Grace Church, the “ Mother Church of the 4 States,” is the oldest Episcopal parish in our geographic area. From the first service in our area (celebrated by missionary bishop Jackson Kemper at Sarcoxie in 1832) through to the present day, Grace Church has played a leading role in the formation of faith in our region. Most other Episcopal congregations in the 4 States area were founded by members of our parish or served by our clergy. The second oldest congregation in Carthage , Grace Church is a part of the Episcopal Church, the nation’s first denomination, planted throughout the South by English colonists decades before Pilgrims sailed.

After the Civil War, a small group of local ladies began to gather weekly for prayers in their homes; within a year, they had organized a self-supporting parish with a building near the square lacking windows, doors or heat. From these humble beginnings, the congregation has grown to a worshipping community of over 600, including thriving Spanish and youth ministries. Our “new building,” consecrated in 1890, is a masterpiece of carpenter Gothic and surrounds our worship with beautiful acoustics, gorgeous symbols and a sense of the mystery of God’s love. Ample meeting and educational space, including a wonderful nursery, fully stocked bookstore and parish library, are found on the grounds. Our campus includes a columbarium for burial in the arms of the Church and two playgrounds for our children and neighborhood.

Weekly worship focuses on multiple celebrations of Holy Communion; the weekend services are 5 p.m. on Saturday evening, 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. on Sunday mornings, and 12 noon on Sundays in Spanish (todos domingos a 12 horas). Sunday School for all ages is between morning services.

Other celebrations include Wed night at 6 p.m. followed by Dinner, Bible Study and Youth Groups, Thursday at St. Luke’s Episcopal Nursing Center in Carthage at 2 p.m., and Friday mornings at 10 a.m. Daily prayers are read by a committed group of laity every Monday and Tuesday at 7 a.m. Worship for Holy Days is scheduled as announced. The Church remains permanently unlocked so that private prayers may be offered regardless of the hour.

Opportunities for ministry are many and varied—from volunteer ministry at St. Luke’s Nursing Center and youth ministries to choir; from Meals on Wheels delivery to our parish thrift shop, Nearly New—these and many other possibilities for fellowship and service await your participation. Grace Church is a family—our shared ministry is our opportunity to experience Christ’s redemptive love at work in one another.

The Book of Common Prayer 1979, a lineal descendant of the Prayer Book used by the first colonists, guides our understanding of Scripture, our forms of worship, and our common approach to moral and social issues. Recognizing that Christ’s call is for a personal relationship with him, lived in community, we encourage our members to deepen their faith through the study of Scripture, daily prayer, and active growth in love and service to neighbor and world.

Rooted in worship of the Risen Christ, we draw our understanding of His commandment to love one another from Holy Scripture, reason and tradition—and we encourage our membership to actively seek a deeper personal relationship with Christ through these three sources of our faith. There are no bad, impious or stupid questions, only questions which can be the beginning of a deeper commitment to Christ, the life of the world. Like Episcopalians around the world, members of Grace Church hold various opinions on all sorts of matters, from politics to scriptural interpretation. It is that lively interplay of God’s personal revelation to His Church which challenges us to deeper devotion.

A member parish of the Episcopal Diocese of West Missouri, Grace Church continues to play a lively role in leadership for the 52 parishes of the diocese, and in the life of the larger Church. A map in our Parish House shows our commitments to ministry and mission worldwide, including significant annual contributions of money, volunteer time and prayer to many local ministries, to our two partner parishes in Haiti, and to the Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East , among others.

The Rev. Steven Wilson, Rector since 1999, the Rev. Jose Palma, Canon missioner, and the Revs. Galen Snodgrass and Jeff Bell, deacons, are available by appointment to answer your questions or to offer insight into God’s ongoing work in your life.