GraceBaptistChurchBlueBellBook

On May 16, 1870, a group of young men from the Young Men's Christian Association of the Tenth Baptist Church of Philadelphia decided to establish a mission in a rapidly developing section in the northern part of the city.  They secured a hall at Twelfth Street and Montgomery Avenue and began meetings to determine how to attract more souls to Christ.  The outpost was known as The Kennard Mission.   Among the young men were Alexander Reed and Henry C. Singly who went on to become deacons at Grace Baptist Church.  Frederick B. Greul, D.D., became a pastor at the Berean Baptist Church.  Another, John A. Stoddart, was the first superintendent of the Sabbath, or Sunday school at Grace Baptist. The mission was formally organized on February 12, 1872 with 47 members.   The Kennard Mission flourished and on August 25, 1872, they moved out of the hired hall and built a tent with a seating capacity of 500 at the corner of Berks and Mervine Streets.  In Robert J. Burdette's The Modern Temp

On October 18,  2020 Grace Baptist Church celebrated its music ministry.  This year was difficult to imagine as most years during our Music Sunday each of our music ministry programs is part of the Sunday program.  However due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are not meeting as usual (mostly on Zoom, but a handful of limited, safely-spaced indoor and outdoor services).  Instead, members of each of the programs spoke, and a short video from the past was shown.  Although much different from our typical Music Sunday, many found this particular Music Sunday especially touching and a great praise to God for helping us use the gifts he's given us. Children's Ministry Gene Stremme "Music is an important part of worship at Grace Baptist.  And, kids are an important part so music and kids just kind of go together.  We accomplish this through singing, ringing tone chimes, dancing.  Yes, we have dance--the Dobrovolec girls are really good!  We also clap, we jump up and down, shake things