Driven By
Grace: A Short History of
Springs of Grace Lutheran Church
2001
- 2002
On January 23, 2001, Springs of Grace Lutheran Church took its next
major step when twenty-three stalwart believers braved the snow and ice
to attend a worship service which included the opening and signing of
our church charter. The charter remained open until March 18,
2001. When it was closed 78 adults and 35 children had signed it.
In March 2001, Springs of Grace members gathered for fun, food, and
fellowship to celebrate the official organization of the church. At
that time the South Carolina Synod
and Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (ELCA) recognized us as an official church body. Later that
year, Pastor Craig and several members attended the opening ceremony of
the annual South Carolina Synod Assembly where we were received into
the Synod community.
After our organization and formation of our first Congregational
Council
the next step was to call a pastor. Pastor Craig who had been assigned
to us as our mission developer by the Synod and the American Missions
Board of the ELCA was a natural choice and a call was extended after
our first congregational meeting. Having accepted the call, Pastor
Craig, supported by is wife Ginny, led the congregation over the next
two years. During this time we quickly maximized the use of our
temporary worship facilities on Giles Drive and began to look at
building a home of our own. In response, a capital funds campaign was kicked off in 2002.