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Community Christian Music Concerts & LeRoy's Summer Fest

One of the feature ministries of Grace Christian Church to the LeRoy community is presenting a series of Christian music concerts each year, mostly gospel quartets (tenor, tenor, baritone, bass).   This concert with the Glory Road Gospel Quartet, fits right in with LeRoy's annual Summer Fest Celebration during the Saturday evening portion.  You can print your own flyer...

The next day, Sunday morning, is the community church service in the park with most congregations joining together to worship. Our pastor, Brian Thiel, will be the speaker this year.

Like all our concerts, there is no admission charge. We do receive a free-will "love" offering. Refreshments are served following each event to provide a wonderful opportunity for everyone to get to know the performers better and to enjoy chatting with neighbors and friends. Every one who wants an uplifting time of enjoyable music and Christian fellowship is cordially invited. 

Previous 2009 Concerts

In May the Gateway Singers (the Hunts & McSpaddens) gave a fine (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) rendering favorite hymns and songs that Christians have sung for generations.  They encouraged everyone to sing along, too.  This team has been performing concerts for 40 years all over the US and beyond.  These folks live in the Ottumwa Iowa area.

The first event of 2009 was in March with Bill Miller, a marvelous pianist.  He mixed and matched from memory over 50 well-known hymns interspersed with comments on some of the history of Christian music. He also marvelously performed several very technical arrangements.  Bill resides in Norfolk NE. Although he is now retired from over 40 years as professor of Bible and Music at Nebraska Christian College he continues to travel for concerts all over the country.

One more concert for 2009 is planned for October.  

About Our Church - The Newest & Oldest Church in Town

For about 100 years the building was a landmark as the home of First Baptist Church. All the other church buildings in town were built in the mid-20th century but this is the sole survivor of the 19th century. When the congregation dwindled the Baptist conference wanted to pass the building along to another congregation of Christians in order for its original purpose as a house of worship to continue.

In 2006 the new congregation, known as Grace Christian Church, began holding services in the historic edifice purchased from the Baptists.  Graciously, nearly all of its furnishings and equipment were left for us new folks. This has greatly assisted Grace Christian get started and a hearty thanks goes to the fine Baptist Christians whose century of stewardship continues to serve the community.

In January 2009 the church called Brian Thiel to be the pastor, succeeding Dick Burlingame. Dick continues as an active member of the church.  Both of these men graduated from MN Bible College (now called Crossroads College in Rochester) as young men and then had careers in business. Brian and his wife, Sharon, reside in Austin where they have been very active with Austin Church of Christ and in a variety of  community activities.  The Thiel's will be moving to LeRoy in the summer.  When you see him around town, just say, "Hi Brian."  He doesn't go much for titles.

The Leroy Independent and Austin Daily Herald have both run feature stories about the church's beginnings, providing lots of details about how it came about, the people who were involved, and what kind of church this is.

Please look at the two articles below that describe more fully what sort of church this is. As you can clearly see from reading these essays, we have one central purpose... to follow all clear teachings of the Bible because there is no better way to understand God or to come into a fellowship with Jesus Christ! Creeds, catechisms and commentaries are all helpful, but none compares with the Bible itself.  Putting the priority on what the Bible teaches is, of course, at the very core of what most Christians have always done, regardless of whatever church affiliations they now have or previously had.  There is a lot of freedom in that and a lot of personal responsibility, too.

Everyone who wants to have fellowship with others who believe in God and Jesus Christ as revealed in the Bible is welcome at Grace Christian. Stay a bit longer and join in the Coffee Fellowship that follows every Sunday service. And there is a potluck dinner following morning services every 3rd Sunday in the months of January, March, May, July, September and November.

What Do We Stand For?

James A. Garfield, the first (only?) US president who was a regular "lay preacher" was from this type of church. He answers a common question in his day... one that is still being asked.

What Kind of Church Is This?

Our goal is to be a  community of believers who have a heart of service because that is what Jesus Christ intended his followers to be.  This essay says it elegantly.