1988
Every Church has it’s own story and this is the history of Redeeming Grace “Baptist” Church. Our journey began on October 16, 1988! Some months before the first service, God gave Pastor Bryant a vision to reach the lost in the Northeast section of San Antonio. With this vision, God provided a physical location at 6035 FM 78. We could call this home. This 2.4-acre property had a building that included a storefront entry, office space, one restroom and a warehouse/truck repair shop. With the help of the original thirty-three members, we spent the better part of Saturday, October 15, 1988 cleaning the building, which was tremendously dirty because it had been closed for a number of years. Then we started the work God called us to do. For about 4 years, we rented the building that was owned by Ferrell Gas Company.
With the help and support of Warren Larck, the Mayor of Kirby, Kirby Baptist Church, the San Antonio Baptist Association and the Baptist General Convention of Texas, we became an established part of the community and began “Bringing men to Christ and Christ to Men.” We partnered with a number of Pastors and Churches in the area and formed a support group, which became known as the “Kirby Area Ministerial Alliance” (KAMA). Together, we helped families by providing clothing, furniture and food, particularly during Thanksgiving holidays.
After worshiping in the original warehouse for a few years, we applied for and obtained a loan from Schertz Bank and Trust for interim financing and the Baptist Church Loan Division for permanent financing. We hired a contractor and renovated the garage into a worship center and added to the building a fellowship hall, foyer, and additional restrooms. With the future in mind, we purchased ten acres of land on Foster Road, which we would not use for a number of years.
As our membership grew, we found the need to expand and create a second service. This became our 8:00 am service. With the needs of the community in mind, a gymnasium was built to accommodate the youth and help support the Boys and Girls Club. When it became apparent that we needed to expand even further, we made the decision to convert the gym and move our worship services into that space, turning the original sanctuary into a day care facility and office space.
God continued to bless as we reached out to our local community. Souls were saved, mouths were fed, people were loved and the Redeeming Grace Church family grew.
2008
In 2008, God began to speak to Bishop Bryant concerning the planting of new churches. On January 1, 2008, a mission church was launched with Pastor Craig Grubbs as Lead Pastor of the New Hope Covenant Church. The next year on January 4, 2009, Empowering Grace Christian Church started under the leadership of Pastor Milton Smith. February 14, 2010, in Houston, Texas, Grace Temple Christian Church had its first service under the leadership of Pastor Lance Aubert. May 2, 2010, The Rock Fellowship with Pastor Kevin Duhart as Lead Pastor held its first service. July 10, 2011 was the beginning of Liberty Grace Community Church with Pastor Harvey Langford as Lead Pastor. May, 2012, Free Hope Fellowship Church began with Pastor Douglas Landrum as Lead-Pastor, and on April 6, 2014, Pastor Dante Banks launched God Chasers Community Church.
2013
In 2013, Murphy Oil Corporation approached us about the sale of an acre of the land currently unused on the corner of Summerfest and Foster Road. One year later, we closed that sale.
2014
In 2014, we broke ground on our new building. Shortly after, we sold another piece of our property to Dollar Tree.
As we celebrate our 30th anniversary as a church in our brand new building, we look back and remember all God has done for us. We remember where we came from. We remember His blessings and His goodness. But God is not finished with Redeeming Grace Church. We have a mission to “Love God and Love People”. With this mission in mind, we will move forward and continue to do the work needed in our church and community for His glory!