jonathan had a feeling Rachel would be there, so he asked a mutual friend to introduce them. After meeting Rachel, Jonathan said, “So you’re the one who asked to be my Facebook friend before actually meeting me in person!” Completely mortified, Rachel said, “Oh yeah! My friend Nick said we should be friends, so I said, ‘Why not?’ ”

The conversation was so awkward that they didn’t speak again for months — until they ran into each other at another connection event. Little by little, they got to know each other after Rachel joined Jonathan’s volleyball league. Then one day, Jonathan finally asked Rachel out to lunch.

After a few dates, they decided they wanted to pursue a relationship. They were both attracted to how much the other person loved God and loved other people. Now if only they liked the same baseball team…

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2018/02/lamorte-1-1-1024x784.jpg)

**Rob & Jen** _Married 13 days_

“Rob and I met in the summer of 2015, shortly after I had moved to Hoboken,” said Jen. “We were first introduced at one of the first choir info meetings, and Rob was the only man in the choir that time around. We were very good friends and eventually started dating in the summer of 2016.”

They got married on Feb. 2, coincidentally, the weekend of Hoboken Grace’s 10th birthday celebration.


You Had Me at Hoboken Grace

Night had already come, but the streetlights stayed dark. Hurricane Sandy had hit just the week before, and Hoboken was only starting to recover. So it was dark when Dana got into her car to pick up her husband. And it stayed dark as her car idled in miles of traffic, going nowhere.

As she often did when she was alone in the car, Dana began to hum. And as she hummed, she looked around the city, at the literal destruction surrounding her, and thought about the times in her life when everything seemed to fall apart and she had no idea where to go next.

Then the words came:

_When the lights go out, when my heart gets loud_  
_when I cannot see in the dark_  
_You will be my eyes, you will guide me home_  
_for you know my heart._

Over time, those first few words evolved into a song. They eventually became key lyrics in the title song to Hoboken Grace’s first album, “Out of the Dark.”

After Dana shared her song with the Worship Team, other members of the team began to bring in songs they’d written, too. And as people started bringing in their work and asking about the songwriting process, Dana realized there was an interest in writing about what was happening at Hoboken Grace. She decided to encourage that interest by setting [the goal of creating an album](http://hobokengrace.com/blog/its-finally-happening/).

The Worship Team began holding 24-hour retreats to focus on writing songs. Dana booked cabins in the woods and gathered anyone from the band or Production Team to join in the writing process. For the first retreat, the team traveled to upstate New York and spent a day and a half praying, asking God to put words into their hearts. After they worshiped together and spent time with God, they came back together and found that they were sharing the same thoughts.

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2018/02/DSCF0110-1024x682.jpg)

“We had a theme of seeking our worth in this world, but laying that down and finding our identity in Him instead,” said Liz.

The team started working with this theme, humming, writing a verse, playing the guitar or piano. At one point they got stuck, but then Hannah mentioned she had written a chorus a long time ago but never finished. She sang it for the team, and the chorus wound up fitting with the verses that had already been written. That song became “Only You.”

“That’s my favorite song,” said Liz. “It’s very relatable for our community, where we live so close to New York City and we’re so focused on work and relationships that we lose sight of God.”

The team agreed that they didn’t want the song to sound happy.

“We wanted to encapsulate a struggle, to express that following God doesn’t mean it’s always roses and rainbows,” Dana said. “There can be both good and bad at the same time.”

No two writing retreats have looked the same. Once, the team split up into several small groups and wrote songs separately; another time, the team wrote one song together as a group. At a separate retreat, Dana gave the team only one hour to write a song — “and it ended up being a really good song!”

The writing retreats culminated in a concert last year. The Worship Team sang the songs they had written, along with songs that have become anthems for Hoboken Grace as a community, and intentionally recorded everything live.

“You can hear the crowd in the recording because we wanted the album to belong to the church,” Dana said. “This is our album. These are our songs. This is our story.”

Hoboken Grace is planning to release the album on Feb. 23, and will hold a concert that night to celebrate the release. You can get your tickets for the concert [here](https://www.facebook.com/events/1192534544209806/).

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2018/02/DSCF0291-1024x682.jpg)


An Album Years in the Making

On Sunday, Pastor Chris talked about how Hoboken Grace started with just a handful of people who decided to live lives of significance. They leveraged everything to see what God could do in our community, understanding that we live in a world that doesn’t know who Jesus is.

That group of just a few people made a commitment to join the mission, doing whatever it took to demonstrate His love and grace to those around them. And over 10 years, that handful of people expanded, impacting countless people and [loving our city in huge ways](http://hobokengrace.com/blog/10-reasons-celebrate/).

That’s the impact of just a few people. But what about a thousand? What if all of us joined the mission together? That’s what the next 10 years is about. It’s about making this your story, too.

\[vc\_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pC\_LRpen6A”\]

The impact that God will make on our city will be directly proportionate to how many of us leverage our gifts and time to helping people find their way back to Him.

The easiest way to do that is to join one of the many teams at Hoboken Grace.

So how do you pick one? Great question! Here are two questions to think about:

**1). What do you love to do? What makes you feel alive?**

Do you love helping others? Our [Community Impact/Outreach](http://hobokengrace.com/blog/yes-can-reach-people/) teams work to impact those in our city, demonstrating God’s love in tangible ways (random acts of kindness, supporting local shelters, etc.).

Or maybe you love working with kids. Serving with [Grace Kids](http://hobokengrace.com/blog/teams-make-no-mistake/) can make a huge impact on our city’s children — and their parents.

If you thrive on creativity, the Arts Team might be a good fit. The team is made up of musicians, designers and contractors working to communicate His value [through the Arts](http://hobokengrace.com/blog/3-myths-worship-team/).

**2). What do you consider your gifts?**

Are you a people person who thrives on making connections? Or maybe your friends rave about your party-planning abilities (this is Hoboken, after all). The [Assimilation Team](http://hobokengrace.com/blog/gift-ill-never-forget/) or [First Impressions](http://hobokengrace.com/blog/first-impression-stuck/) could be a great fit. Those serving on First Impressions include Sunday morning greeters, a hospitality team, and those who set up and tear down the space each week, creating a welcoming environment for everyone. The Assimilation Team includes the people who stand at Connection Points on Sunday mornings, as well as other teams that work together to help people take and celebrate their next steps in their journey with Christ.

