If there’s one thing that Jeff Olsen, pastor of Grace Community Church, knows for certain it’s this — the church that he leads is physical proof that God is “able to do exceedingly, abundantly, beyond all that we ask or imagine.”
Indeed, that’s part of a Bible verse that Olsen said summarizes the church’s entire quest to build a permanent home at 7107 Boyette Road in Wesley Chapel.
“This project was beyond us. It took more resources, more help, more finances than we could do on our own. But, we’re doing it because we want to reach beyond ourself to others — a church that’s for others,” Olsen said.
The church moved into its new home in July, but is hosting its grand opening celebration on Sept. 9, with services planned at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., a free barbecue lunch at noon and a pizza night for its teen ministry starting at 6 p.m.
Olsen describes the church as a contemporary church, with some traditional elements.
“We’re a Good News church, not just good advice. The good news is that God loves you,” Olsen said, and that’s the central message of its ministry.
Building the 7,760-square-foot church required an army of volunteers, and, Olsen said, adding that by God’s grace, they showed up.
The property was acquired in 2014, the plans were done in 2015, the site preparations were completed in 2016. The ground-breaking service was on July 1, 2017.
“In most churches, a traditional groundbreaking is some gold shovels, a couple of pictures and everyone walks away. That was not this project,” Olsen said.
“We dug all of the footers on groundbreaking day. We had dozens of volunteers over the Fourth of July weekend. One of the church members had an excavator. Others brought shovels,” he said.
It took about 50 volunteers about six weeks to complete the footers, rebar and concrete forms, the pastor said.
Over the course of the entire project, about 250 volunteers pitched in, doing everything they were allowed and able to do, the pastor said.
He estimated that the volunteers completed about 50 percent of the labor on the project, saving the church between $500,000 and $600,000.
“We didn’t do mechanical, electrical, plumbing or even erection of the steel structure,” Olsen said.
Besides a core group of church volunteers, other helpers came from far and wide.
Crews from Carpenters for Christ, based in Auburn, Alabama, showed up twice to help.
Other groups of volunteers came from Minnesota and Pennsylvania.
A group of pastors helped. Boy Scout Troop 177 helped. And, a volunteer crew chief came down from Connecticut to provide guidance to volunteers from early January through late March, Olsen said.
“So many people did so much,” Olsen said.
“Just when we’d done all we thought we were able to do, somebody else would come, (and) somebody else was able to come – until it was finished.
“It was exciting. It was tiring. It was wonderful to see that God could do something beyond what we asked or imagined. What a joy to be part of something like that,” Olsen said.
The church building features a foyer that can be used for small gatherings, a sanctuary that can accommodate 200, a preschool classroom, the pastor’s office and other rooms.
Olsen’s wife, Heather, oversees the preschool that began operations in August.
“When I think of Grace Community, I think of a community of people who come from diverse backgrounds, but are committed to building a better community by God’s grace.
“We are not here trying to convince anybody that our church is more amazing than anybody else’s in town,” Olsen said.
“We’ve seen an amazing God do something amazing things, and we believe he can do that in their lives.
“There’s a tendency, right now in churches, on sermons that are success-based and that are good advice.
“We are a Good News church. We declare the historical Christian faith, God’s love. The gospel is central. Grace is what we are about.
“You can come here weary or broken and find help or find hope, find people who care,” Olsen said.
As the church moves forward, it intends to look for ways to extend God’s grace to others, through a variety of programs at the church and through outreach ministries.
And, while the church celebrates its grand opening, it also has plenty of space to accommodate future growth.
When that might happen isn’t yet clear, Olsen said.
That’s a matter of “God’s timing,” the pastor said.
Grace Community Church grand opening
When: Sept. 9, with services at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., followed by a free barbecue lunch at noon. The Walk Student Ministries, for teenagers, will kick off its fall season with a pizza party from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Where: 7107 Boyette Road, Wesley Chapel
Info: Visit ExploreGrace.com, or call (813) 994-9363.
Published September 5, 2018
