I'm New
Have you been watching our Livestream services online and want to know more about us? Or perhaps you are looking for a new home to call your Church family...
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Well, we are glad you have come to learn about what makes Grace... Grace!
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We have a pretty straightforward purpose...
...we want to grow deeper in our love for God, warmer in our love for each other and wider in our love for our world. We’re contemporary, but we value tradition. We’re casual, but not about our faith. We value personal study and application of God’s word to life and presenting the Gospel clearly and creatively. Our goal is to see people personally and passionately follow Christ.
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Check below for our FAQ's about Grace.
FAQ's
Where do I park?
There is visitor parking available on the North side of our Church right next to the building. Accessible Parking is on the South parking lot.
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What time does everything start?
In the Summer months, Curbside Coffee is available from 9:30 am until the start of the service, located at the north parking lot and run by dedicated and welcoming Grace members.
From September to June, we have:
Coffee Fellowship at 9:30 am
Sunday School for Preschool - Grade 6 at 9:45 am
Grade 7 - Adult Classes at 9:45 am
Our worship service starts at 10:45 am. Currently, online and in-person, it can be found on our YouTube page.
What should I expect in the Sunday Service?
Our services have a time of Worship, Prayer and Message. After our time of Worship and Prayer, child care for children ages 1-4 is available. Our Pastor will then share the message from the authority of the Scriptures. After the Message, a song of Worship will end the service, complete with a Benediction by the Pastor. There is also a time of Offering during the service where you have the option to give, and there is a locked mail slot that can be found in the wall of the office if you would like to drop off an offering. Other options for giving can be found here.
The overall service usually lasts 75-90 minutes.
What do I wear?
We are not partial to any specific attire, so come as you are!
What’s Next?
If you would like to know more about joining a Small Group, how to plug in/connect, contact us through our Contact page or directly in our office.
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How do I contact the Church office?
Use our Contact page, or call the office here.
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Our Pastoral Staff
SEAN HARDER
Lead Pastor
Sean, his wife Denise, and daughters Emily and Christina joined us from Kelowna, BC in December 2018. Sean loves good coffee and golf, but his passion is the word of God and helping people become disciples who love and follow Jesus no matter where they're at in the journey.
TIM GOERTZEN
Pastor OF CARE AND CONNECTION
​Tim & his wife Andrea along with their children Emily, Megan and Drew joined Grace in January, 2023. Tim finds his greatest joy in seeing lives transformed by the power of the gospel in the context of authentic relationship. He has a heart for people and loves to care for them through meaningful connection over coffee or through other various means. Tim also has a strong desire for scripture to come alive and to understand its impact on the church today and guide others in practically living it out.
Outside of his church responsibilities, you could find Tim spending time with his family, camping, reading a good book, tackling construction projects, sipping a good cup of coffee or watching sports.
BRAD HARMS
YOUTH & FAMILY DISCIPLESHIP PASTOR
Brad and his wife Kara moved to Winkler to be closer to family in 2021 after serving in a church in Vanderhoof, BC. After attending Grace Church for some time, Brad felt called back into ministry and came on staff in August of 2022. They celebrated the birth of their son Jacob in early 2023.
Brad loves playing rec sports, hanging out with friends, and more importantly, helping the next generation grow a love for Jesus and the church.
WENDY DUNHAM
ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER
Wendy grew up in the area and started coming to Grace as a young adult. She's a mom of 3 adult children. As secretary, she keeps our office together and our staff organized! Because of Wendy, our office is a “warm” place.
Our Lead Team
Derek Hiebert
John Neufeld
Isaac Froese
JEREMY KLASSEN
Walter Friesen
MATT NEUFELD
DAVE HILDEBRAND
CONNOR BERGEN
Lead Team Nominations
The Lead Team uses a mentorship style method to fill leadership positions. Members of the Covenant Community can provide names to the LT throughout the year. You are encouraged to use the Prayer Guide as you prayerfully consider individuals who are gifted in shepherding leadership. Nominations can be submitted using the Nomination Form and emailed or dropped off at the office.
The goal is to train confident leaders/shepherds within our church who understand their gifting/calling, and how they can be obedient in using their leadership gifts. This training and internship process will benefit our church or any other church that God is calling them to, and lines up well with our calling to Make Disciples.