Love [photography](http://hobokengrace.com/blog/love-camera-lens/), [writing](http://hobokengrace.com/blog/why-we-write/) or [video production](http://hobokengrace.com/blog/capturing-the-story/)? Or do you have [social media](http://hobokengrace.com/blog/never-thought-share-facebook/) or marketing skills? Our Communications Team works to tell the story of what God is doing in our community.

Another great opportunity is the Analytics Team, which helps other teams make the most of their resources as they move forward.

Still unsure? We’re here to help!

[![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2018/02/pic-1024x490.jpg)](http://hobokengrace.com/teams/)


The Next 10 Years

Hoboken Grace started with a dream to impact this city and the thousands of people who call Hoboken home. That dream began coming to life 10 years ago, when a tiny church plant [held its first service in a bingo hall](http://hobokengrace.com/blog/the-story-of-hoboken-grace/). That first year, services were held once a month, with only a few dozen people showing up.

Ever since, Hoboken Grace’s mission has been to help people find their way back to God. Over the past decade, that mission has taken shape in countless ways: handing out tens of thousands of granola bars, throwing hundreds of out-of-the-box connection events and inviting the entire city to a free Easter Egg Hunt (to name just a few examples).

It’s been incredible to see the many lives God has changed throughout this journey, and we can’t wait to celebrate with you this Sunday.

So how do you measure the past 10 years at Hoboken Grace? Here are 10 ways.

**![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2016/02/The-Church-@-Hoboken-Opening-010_7407518420_o-1024x768.jpg)**

### **1,200+ services**

Over 10 years – and about 510 Sundays – services have taken place at 5th and Willow, Willie McBride’s, Hoboken High School, and of course, 301 Garden. They’ve been held in snow, rain, blistering heat and — that one time after a gas leak — exclusively over the internet.

[![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2018/02/1-1024x682.jpg)](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2018/02/1.jpg)

### **300+ baptisms**

Just last Sunday, we celebrated with two more people as they took the step of baptism! Among those taking the step were Stephanie, who has attended Hoboken Grace since the very first service, and Hope, who has grown up in TRUE Mentors, an organization the church launched seven years ago. As we celebrate all that God has done since Hoboken Grace started, the more than 300 people who have taken the step of baptism is [just a glimpse of the many lives changed](http://hobokengrace.com/blog/9-things-worth-celebrating/) over the past 10 years. (Just don’t ask how many champagne bottles have been uncorked in the process … we’ve lost track!)

[![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2018/02/DSCF1486-1024x682.jpg)](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2018/02/DSCF1486.jpg)

### **214,130 Simple Service interactions**

When Hoboken Grace began 10 years ago, Pastor Chris and a team of four others began committing random acts of kindness all over Hoboken, calling it Simple Service. Simple Service has one goal: Through a small act of kindness, we can show a bit of how God has loved us. Throughout the years, [we’ve handed out granola bars](http://hobokengrace.com/blog/power-simple-service/) to hungry commuters at the PATH and Light Rail stations. We’ve handed out waters to those playing basketball at Church Square Park, and warmers to passersby on cold winter nights. And over the past two summers, we gave out thousands of bags of free popcorn at Movies Under the Stars.

[![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2018/02/20170716-DSC_2895.jpg)](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2018/02/20170716-DSC%5F2895.jpg)

### **5,000+ first-time guests**

Hoboken Grace’s mission of helping people find their way back to God means inviting individuals through Simple Service, bus stop ads and word of mouth. All first-time guest are a huge celebration, and the more than 200 people who serve each week strive to make them feel both comfortable and valued.

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2016/02/ChurchHoboken-015_7407481768_o-e1454594088654-1024x737.jpg)

### **A growing kids program**

When Hoboken Grace started, there was no official kids ministry – [just a few toys and a mat in a corner of the service area](http://hobokengrace.com/blog/the-story-of-hoboken-grace/). During those small, 6 p.m. services, it was exciting if even one child showed up. Ten years later, there are over 150 kids attending Grace Kids each week and more than 60 team members teaching them about Jesus.

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2017/09/Nicoles-Story-Thumbnail-1024x576.jpg)

### **425 stories**

When it comes to helping people find their way back to God, there’s no denying the power of telling your story. Our Writing, Photo, Social Media, Web and Video teams have helped hundreds of people share how God has moved in their lives. Those 425 stories can be found on [our blog](http://hobokengrace.com/blog/) and [stories page](http://hobokengrace.com/blog/story/).

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2017/12/IMG_2125-1024x529.jpg)

### **Hundreds of connection events**

Over 10 years, there’s been nearly every kind of connection event imaginable. Rock climbing? Check. Skiing? [Check](https://www.facebook.com/events/2005256149741678/). Skydiving? [Yup, we even did that once](http://hobokengrace.com/blog/jumping-dinner-group/). Creating community requires going outside your comfort zone.

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2017/12/DSCF8320-1024x682.jpg)

### **From 1 dinner group to 50**

Ten years ago, dinner groups started with just one group. There are now 50, with more than 500 people active in a dinner group. That includes several people who are apprenticing to become leaders, so even more people can experience that sense of community. In addition to men, women and couple’s groups, there are now family groups, [an online group](http://hobokengrace.com/blog/cant-commit-dinner-group-read/), and groups for middle school and high school students.

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2016/02/13859636453_53ac465f1f_o-1024x680.jpg)

### **9 Easter Egg Hunts**

Hoboken Grace has held a free Easter Egg Hunt each year since 2010\. But for the past two years, there have been two hunts at Mama Johnson Field to accommodate as many people as possible. More than 5,000 adults and children registered last year.

**![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2017/10/IMG_1624-1024x705.jpg)**

### **7 1Day events**

Hundreds of volunteers have participated in 1Day over the years, serving on projects touching ever corner of the city. Projects have included serving local businesses, schools and other organizations, as well as cleaning up parks and the waterfront. It’s just one of the ways we’ve worked to love our city and its residents.

_It’s been an amazing 10 years, and we can’t wait to celebrate with you this Sunday!_


10 Reasons to Celebrate

_Portraits is an occasional series that captures stories across our community, one photo at a time._

Amy came to Riverview-Fisk Park at her wits’ end. She’d had a huge fight with her boyfriend and needed to leave her apartment a few blocks away. Weighed down and worn out by the emotions of the past four years of an abusive relationship, she sat on a bench and thought she was done with her life in this city.

Julia came to the park in a rush. She’d just met a friend for coffee and had another meeting in an hour. But as she walked past several benches, she saw a woman who appeared to be crying. The light from an overhead streetlamp illuminated the distress on Amy’s face. Thinking of everything she needed to get done, Julia kept walking. But then something tugged at her heart, convincing her to turn around and ask if the woman on the bench was okay.

