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OUR STORY

We started in 1958 as Bethel Assembly of God, a small group of five families led by Founding Pastor, Charles Savage. The people were full of vision and a dream to reach the community for Christ. Bethel School was a vital part of how that God-given dream was accomplished. The school reached young kids and their families through strong, Biblical-centered education.

After pastoring the church for 34 years, Pastor Savage accepted an offer from the North Texas District Council of the Assemblies of God to serve as District Secretary-Treasurer. Shortly thereafter, he was named Pastor Emeritus.

During the decade of the 90's, our church was led by three different pastors: Leonard Ward, David Barrett, and Dr. Bruce Page. During Dr. Page's tenure, Bethel sold its existing property on Park Row Drive and purchased 19 acres of land on South Collins Street.

After a few difficult years, Pastor Mike Benson accepted the call to become Bethel's fifth pastor in April of 2003. With our church facing financial hardship, Pastor Benson made the difficult decision to close Bethel School. While the church was getting back on its feet, our services were held in an elementary school.

Thanks to our pastor's steady leadership, our church recovered and the dream of a new facility became a reality in 2005. Looking forward to a bright future, we became New Bethel Assembly of God, "the place for new beginnings." In 2008, we celebrated our 50th anniversary of extending the hope of Jesus Christ to our city and the nearly 1,000 people who began a relationship with Christ.
In 2010, Pastor Benson was attending a conference where the Lord spoke to him these words, "The Grace Place - caring people caring for people." Unsure of what these words meant, he wrote them down in the cover of his Bible. One year later, it became clear that these words were the new name and mission of our church. Our pastor saw a church where the hurting, lost and broken could come and find a relationship with Jesus Christ.

To facilitate the new mission and a growing congregation, we began the project of building our current facility. The Grace Place officially opened its doors in October of 2013.

Today, our culture is rapidly changing and the area has become more generationally and ethnically diverse. The Grace Place has never been more thriving and healthy. We honor the past and embrace the future. It is our prayer to become more like our name everyday. We desire to extend grace to this generation and generations that follow in order that they may experience the greatest hope life has to offer: Jesus Christ.

God has blessed The Grace Place with a great pastor and staff. They, along with many faithful people, continue to write its history. We welcome you to join us as we strive to be "caring people caring for people."

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

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