our history
In Acts 20:32 Paul writes, "Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified." On September 2, 1990 a fresh expression of grace emerged in a local junior high. Grace Church held it’s first public service in the Thunderbird Café at Totem Junior High. Led by Pastors Mike and Claire McIntosh, this independent work sprang into being with a desire to love God, raise leaders and minister to their community. Over the next two years a nucleus formed as the church grew in number and in commitment to service.
Service has always been at the core of Grace Church. For two years a committed group of men and women set up “church” in the cafeteria, classrooms and hallways of Totem Junior High. We worshiped and fellowshipped together and then packed it all up again. We learned very quickly that church is much more than a building. It is a group of people committed to being a living expression of God’s power, grace and love beyond our walls.
Two years later the Lord moved us over the border from Kent into our present campus in Federal Way, as we blended congregations with Family Worship Center. From the moment we moved into the city, the Lord led us to engage our community. We met with the city council, the superintendent of schools and key business leaders to make ourselves available, and determine how we could help. Our first initiatives included praying weekly for our city, our schools and our poor. We would pray for every pastor, teacher, firefighter, and police officer by name.
After some time, the Lord challenged us to add expressions of practical service to our prayer and Grace Church became the home for AA groups, spanish language churches, Kidreach tutoring programs, a training site for Americorps volunteers, public school leadership teams, Advancing Leadership and many other community programs. In 2002, Grace Church became part of the Foursquare family of churches.
Following their call and their sense of responsibility to release emerging leaders, Pastor Mike and Claire stepped down from their role as senior pastors in June 2005. They turned the leadership of the church over to a core of capable ministers led by their son and daughter-in-law, Jon and Wendy McIntosh.
For a number of years, the pastors of Grace Church were known for their investment in the community. With the team God has brought to lead us through this next season, it has become clear that this responsibility is shifting from the pastors of Grace to the people of Grace. This church operates as a team with every member seen as a minister and every person with a part to play. We are glad that you stopped by our website today. It is our hope that you will begin to catch the vision of Grace Church and that it will capture your heart as it has captured ours.