Amy told her it was nothing – she had allergies. Unconvinced, Julia sat next to her, and Amy began to open up. They talked about the stress of the area, and the fact that Amy wasn’t sure how much longer she could live in Jersey City. And then Julia asked if she could pray for her.

[![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2018/01/DSCF0969.jpg)](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2018/01/DSCF0969.jpg)

When people brought up faith, Amy’s first instinct was to brush them off. While she grew up going to church, a series of events convinced her that God couldn’t exist – not after what she’d been through. Early in her life, she’d faced physical, emotional and sexual abuse, including from people she loved. She became anorexic at age 9 and eventually dropped out of high school. By 18, she was pregnant, kicked out of her home and panhandling on the street. After giving the baby up for adoption, she’d stopped eating altogether and became suicidal – until a friend intervened and convinced her to seek help.

After that, it became too difficult to believe in God, she said, and she wanted nothing to do with faith. But something was different as she sat on this park bench, alongside a 23-year-old stranger who’d just offered to pray for her.

“My normal response would be, you’re nuts, get away from me, I don’t want to hear this,” said Amy. “And I said, yes, please.”

So Julia prayed out loud as they sat together. She prayed that Amy would find peace in the midst of what she was going through. And she also prayed that Amy would be fearless. It was a word Julia had embraced that year, and one that’d been on her mind recently as Hoboken Grace’s “[Fearless](http://hobokengrace.com/series/fearless/)” series was getting underway that fall.

As they talked more, Julia told Amy about the community she’d found at church. She asked if Amy would want to go with her. Amy dismissed the idea, saying she didn’t believe in God. But as they continued talking, Julia felt prompted to bring it up a second time, then a third time. She said she was going to give Amy her cell phone number anyway, so she could text her if she changed her mind.

“I told her, ‘I’ll ask my sister and see what my sister says,’” said Amy. “Which basically was my way of saying yes, because my sister’s a youth pastor for the Salvation Army church.”

Amy went to Hoboken Grace with Julia the next week. She cried throughout most of the service.

“I just felt such a closeness and a connection,” Amy said. “I realized God’s been there the entire time. I was just being stubborn about it because of everything I went through.”

It was one of the first weeks of the “Fearless” series, and the message itself struck a chord. For months, Amy had been afraid to leave her boyfriend, even though she knew their relationship was toxic.

[![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2018/01/DSCF1058.jpg)](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2018/01/DSCF1058.jpg)

Ten years ago, Amy was diagnosed with a serious illness. And while it hadn’t affected much of her life, she’d grown afraid of the possibility of being alone – even if it meant staying in an abusive relationship.

“A lot of where my fear came from is my ex shamed me a lot, using my past and fear of being alone, and shame of tolerating the abuse and mistreatment,” Amy said. “And it made me question everything.”

After that first church service, she was also questioning whether or not she had faith. In addition to continuing to attend Hoboken Grace, she joined Julia’s dinner group, hoping to further explore that question. The girls in the group immediately embraced her and everything she was going through, including the ups and downs of her relationship.

“It was as I felt the love and support from my dinner group that I started to really develop my faith a little more,” she said. “Once I started actively including prayer as part of my life and making it a conversation with God … it came to a point where it was like, duh… what am I afraid of?”

As she grew closer to God, Amy also began to express her faith through music, realizing it’s one of her greatest gifts. She had picked up the violin a year earlier and had recently begun playing with an orchestra. She also joined Hoboken Grace’s Choir, stirring up memories of singing with her sister in church when they were young. That December, they’d sing a duet together at her sister’s church, a song that ended with both of them in tears. It was the first time they’d sung in church together in years.

In the meantime, she and her boyfriend were still on and off. But as she grew closer to her dinner group and drew closer to God, she realized she’d never been alone. Through her dinner group, she found camaraderie and friendship and began to fully experience God’s love. And after months and months, she found the strength within herself to kick her boyfriend out for good.

After the breakup, Amy says she grew intentional about following where God wanted her to go.

“For the past sixth months, I’ve made a pointed effort of being led,” she said. “That’s it, just focusing on my faith, my fellowship and just being led. And I have a new job that’s just incredible … It’s exactly what I need right now. I’m starting a new relationship, and I have my dinner group.”

Amy also has the Outreach Team, a group she serves with twice a month that collects food outside Shop-Rite and ACME. The items dropped off by customers go to a local foodbank and shelter, to people who – like her many years ago – might be living on the street or facing otherwise challenging circumstances.

[![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2018/01/DSCF1022.jpg)](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2018/01/DSCF1022.jpg)On a Sunday morning in September, Amy started bawling at the sight of a 1Day promo video, realizing it’d been a year since she started going back to church. She was a completely different person, she said. She’s no longer the same woman who was crying at Riverview-Fisk Park, separated from God by the pain in her past.

“I feel very fulfilled,” she said. “I feel like my faith was always there, I was just too stubborn to see it. So when Anthony says, ‘God is pursuing you,’ it’s right there for me.”

Even so, Amy says she’s spent much of the past year working through the “Fearless” series, first finding her faith, then finding the courage to share it with others. In many ways, she says, she’s just emerging from the series.

“It took me about three months to come to terms with faith again,” Amy said. “And that’s why ‘Fearless’ resonated so much with me. I came to realize that I wasn’t alone anyway – so I could stop being afraid and I could start to live.”


PORTRAITS: Finding Faith, Losing Fear


Six teams from Hoboken Grace will travel around the world this year, serving people on multiple continents and in multiple ways. Two of those teams will head to Guatemala to work with the nonprofit Potter’s House, but the two trips are completely different.

The first trip, from March 3-10, will serve the community of Chiquimula, where Potter’s House has recently expanded its outreach efforts. The team will build anything needed — from homes to sanitation facilities — and visit with several families, in addition to working on any other projects Potter’s House needs help with.

“Hoboken Grace was one of the first teams to go with Potter’s House to build and serve the people of Chiquimula,” said Anthony, Hoboken Grace’s Outreach Director. “We’re doing it again because the need is greater and they have found that teams don’t necessarily head into the more rural towns.”

A team of 13 people from Hoboken Grace [visited Chiquimula last spring](http://hobokengrace.com/blog/saying-yes/), building stoves and sanitation facilities while also building into the people who live in the community. They also visited two dumps in Chiquimula and Guatemala City, [where a community of scavengers](http://hobokengrace.com/blog/hope-and-a-home-in-guatemala-city/) earn their day’s wages by salvaging and selling whatever they can find. The team met with several families, giving them Bibles and food and spending time talking and praying with them.

\[vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6Xr1-9LPOk&feature=youtu.be”\]

The second trip (May 15-19) will coincide with the Potter’s House staff’s annual retreat. The team from Hoboken Grace will lead worship and help build into and encourage those on staff.

