All About Griggs Church in Particular
Griggs Church is an intentionally simple church focused on Jesus, his gospel and the making of disciples who care about the less-fortunate side of town.
We aim to be a church family that has your back in a world where we are increasingly used to fending for ourselves. We seek to welcome the redemption of our past tragedies rather than hiding from or being enslaved to them. Our hope is to lead one another to a brighter future in Christ by following him with laser focus.
OUR NAME
David Griggs was a beloved member of our church and community who passed away suddenly in the early ’90s. He owned Griggs Grocery Store, a former store right in the middle of the neighborhood, and he was very connected to his neighbors, often giving food away or allowing people to pay later.
When he passed, the church decided to name their ministry after him. We seek to embody Mr. Griggs’ spirit of caring for our church and neighborhood to this day.
OUR NEIGHBORHOOD
Our neighborhood, Poe Mill, is a mill village in West Greenville. The mill was built by Francis Poe in 1879. Working at the mill provided you a mill house, access to the mill schools for your children, and use of other community amenities that lent to a decent living.
But since the mill shut down in the ’70s, our neighborhood has seen an economic downturn and a rise in addiction. Though we have our struggles, we love one another, have a tight-knit community, and come together to celebrate often.
OUR NEW JOURNEY
Church revitalization is the process of renewing energy in an already established church. Our church was originally founded in 1936. Through its long history, there were many ups and some downs. One of our most difficult seasons took place in 2015 when the current pastor and other longtime members of the church passed away.
Since then, we have been doing all we can to revitalize the church. By God’s grace, we have been able to go from an attendance of 10 to 100, baptize many, recruit more leaders, renew our vision, and remodel parts of our building.
OUR MISSION AND VISION
At Griggs Church our mission is to make disciples that transform our neighborhood through the gospel of Jesus. A disciple is someone who seeks to follow, love, serve, and obey Jesus. Making disciples is accomplished as we develop our relationships by sharing gospel truth with one another and applying it to our lives. This inevitably results in us sharing this gospel truth with those who do not yet know Jesus.
At Griggs we talk a lot about our neighborhood mission. What we mean by that is that all our collective evangelism and benevolence efforts are dedicated toward our neighborhood (Poe Mill). One common misunderstanding when it comes to a neighborhood mission is that it’s somehow a negative thing when people who live outside the neighborhood join our church. Not true.
A neighborhood mission is not about who comes in; it’s about where we pour out. At Griggs Church, everyone is encouraged and welcome to join us no matter where they live. But when we pour out together, we pour out into one place: Poe Mill. What we want to see as a result of our ministry is Jesus-centered living, church development, and neighborhood-based missions in all of West Greenville.
OUR CORE VALUES
Our core values answer the question, “Where are we leading people?” Or put another way, “How do we know we’ve made a disciple?” We’ve made a disciple when they value the following core values.
JESUS
We focus on all Jesus did and teach everyone to follow him (and nothing or no one else). We want Jesus to be front and center, high and lifted up, and the king of all our hearts all the time. We aim to look like, talk like, act like, walk like, and be like Jesus.
GOSPEL
We focus on filling our minds and hearts with gospel doctrine. We aim to believe, live by, and teach every aspect of Jesus’ good news—justification, imputed righteousness, redemption, ransom, sanctification, and our coming glorification, just to name a few.
NEIGHBORHOOD
We focus on being equipped and sent to serve those who are poor, vulnerable, sick, sinful, and captive, especially in West Greenville.
SUNDAYS
The Griggs Church family gathers every Sunday to worship Jesus, hear the preaching of the gospel, and grow closer together. We gather so that we might love and serve one another, take part in the sacraments, be equipped for ministry, and be sent out as gospel witnesses.
GRIGGS KIDS
We have a deep desire to see our kids grow in their love for and relationship with Jesus. We also want to equip parents to be the best possible disciple-makers of their children.
We use The Gospel Project for Kids curriculum every Sunday with our Griggs Kids. This curriculum is focused on seeing and understanding the message of Jesus and the gospel presented through the whole of Scripture. We use games, crafts, songs, and creative spaces to learn together in age-appropriate environments.
GRIGGS GROUPS
In addition to our Sunday morning services, the Griggs Church family also gathers at our building on Wednesday nights for groups. We all start out together in the sanctuary for a couple of songs. We then break out into men’s and women’s groups all over the property, studying the Scriptures together and sharing prayer requests.
Groups are a place where we can know and be known by other followers of Jesus. We believe that our Griggs Groups are vital to all that we do here at Griggs. They are equally important to Sunday mornings.
SERVING OUR NEIGHBORHOOD
All our outreach takes place in Poe Mill. There are several ways to get involved in the neighborhood. First and foremost is our Neighborhood Network kids program. Each Sunday from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., we have an awesome, fun-filled, gospel-packed worship service for the kids of Poe Mill called Neighborhood Network. We play games, do crafts, and learn about Jesus.
We also host block parties for the Poe Mill neighborhood. We’ve had over 300 people at these events. The Poe Mill Spring Block Party, Fall Family Fun Night, and our yearly Christmas Parade have become neighborhood traditions.
Griggs is involved with the Poe Mill Neighborhood Association, which seeks to enhance the lives of the neighborhood residents through holding various events. In the last couple of years, that’s included a job fair, a housing fair, and a tree planting.
Finally, we’re always glad to connect our members with our neighborhood nonprofits. We love when our members volunteer with the Poe Mill Achievement Center, Soteria Community Development Corp, Mountain Goat, Salvation Army, Manna Ministries, Miracle Hill, or any organization serving West Greenville.
SERVING AT CHURCH
We see the church itself as a place to be on mission. Serving on Sundays or Wednesdays is a wonderful, practical way to follow Jesus, who says he “came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).
Serving at church means using the spiritual gifts the Holy Spirit has given us to strengthen and build up the body of Christ. When we serve, we move from simply attending church to truly being the church.
At Griggs, we strive to provide opportunities for people of all skill levels, gifts, and experiences to get involved in any of our ministries. We aim to emphasize calling over performance. We hope this creates a space for growth and development.
OUR TEAMS
Welcome team: Handing out coffee and doughnuts on the porch before church.
Audio/Visual: Using the sound board and camera equipment to ensure everyone can hear and see the service on Sunday morning.
Griggs Kids: Ministering to preschool through fifth-grade kids during a worship service through crafts, teaching, and games.
Nursery: Ministering to infants and toddlers during the service by providing them a safe, clean place to play and rest.
Worship team: Leading the congregation in musical worship.
Ushering: Passing the offering plate and the Lord’s Supper to the congregation.
Griggs Groups Leadership: Leading a small group of men or women each week through a biblical discussion and time of prayer.
Hosting for services: Welcoming in prayer, announcements, Scripture reading, and closing in prayer from the stage during a worship service.
Hospitality: Meal trains for members who are sick or just had a baby. Hosting special parties for members passing exciting milestones.
Mentorship: Meeting with men in a local rehab (Miracle Hill) to simply encourage and help them through a new chapter in their life.
We know all these will need further explanation. Once you get an idea of where you’re interested in serving, start a conversation with a church leader in person or by emailing info@griggschurch.com.