The nominees who have completed the training and internship process, would then be presented to the Covenant Community for affirmation, most likely at our Annual General Meeting.
OUR STATEMENT OF FAITH
The following beliefs are at the heart of all we say and do at Grace Church. We believe in the historic Christian faith, reflected in these statements:
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We believe in the one living and true God, perfect, infinite and eternal, existing in three persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19; John 10:30; John 15:26; II Corinthians 13:14)
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We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ, the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, born of the Virgin Mary, in His perfect humanity, His atoning death, His bodily resurrection from the dead and His personal triumphant return. (Matthew 16:16; Luke 1:31-33; I Peter 3:18; Luke 24:6, 39; Acts 1:11)
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We believe that the Bible was given by divine inspiration and, in the original manuscripts, is the infallible Word of God. As such, it constitutes the only trustworthy guide in all matters pertaining to Christian faith and conduct. II Peter 1:20, 21
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We believe in the immortality of the soul, the resurrection of the dead, and a future state determined by divine judgment. (I Corinthians 15:54-57; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 20:12)
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We believe a Christian is one saved by grace, whose life is transformed into the likeness of Christ by His atoning death and the power of His resurrection, and who will seek to obey the Biblical admonition of non-conformity to the world. (Ephesians 2:8-10; II Corinthians 5:17; I John 1:6, 7; Romans 12:1, 2) Further, we believe that there is “salvation in no one else for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved”. (Acts 4:12)
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We believe in the Holy Spirit who is one with the Father and the Son and who by means of the Word applies to our hearts the things of God. (John 14:16, 17, 26; John 15:26; John 16 7-14)
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We believe in the scriptural teaching of peace, love and non-resistance as it applies not only to carnal warfare, but to every area of the Christian’s social life. (Romans 12:18, 14:19; Matthew 5:9; James 3:16-18)
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We believe in the church as the body of Jesus Christ, a community of believers, gifted by the Holy Spirit, responsible to God and to each other. (Ephesians 4: 11-16)
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We believe in the practice of Scriptural Church discipline. (Matthew 18:15-18; Galatians 6:1)
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We believe that God created human beings male and female (Genesis 1:27; Matthew 19:4; Mark 10:6). We understand and adhere to the Biblical teaching that marriage and sexual union is reserved for one man and one woman united by marriage (Hebrews 13:4; Genesis 2:24; 1 Corinthians 6:9; Romans 1:26-27).
Our Story
Rewinding a couple thousand years… our story begins with Jesus. He is the central figure in our story. Our desire is to be like him in character, his message of truth and his sacrificial love. He is real, he is alive and he leads our story.
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Hundreds of years passed and a revival came about when we realized we had lost sight of some of these important elements of life. Historians call it the time of the “Reformation.” For us it was also a time of spiritual renewal, a refocusing on Jesus and one of our historical roots. Despite intense persecution, a group of visionary believers known as the “Anabaptists” took a step to recapture a Jesus-centered life marked by commitment to scripture, mission and community. They were known also for their commitment to peace, baptism upon confession of faith, and their desire to change the world by sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.
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Again, a giant fast forward… In 1961 Grace Mennonite Church was born. With the same commitment to Jesus, mission and heritage, a group of 32 visionary leaders decided to pursue another season of renewal. Up until that time, German had been the prevalent language of worship in our community. However, we sensed that our calling to disciple making should include more than this, and that those of other languages and cultural backgrounds should be invited into this vibrant community. And so, the charter members of Grace stepped out in faith and began meeting in the what was at that time the Winkler Bible School.
Passion and growth marked those early years. In 1962, our first church building was constructed in just 10 weeks (960 Pembina Ave). It became home to many vibrant activities and missional vision. It wasn’t long before the church outgrew that building and relocated just down the road to its current home (dedicated in 1984).
As in many church stories, even though we were growing and thriving in our ministry, the need for renewal, revival and refocusing on Jesus is an ongoing process. Together we’ve experienced tough times. We recognize that these are times when our eyes slid from the central figure of our story to focus on our own desires. Not too long ago we weathered one of these seasons. As a church we felt stuck. However, God has been gracious to us and He nudged us into another season of refocusing on Jesus and personal and community renewal. Day by day we continue to strive toward what it means to truly love God, love others and make disciples.
Perhaps you’ll join us in our journey!