“That trip is really to serve the staff of Potter’s House,” said Anthony. “I’ve seen firsthand how hard they work, serve and love the people of Guatemala, and this is an opportunity to love and serve them.”

The team will also throw a party for the married couples who lead the organization, who don’t often get to spend a night out because of the long hours they work, Anthony said.

Both trips cost approximately $1,500, and [fundraising](http://hobokengrace.com/blog/how-to-fundraise-mission-trip-2/) is encouraged.

Anyone interested should email [anthony@hobokengrace.com](mailto:anthony@hobokengrace.com) to get updates on upcoming meetings and/or [submit a trip application](http://hobokengrace.com/mission-trips/) by Feb. 28 (for the March trip) or April 1 (for the May trip). You can also find more information about all of Hoboken Grace’s mission trips [here](http://hobokengrace.com/mission-trips/).

\[vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rCkxbFKCvc”\]


Why We’re Going to Guatemala Twice

Have you ever wondered how the space used for a Hoboken Grace church service transforms back into a school gymnasium? It’s all thanks to the First Impressions Team, which oversees the tear-down process once the last service wraps up on Sunday mornings.

Spencer and Christina, two members of First Impressions, recently shared how joining the Tear Down Team is a great opportunity to meet new people, feel connected to the community and even get in a work-out.

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2018/01/unnamed-e1516329657375-1024x942.jpg)

**When and why did you get started helping with the Tear Down Team?**

**Spencer:** I serve as a greeter for \[or at\] the 12:30 service and saw a need for help with tearing down. There are mostly women on the team, so I try to grab all the heavy stuff.

**Christina:** The cleanup for the third service Hospitality Team usually goes until 2:15-2:30 p.m., and then I stay to help with anything that’s left on Tear Down.

**What does a typical Sunday look like, and how long does the tear-down process take?**

**Spencer:** We typically start tearing down as soon as the majority of people are out of the gymnasium area. We fold and put away all the chairs, stack all the carpets, put away the signage and TVs, clean up and put away the coffee and doughnut tables, sort and put away all the cards and handouts, and all the other miscellaneous stuff that is put out for the service. We’re usually done by 3 p.m., so it takes roughly an hour and a half from start to finish.

**Christina:** As mentioned, I’m usually in the kitchen with the Hospitality Team after third service ends until about 2:30 p.m. During that time, I wash the dishes (including communion trays), dry dishes, put away all the dishes in the closet, sweep kitchen floors, Swiffer the kitchen floors, take out the trash, and once all that is done I’ll start the normal Tear Down responsibilities like stacking the carpets, collecting door stops and signs, and whatever else is needed.

**What is the atmosphere like? Is it quiet and reflective or is there conversation and lively interaction?**

**Spencer:** It’s a pretty lively atmosphere, with everyone working together to put everything away and clean up the space for the school.

**Christina:** It’s usually lively and there’s conversation, but it can be reflective.

**Are there any memorable experiences that stick out or is there anything you enjoy most about being a part of the team?**

**Spencer:** Not any particular experiences, but it’s a great workout! Also, it’s fun to be able to help contribute to the church services.

**Christina:** My favorite part about being on the team is the deeper sense of community and ownership of the church I feel. When I walk into Hoboken Grace I see so many familiar faces that I serve with and we truly are a team.

**How has serving impacted your life since joining the team?**

**Spencer:** I have met a ton of new people in the church and it has been a great way to get more plugged into the community.

**Christina:** My commitment to the church, God and reaching out to the community has increased vastly.

_Interested in checking out the Tear Down Team? Email [anthony@hobokengrace.com](mailto:anthony@hobokengrace.com) for more information._


The Connections Built During Tear Down

More than half of the guys in John’s dinner group didn’t join by signing up online, as some people do. They’re guys he simply met and invited. (In some cases, it took a few tries.)

“They’ll joke around, like, oh yeah, this guy tried to get me for six months before I finally joined a group,” John says. But even when it’s a joke, there’s also some truth to that.

After leading a dinner group for more than five years, John’s found that a personal invite is more effective than expecting people to sign up online. For someone who’s new to dinner groups, the idea of registering online is easy to put off — or to forget about completely. And more importantly, a personal invite can be much less intimidating.

“A lot of times, people don’t feel comfortable signing up — they don’t know who they’re going to meet, and just having the ability to know a face before you go in can be really beneficial,” he says.

For someone like John – an extrovert who jokes that persistency is one of his gifts — inviting someone to dinner group comes naturally. But even if you don’t share those traits, inviting someone is usually easier than we make it out to be.

Here are a few steps to do just that.

**1). Strike Up a Conversation**

“A lot of times you see people sitting by themselves at church, or who don’t seem to know as many people,” says John. “You can see it in their face, or they’re not talking to anyone.”

John says instead of asking that person if they’re new, simply introduce yourself and get to know them.

“I always think that’s the best step,” he says. “Getting to know them, asking them where they’re from, how long they’ve been going to Hoboken Grace, and then casually asking, ‘Are you in a dinner group?’ ”

**2). Extend an Invite**

When John first meets people, he often mentions that he leads a dinner group, and how beneficial that community has been in his own life. It’s a great way to meet people, he says.

Oftentimes, he’ll invite people to check out his group. But he also tells them there are groups that meet nearly every day of the week. It’s a way to let someone know they’re invited, but also gives them the opportunity to explore any group they want.

When someone expresses interest in your group, get their number, John says. That way you can follow up with a text — which people are typically more responsive to than email.

**3). Don’t Be Afraid to Try Again**

Don’t be discouraged if someone turns down your invite, John says.

“What I try to do is engage them every time I see them — just say hi to them. I don’t try to push dinner groups, but maybe I’ll ask them about it a couple weeks later.”

In the meantime, build a relationship with them. Ask if they’ve gotten to know other people, and invite them to a connection event or another outing.

“Several of my guys in my dinner group I was asking for over a year,” says John. “And then finally it fell into place where it worked for them.”

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2018/01/IMG_5366-1024x790.jpg)

**4). Don’t Underestimate How God Can Use You**

“You never know who God puts in your path,” John says.

That proved true on a recent Sunday morning, when he started talking to someone he’d met once before. Midway through their conversation, John brought up dinner groups again.

