November 7th 1993: 'Grace'

Mike Rose wrote:

On Sunday 7 November 1993 the first Grace service took place. It started when everyone who had promised to come had arrived - about 35 people in total! Dave Tomlinson was guest speaker, on the subject of 'Grace'. The service contained many elements still used by Grace today - ‘homemade’ music, visuals and liturgy; plenty of ambient and chilled out music to accompany readings and prayers and a sense of freedom and space to explore God in different ways.

It was brilliant. The room was crap, poor lights, terrible sound and total lack of musical genius but I knew something had been born. Church was no longer something that happened to me but something I could take responsibility for. There didn’t need to be a conflict between the rest of the week and Sunday. I was proud of my church for the first time since I had been a child watching my dad preach!!!