Grace Episcopal Church is celebrating 10th anniversary with concerts, Point of Grace
![Point of Grace [Provided]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/A9ysxWMBajEl.rEMCcRqYg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0xMDY0/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the-oklahoman/5bbd97074e19e080a1839a6740485fc3)
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A west Oklahoma City metro church is celebrating a milestone anniversary with a series of concerts featuring contemporary Christian recording artists.
Grace Church recently marked its 10th anniversary with a Jan. 21 worship service, but the celebration doesn't stop there. The Episcopal house of worship will celebrate through April with three concerts open to the public. Contemporary Christian recording artists who will perform in concert at the church include Nichole Nordeman on Feb. 3 and Sandra McCracken on March 9. Point of Grace, a group with Oklahoma ties, will round out the series with concert set for April 20.
Point of Grace's popularity is particularly heartfelt in Oklahoma because the group's original quartet included Denise Masters, Terry Lang and Heather Floyd, all from Norman, who joined with Shelley Phillips, who grew up in Arkansas. Over the years, Lang and Floyd left the group to spend more time with family. The award-winning group, now a trio, includes Denise Masters Jones, Shelley Phillips Breen and Leigh Cappillino.
Bair said the concerts will be great opportunities to use the church's space and open it up to the community with some "great artists who have been meaningful to a lot of people over the last several decades."
"We want to bring people together for some great music," he said.
Grace-filled beginning
The Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma appointed Grace Church's current rector, the Rev. Tim Baer, 38, and his wife Kirsten, 40, to serve as leaders of what was then a new church plant for the west Oklahoma City/Yukon area. The first Grace Church congregation met in the couple's home, while the first Grace Church building at 720 S Yukon Parkway was renovated. It opened in 2014.
Tim Baer said much has changed over the last decade, most notably the construction of a new church building that opened in August 2022 at 600 N Mustang Road. Bair said the building just, north of the Xerox plant off Interstate 40, is 16,000 square feet, double the size of the church's former building.
![The Rev. Dana Orwig, Rev. Helen Waddle, Oklahoma Episcopal Bishop Poulson Reed, Rev. Kirsten Baer and Rev. Tim Baer, pose for a picture at the 2022 dedication of the new Grace Church building at 600 N Mustang Road. [Susanna LeMasters]
(Credit: Susanna LeMasters)](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/ukuZHobNrTw.hxmBPiZ.Bg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU3OQ--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the-oklahoman/4bc61326d519a193e4fa01a92e092172)
Besides the new sacred space, there have been leadership changes. Kirsten Baer is now a full-time chaplain at Casady School, which is affiliated with the Episcopal Church of Oklahoma. Tim Baer said she is still active with Grace Church as a part-time priest associate and the church's leadership team also now includes the Rev. Dana Orwig, as an associate priest.
Perhaps the biggest transformation for Grace has been the growth of the congregation, which led to the need for a larger building. Baer said space capped out at 150 people at the previous building, but the bigger structure easily accomodates the church's average Sunday attendance of between 180 and 200 members.
Baer said the church initially drew mostly young adults in their 20s and 30s but it now includes people from infants to age 80. He said the church is one of the only Episcopal churches in the area to offer a worship service with contemporary music. Over the years, the church has drawn people from throughout Canadian County but also other places like Norman, Edmond and Weatherford.
The church leader said his congregation feels blessed that the church is continuing to grow. He said attending an Episcopal church is new to many of his members, with 75% having grown up in an evangelical or charismatic church and 75% who didn't attend a house of worship with a liturgical tradition.
More: Pastors are growing Grace Growing Grace
The church's inclusivity and its ability to deal with the "gray of life" makes it unique and appealing to many people, Baer said.
"It's also our ability to reach a lot of people who have been hurt by church and people who have hopped out of church but felt the tug to return to something different — that's us."
Grace Church concert series
The concert series at Grace Church, 600 N Mustang Rd., will include concerts performances by: Nichole Nordeman, 7 p.m. Feb. 3; Sandra McCracken, 7 p.m. March 9; and Point of Grace, 7 p.m. April 20. Standard tickets and VIP tickets are available, starting at $40. VIP tickets include a catered dinner with the artists. For tickets, go to https://graceyukon.org/concerts. For more information about Grace Church, go to https://graceyukon.org/.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Point of Grace will perform at Grace Church as part of concert series