“He was like, ‘You know, I’d actually be really interested.’” John says. He’d recently moved to the area with his girlfriend, but they broke up not long after. He didn’t know many other people, he told John.

John invited him to his dinner group, and the first night he came, he told the group he was there because of a conversation he’d had with his mom that weekend. She knew he was having trouble adjusting and suggested getting involved at church.

It was the next morning that John brought up dinner groups and extended an invitation.

“That had nothing to do with me,” says John. “I just happened to be there, because God planned that. And that’s why I say you never know who you’re asking. … There are times when someone is going through something, or something’s going on, and you never know if maybe God’s been leading you to that person for a reason.”

**5). Not Outgoing? That’s Okay, Too**

If bringing people together isn’t your gift, find the person in your dinner group who’s a natural connector, John says. Encourage them to be the recruiter for your group. It doesn’t necessarily have to be the leader — it can be anyone.

Or, just try it and simply get to know someone.

“Sure, I’m on the Engagement Team, but even if I wasn’t on a team, I actually love standing out when people are coming out of church,” John says. “You’ll see so many people who are kind of gunning for the door, who are not really sure where to go. And you can be that person who says, “Hey, what’s up? What’s your name? My name’s John. How long have you been coming here?’”

**6). Build a Group Where There’s Always Room for More**

For John, dinner group isn’t just about Tuesday nights. He tries to build into his group throughout the week, whether that means sitting with them on Sunday mornings or inviting them out. It’s a mindset that encourages his group to grow closer together and ensures that everyone feels welcome.

It also encourages further growth. Two of the guys in John’s group are apprenticing to lead their own group — one of them was someone John spent months recruiting. They’re both great guys, with incredible gifts, says John. And once they have their own groups, they’ll be able to extend the invitation even further.

_Interested in joining a dinner group? You’re definitely invited! Visit hobokengrace.com/dinnergroups or stop at a Connection Point on Sunday. Or, want to start_ _your own group? Email dinnergroups@hobokengrace.com._


6 Ways to Invite Someone To Dinner Group

I wasn’t one of those people. I didn’t dream of working with kids. I didn’t choose a career that involved kids, and when I was asked to serve in Grace Kids as part of my role at Hoboken Grace, I had to reassure myself that it would only be a temporary thing.

However, several months (and now years) into being on the kids team, that has all changed. It’s shocking to me, but I can honestly say that serving in Grace Kids has drastically changed my life and transformed my perspective on the opportunity God has given me to impact kids.

Here are a few things I’ve learned about how God values kids, and why I now say that serving those children who walk in our doors is the most meaningful part of my week.

**_Make no mistake about it, children are important to God._**  
Did you know that God talks about the importance of children over 200 times in the Bible? He clearly tells us that children are a blessing (Psalm 127: 3-5). When Jesus was here, he made a point to welcome children and to affirm their value. He even talked about punishment for anyone who abused a child. He made it clear that children are a priority to Him, and since God’s priorities matter to me, I want to be a part of working with kids.

**_The long-term impact is limitless._**  
Working in the kids ministry allows me to have a direct impact on the future. When I serve, I’m not just impacting that child in that moment. I’m potentially helping to shape someone who could be a world changer. The children I’m pouring into could change the entire future of their family and other families to come for years down the road! By showing up to serve on Sunday, I’m doing my part to help create a better story.

**_My character is growing._**  
When I’m preparing for a class on Sunday, God makes sure I understand that the lesson is just as much for me as it is for the kids. God never wastes an opportunity to reveal things in my life through the lessons we teach. He has also done some serious work on my humility (you can’t take yourself too seriously as a kids teacher) and my patience (we don’t see a return on our investment right away every Sunday). So, believe me, I’m growing just as much as the kids in my class.

**_I have never felt so loved in my entire life._**  
God knows exactly what I need, and when he delivers it’s better than anything I could ever imagine or put in place for myself. There is no greater feeling in the world than when the kids come upstairs on Sunday, look for me, call my name and run to me with a big hug. They KNOW me, SEE me and LOVE me. This is a gift from God, and every time it happens I experience God’s perfect love for me directly through the kids.

**_It’s okay to be silly._**  
It took some time for me to understand that I don’t have to be serious 24/7\. God wants me to have fun and laugh and be silly. He wants me to channel my inner child and be free of the expectations of the world. The kids ministry gives me the perfect place to do that. It was hard for me at first, but once I tried it there was no turning back. You will often find me and the other teachers dancing in the hallway to kids songs. Right now, our favorite is the “Books of the Bible” rap, and we don’t care how silly we look because we’re having a blast!

Are you curious what we do upstairs every week? Regardless of your experience, I invite you to come hang out one Sunday and see what it’s all about. Come be silly with us!

_Interested in serving in Grace Kids_? [Sign up to take a tour.](http://hobokengrace.com/kids/#volunteer)


The Most Meaningful Part of My Week

Frustrated about finances? Drowning in debt? Befuddled by budgets, investments and retirement planning? Join the countless others who have found financial freedom through [Financial Peace University.](https://hobokengrace.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/137626)

FPU is a practical, nine-week course that will teach you [how to manage money God’s way](http://hobokengrace.com/blog/the-most-important-lessons-we-learned-from-fpu/). The class covers relationships, budgeting, getting out of debt, insurance and making wise investments. The average Hoboken Grace household has experienced a more than $4,000 turnaround in their finances during the nine-week course itself.

The class will be offered Mondays (from 7:30-9:30 p.m., starting Jan. 15), Thursdays (from 7:30-9:30 p.m., starting Jan. 18) and Sundays (from 9:30-11:30 a.m., starting Jan. 21). Attendance for all nine sessions is strongly recommended, and married couples are encouraged to attend together.

Here are four stories from people who are experiencing financial freedom after taking the class:

**Dan and Rebecca**

FPU has totally changed the way we view our finances together — from how we manage everyday expenses like groceries, eating out and filling the car with gas to big decisions like buying a car, house and insurance. It challenges fundamental ideas that many today have accepted as ‘truth’ when in fact those very things are what may drive people to financial ruin. We cannot recommend this course enough for those who are struggling with debt and their finances. If we were to sum it all up — in FPU, we entered thinking debt was something to be managed and left believing it’s something to be free from!

**Andy**

FPU was great for me because it laid out a formula to accomplish financial freedom. It wasn’t an abstract set of ideals. Instead, it provided a comprehensive list of steps toward peace of mind.

