Sunday, 5 August 2007, we will open the doors to our second church in London.

The thing which has thrilled me the most about the new work is that it so clearly resembles the old work. Grace East is Old Skool – here is what the core leadership of Dean and Rowena, Adrian and Brinda, and Andy and Veronica are committed to building together with us – their heart is, first and foremost, to create a place of restoration.They want to be community, not do church. Accordingly, when we discussed the core values of the church, they spoke of a desire for honesty, openness, friendship and accountability in an environment where people would grow in grace and be conscious of the presence of God.

The core group wants to create a safe place where people can come and belong; a place of both compassion and challenge. As one of the group puts it, “Our vision is that Grace East is a place where people can grow happily and for those people to become mature in Christ. Grace East is to be more than just a teaching centre. Although teaching and a rhythm of worship which evokes the presence of God will be key components, the real key is that Grace East becomes known as a place where people experience the new life of Christ and experience it in abundance. After all, we’ve been freed for life. Well now we’ve finished our orientation programme The Pathway its time for the real thing.