What is Grace?

The word ‘grace’ features a lot in the bible. It’s a translation of the Greek word Charis which means ‘kindness, favour and blessing’ and is used to describe the goodness that God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit shows to us even though we don’t deserve it.  Jesus tells us that in the same way, we are to be a blessing to others. 

Grace is central to all we are and do as a church community.

We are SAVED by grace.  Jesus died on the cross to take the punishment that we deserved for our wrongdoings.  The bible says ‘For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God’ (Ephesians 2:8). 

We DISPLAY God’s grace.  We love to share the stories of God’s favour and goodness in our lives with others, and we expect them to experience God’s grace for themselves.  Jesus said ‘Freely you have received; Freely give’. (Matthew 10:8).

We are POWERED by grace.  In the book of 2Corinthians chapter 12, God tells that His grace is sufficient for all our needs and that His power is made perfect in our weakness.  If we want to be a church that serves and blesses its community, we can’t do it in our own strength. We are dependent on the Holy Spirit to inspire, equip and empower us.

Why City?

In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells his followers:

‘You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven’. (Matthew 5:14-16)

We aren’t supposed to be ashamed of the grace we have received and we mustn’t be hoarders of the blessings God gives us. We will show the same generosity of heart and proactive kindness to others and it will be like a light that shines in the darkness. Not so that people think we are anything special, but so that people recognise the love and goodness of God at work in us and give Him the worship and praise He deserves!

Grace City began life after members of Christ Church in Aston who were living in and around the South of Birmingham, started meeting on Sundays in the Kings Heath area. In initially meeting in two groups, we decided to bring everyone together in October 2024 to worship, pray and study the Bible and Grace City was born! We also began to look for ways to communicate the good news about the love and grace of Jesus to our communities and to demonstrate His goodness in practical ways

Grace City is a congregation of Christ Church Birmingham and a member of the Birmingham and Beyond network of churches. We are also part of a world-wide family of churches called Regions Beyond which is affiliated to Newfrontiers.

Grace City Church affirms the historic, orthodox, Christian doctrines set out in the Evangelical Alliance basis of faith and holds the bible to be our final authority and the basis for our beliefs.