The debt snowball, a simple yet empowering method of paying off debt, was my favorite and most influential aspect of the course. I highly recommend FPU for anyone who wants a deeper understanding of financial responsibility, as well as a plan to achieve the peace and independence that comes with properly handling your hard earned money.

**Tasheka**

I was always interested in finance, so much so that I pursued it as a career. Within my roles (current and past), I was always responsible for managing millions of dollars each month to ensure we are meeting our yearly goals.

However, when it came to my own personal finances, I lacked the same enthusiasm and insight. I knew I had my fixed monthly expenses that were paid timely, but outside of this, all my discretionary income would just disappear before the close of the month, and I was hardly saving enough for any life emergencies. I started a new job last year that pays monthly, and I knew I needed to get my spending under control for fear of getting myself in a financial bind.

I decided to sign up for FPU, and it has been one of the best decisions I’ve made. After starting the class, I created a monthly budget every month to account for how each dollar will be spent, I now have a growing savings account and, most importantly, I’ve been able to tithe as soon as I get paid (instead of paying all my bills and then seeing what I have left).

This class has been a blessing to my life because I am no longer stressed about something as important as my finances.

**Angela**

Financial Peace University gave me a plan. Prior to taking the course, I had no real plan for the money I was saving, and without a plan, I felt no strong sentiment for the money I was spending.

I had the attitude that since I was living in Hoboken, where rent is high and it is hard to save anyway, I might as well live well — support every local coffee shop, never say no to a happy hour and sport a new dress for every occasion. Increasingly louder was the inner conviction that this was not God’s intention for my earnings and for the countless hours I was spending at work.

FPU matured me as I accepted the truth that how I handle my finances now will contribute to the ease at which I can achieve the plans and desires in my heart in the future. Dave Ramsey’s passionate interpretation on financial planning caused me to waste no time in putting together a realistic budget and seeking to understand where every dollar of my income was going.

My boyfriend and I took this course together, and we’re so grateful for establishing these FPU principles in the foundation of our relationship. Our Uber trips up and down Washington Street have since subsided, and now when we’re covered in sweat going from A to B, we smile at one another and say “live like no one else now so later we can live like no one else!”

_Financial Peace University groups starts Sept. 9th. [Register here.](https://hobokengrace.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/137626)_


Living a Life of Financial Freedom


With a growing number of people who have stepped into leadership, dinner groups are more accessible than ever. There are dinner groups for women, men, couples, families, middle school and high school students. There are groups that meet during the evenings, mornings and at lunchtime.

But for some, being able to meet each week still proves difficult.

As a student at Stevens Institute of Technology, Athina’s class and study schedule often prevented her from being able to attend dinner group on a weekly basis.

“Every minute counts when you are a student, and after factoring in the commuting time to get to the meeting location and to come back, I realized it would cut into my study time or sometimes it was my actual class schedule that would interfere,” she said.

So last year, Athina started a dinner group for people who found themselves in the same situation. The group meets online, through a video conferencing app called Zoom. The app allows each person to identify who is talking, while simulating the experience of everyone being in the same room.

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2017/11/DSCF8093-1024x682.jpg)

Having attended other dinner groups in the past, Athina admits most people experience a quicker connection when meeting in person. For example, if someone is sharing something that makes them emotional, another member could put their arm around them. But there is still a connection being made online, she says, and the group works for individuals who otherwise would not be able to participate each week.

And there are plenty of circumstances that might make an online group a good fit.

“Someone who travels quite often now has the ability to call in from wherever they are around the world,” Athina said. “Someone with a babysitting issue, especially if you are a single parent, can call in from home and participate. There is also the likelihood of a disability that may not make it possible for someone to attend our weekly services, people that may only be able to watch services via Livestream.”

In the end, says Athina, there isn’t a right group or a wrong group. The most important thing is to be part of a dinner group, and to choose the one that allows you to be most consistent.

_For more information about dinner groups or to sign up for one, visit hobokengrace.com/dinnergroups. Interested in starting your own group or have additional questions? Email dinnergroups@hobokengrace.com._


Can’t Commit to a Dinner Group? Read This

Throughout the year, Hoboken Grace offers mission trips designed to encourage us to step outside of our comfort zones, challenge our assumptions and transform our perspectives. Mission trips are one of the best ways to live out God’s word, allowing Him to work through us to serve others and love boldly. But many of us are afraid to take this leap of faith because of a number.

Is there a trip you’ve been eyeing but counting out because you don’t think you can swing it financially? Below are a few tips to help make your trip a reality.

**1). Create an online giving page:** Create a fundraising page where you can tell your story and share information about the organization you will be working with on the trip. Many of us feel called to go on a mission trip for different reasons. Let people know what you are fundraising for, and give them the opportunity to be a part of something greater than themselves. Your friends and family will want you to succeed.

**2). Social media:** Use social media (i.e. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) to build awareness around your mission trip “campaign.” Over time, your inner circle of family and friends will begin to share your story in an effort to reach more potential donors. Be sure to include a link to your fundraising page and include easy to understand instructions regarding how to donate. Remember, every dollar counts!

**3). Matching gifts:** Reach out to local businesses and see if they have a matching program. Let them know what you will be doing on the trip and how their funds will benefit those you are serving. Many businesses will match charitable contributions.

**4). Get crafty:** With a little ingenuity and some planning, you can host a local community day or initiative. Set up a donation booth at your local high school’s home basketball game or hold a bake sale in a public space. Clean out your drawers and host a garage sale as spring rolls around, or sell cute DIY gifts.

**5). Reach out to the Missions Team.** When in doubt, reach out to our Missions Team for fresh ideas and assistance so that your dream of going on a mission trip becomes a reality.

Whatever trip you’ve been thinking about, it’s never too late to fundraise. [Click here](http://hobokengrace.com/mission-trips/) to learn more about the mission trips Hoboken Grace has planned for this year. You can also contact Anthony at anthony@hobokengrace.com for more information.

[![DSCF4533](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2016/04/DSCF4533-1024x682.jpg)](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2016/04/DSCF4533.jpg)


How to Raise Support for Your Mission Trip

Last week, we wrote about [some of the biggest highlights of 2017](http://hobokengrace.com/blog/15-reasons-incredible-year/). They were the top 15 stories from the standpoint of what was most notable about this year. But of course, that’s not the whole picture. It’s impossible to boil down an entire year into 15 bullet points.

So while those 15 stories may have been the most notable, these were the blog stories that resonated most with readers. They’re stories about the unexpected unfolding, and the moments that exceed our expectations. They’re stories about shedding assumptions, and gaining perspective. They’re stories about searching — for identity, or for meaning in grief. And they’re stories about finding — hope, community, purpose.

Of the more than 100 blog posts published this year, these were the 10 most read stories:

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2017/08/IMG_31121lighter.jpg)

## 1). [Hopeful Grieving](http://hobokengrace.com/blog/hopeful-grieving/)

I learned my mom’s disease was terminal the moment she was diagnosed. I remember the doctor coming out of surgery and ushering me into a quiet room that was just off from the waiting room. I sat anxiously awaiting the results from her surgery. “Your mom is in serious trouble,” he said. He was a kind doctor and his eyes told me he was deeply saddened by the news he had to deliver.

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2017/01/meta-2.jpg)

## 2). [5 Reasons to Join a Dinner Group](http://hobokengrace.com/blog/5-reason-sign-dinner-group/)

Dinner Groups are a great way to start building community by engaging with God while having fun. Here are 5 reasons we think you should join us for dinner this year.

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2017/03/shutterstock_328177379.jpg)

## 3). [How a Spin Class Changed the Way I Worship](http://hobokengrace.com/blog/spin-class-changed-way-worship/)

I’ve had a complicated relationship with my body these last few years thanks to some significant health issues. I’ve moved through cycles of frustration and exhaustion to hatred to forgiveness and grace to hopefulness more times than I can count. Scripture says my body was “fearfully and wonderfully made,” but more often than not, it has just felt fearful. It has felt broken.

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2017/03/DSCF6337.jpg)

## 4). [The Hunt That Changed Everything](http://hobokengrace.com/blog/hunt-changed-everything/)

Around this time last year, Gwen and her family were looking for a church. They’d visited a few in the area but hadn’t yet found a place to call home. Then a friend invited Gwen and her son to Hoboken Grace’s Easter Egg Hunt. “I thought it’d be fun,” she says, but she didn’t have any other expectations.

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2017/03/Cottontail-1-178-1.jpg)

## 5). [Shattered Egg-spectations](http://hobokengrace.com/blog/nothing-like-expected/)

Last spring, Hoboken Grace was a new church for me, and I was exploring some of its activities. The week before Easter, the church was throwing a free Easter Egg Hunt at a huge, fenced-in sports field on Jackson Street. I was planning to stop by for just a half-hour to get a feel for the event. It wasn’t anything like what I expected.

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2017/03/DSC_8527.jpg)

## 6). [Leading the Way](http://hobokengrace.com/blog/know-god-wants/)

As a mom of two kids with special needs, I was at first hesitant to serve every week. Making that commitment would change what Sundays looked like for my entire family, and I worried I wouldn’t be able to fit it around my schedule. After praying about it, though, I realized I’d been looking at serving all wrong.

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2017/02/DSCF0587.jpg)

## 7). [Portraits: Great Expectations](http://hobokengrace.com/blog/portraits-great-expectations/)

“Remember who you are and who you represent.” Jon’s mom always said the same thing to him as he headed out the door to hang out with friends, and the words trailed after him and echoed in his head. “Remember who you are and who you represent.” “She meant for those words to keep me grounded and focused on what was really important,” said Jon. “But every time I heard them, I piled a little more pressure on myself to live up to what I thought was expected of me.”

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2016/07/Dinner-Group-Popcorn-Impact-Event-Movie-Under-the-Stars-2.jpg)

## 8). [Summer at the Movies](http://hobokengrace.com/blog/summer-at-the-movies/)

Just like that long-awaited sequel, Hoboken Grace is back at the movies this summer – Movies Under the Stars, that is. A group will be handing out popcorn at the city’s free movie screening at Pier A each Wednesday night.

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2017/01/15822821_10154596721885743_1729109851537536290_n.jpg)

## 9). [That Night Surprised Me](http://hobokengrace.com/blog/finding-family/)

On a Wednesday night in early November, I found myself huddled around a dinner table in Jersey City with nine other women. Our usually lively group was quiet that night, and an unspoken tension hung in the air. It was November 9, 2016 ㅡ less than 24 hours after one of the most divisive election cycles in U.S. history.

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2017/07/IMG_3360-2edit-1.jpg)

## 10). [When the Math Doesn’t Make Sense](http://hobokengrace.com/blog/hope-math-doesnt-make-sense/)

Jim said he couldn’t help but be moved when he met the families and kids that were getting support from Enable the Children. Kids with cerebral palsy who had spent their lives indoors on the floor were sitting upright, feeding themselves and getting to go outside with other kids. But the finance guy in the back of Jim’s mind kept on asking, is this really the best return on investment?

**Read our top 10 posts from previous years**

[The Top 10 Posts of 2016](http://hobokengrace.com/blog/top-10-blog-posts-2016/)

[The Top 10 Posts of 2015](http://hobokengrace.com/blog/our-top-10-blog-posts-of-2015/)


The Top 10 Blog Posts of 2017

As we look back on 2017, it’s overwhelming to see all that God has done. As a church community, we were able to reach more people than ever before, build more relationships in our city and take countless steps in growing closer to Him.

The story He’s writing in our city is impossible to capture in a single blog post, but here are just a few of the highlights from the past year, in no particular order:

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2017/12/Aerial-Over-Hunt-1-1024x576.jpg)

### 1). An Epic Easter Egg Hunt

The Easter Egg Hunt keeps growing! For the second year in a row, two Easter Egg Hunts were held at Mama Johnson Field. More than 5,000 people registered for the free hunt, which this year involved 30,000 eggs. It couldn’t have happened without the more than 200 volunteers who served that day.

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2017/12/DSCF8320-1024x682.jpg)

### 2). More Seats at the Table

Dinner groups became more accessible than ever this year. Monday through Sunday, there’s now a group meeting for every day of the week. And in addition to the more traditional men, women and couple’s groups, there are now family groups, an online group, and groups for middle school and high school students. Thanks to those who stepped into leadership roles this years, 550 people are now able to take part in a dinner group.

### ![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2017/12/DSC_4042-1024x680.jpg)

### 3). Dozens of Baptisms

Thirty-six people took the step of baptism this year, marking the change in their life when they began following Christ.

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2017/10/20170930-DSC_5454.jpg)

### **4). A 1Day With More Projects Than Ever Before**

More than 400 people came together in September to love and serve their neighbors. It was the biggest 1Day yet, with 36 projects that spanned the entire city.

### ![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2016/07/Dinner-Group-Popcorn-Impact-Event-Movie-Under-the-Stars-2-1024x529.jpg)

### 5). The Return of Movies Under the Stars

Hoboken Grace began serving popcorn at Movies Under the Stars last year, and it was such a success that the city asked us back. Volunteers handed out 250 to 500 bags of popcorn each Wednesday night. It’s an easy – not to mention fun – way to love and support our community.

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2017/12/IMG_2125-1024x529.jpg)

### 6). 114(!) Connection Events

That’s right – dinner groups organized 114 Connection Events this year, creating even more opportunities for people to get connected. The events ranged from pizza crawls to bike rides.

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2017/06/IMG_6801-e1498712292753-1024x730.jpg)

### 7). The Start of Community Dinners

This year also marked the start of monthly Community Dinners at the Hoboken Housing Authority. It’s another example of our dinner groups finding new ways to love those in our city.

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2017/08/IMG_0004-1024x682.jpg)

### 8). Growing Partnerships

We were able to support our local partners in new ways this year, such as being part of a graduation ceremony at The Open Door and throwing a party at Liberty State Park for New City Kids. In addition, many of our partners were able to visit Hoboken Grace this year.

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2017/12/IMG_5520-1024x768.jpg)

### 9). The Places We Went

In 2017, our missions strategy changed. Instead of traveling somewhere for a week to support the people who live there, our teams began serving the missionaries already established there, so that they could continue doing what they do best. Teams traveled to Sierra Leone, Guatemala, Mexico, Kenya and South Korea.

### ![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2017/12/IMG_5840-1024x682.jpg)

### 10). The Hoboken Christmas Exchange

More than 1,100 people received Christmas gifts this year thanks to the 150 volunteers and over 1,000 donors who took part in this year’s Hoboken Christmas Exchange. It was an amazing day, with incredible stories still coming out of the event.

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2017/07/DSCF1801-1024x682.jpg)

### 11). Simple Service That Reached Countless People

The Simple Service Team organized two Simple Service Saturday events, with volunteers across the city conducting random acts of kindness. They handed out hundreds of doughnuts, water bottles, granola bars and more.

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2017/12/hggala2017-96-1024x819.jpg)

### 12). The Team Gala

The hundreds of people who serve on impact teams came together in November for Hoboken Grace’s second annual Team Gala. It was amazing to be able to celebrate all that they do!

### ![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2017/12/38124712255_25f44d6b1c_o-1024x682.jpg)

### 13). The Kids Christmas Concert

The Grace Kids Christmas Concert was the culmination of a huge year in Grace Kids! It was also one of our biggest Sundays ever, with more than 1,000 people attending in person and hundreds watching on Livestream.

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2017/05/DSCF0120-1024x682.jpg)

### 14). The First Worship Concert

The Worship Team held its first Worship Concert this year, performing several original songs while recording a live album. The concert was something the team had dreamt and prayed about for years. And in February, it finally happened!

### ![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2017/12/hggala2017-122-1024x732.jpg)

### 15). You!

It’s been an amazing year, but it was only possible because of those who were a part of it and the way that God was able to work through them.

We can’t wait to see what 2018 has in store!


The Story He Told

Since joining the Concierge Team a year ago, Elyse has sent hundreds of messages to both newcomers and regular attenders. Emailed to anyone who has filled out a Connection Card, they include personalized birthday wishes, anniversary congratulations and notes to first-time guests. It’s a small gesture that can have the same effect as a smile at the front door.

The Writing Team recently talked to Elyse about the Concierge Team’s role at Hoboken Grace and the personal touches that come with making someone feel welcome and well cared for.

**How did you get involved with the Concierge Team and what does your role include?**

Sarah Neral and I were at dinner one night last November, and we started talking about how I’d been praying about getting more involved at Hoboken Grace. I was already attending a dinner group, but hadn’t joined an impact team yet. That’s when she mentioned the Concierge Team — a fairly new group she was leading on Monday nights. It sounded like a great fit for me, especially because of the overlap with my full-time job as an editor, where I was already working on email newsletters.

The role is never exactly the same from week to week. But on any given Monday, I might be reviewing Connection Cards; transcribing prayer requests and sending them to our Concierge Team prayer warrior, Wendy, who prays for and responds to every prayer request we receive each week; and/or sending welcome emails to first-time guests to Hoboken Grace, dinner groups and impact teams. We also communicate with people who have given to Hoboken Grace for the first time, as well as those celebrating birthdays and anniversaries.

**Why did the team start sending out personalized greetings?**

Hoboken Grace’s mission is to help people find their way back to God, and the Concierge Team’s mission is to ensure that no one falls through the cracks along the way. Sending personalized emails — where we introduce ourselves, tell people about our growth classes and explain how they can get more connected — is how we’re working to accomplish that goal.

**[![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2017/12/18588941_1520428844647836_5163522321839910810_o.jpg)](https://res.cloudinary.com/dzs7qxusf/image/upload/v1/archive/2017/12/18588941%5F1520428844647836%5F5163522321839910810%5Fo.jpg)What does it mean to you personally to welcome newcomers and wish someone a happy birthday or anniversary?**

It’s a really easy way to show people we care they showed up, and we’re excited to do life with them. That means celebrating things that matter to them, like birthdays and anniversaries. I imagine most people have never gotten a ‘Happy Anniversary!’ email from their church before — it’s a nice little surprise.

**How many emails on average would you say you send out per week?**

We send the most emails to first-time guests and those celebrating birthdays — so I’d estimate we communicate with at least 50 people per week. Often, it’s a lot more.

**Are there any emails that you’ve sent, a particular milestone that was celebrated, perhaps, that stand out in your mind?**

Since we sort through Connection Cards and view lists of who’s recently attended a service, dinner group or impact team for the first time, we have a birds-eye view of how much the church has grown over the past year. That’s been pretty cool to watch.

**Why do you think it is important for Hoboken Grace to send personalized greetings?**

It’s an opportunity to love people well by praying for them, answering questions, giving them opportunities to connect with others and making sure they know about all the amazing resources available to them.

_The Concierge Team is just one part of the larger Assimilation Team, which works to make sure every guest knows they matter. Others working toward that mission include the Family Life Team (which helps our family celebrate special events such as baptism), the Engagement Team (helps people find their place to serve) and Connection Points (helps answer any questions from first-time guests)._

_Want to learn more about the Concierge Team? Email_ [sarah@hobokengrace.com](mailto:sarah@hobokengrace.com)_._


Getting Personal

Blog

A Diverse, Growing, Contemporary, Community Church in Hoboken

Everything we do revolves around our mission of helping people find their way back to God. Our goal is to demonstrate who God really is and to let others know that God wants a relationship with each and every one of us.

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