News & Articles

Greetings!

We, the Pastor Search Team, would like to sincerely thank you for your prayers and patience over these last months. We are pleased to announce that, by God's grace, we have chosen a candidate! The candidate's name is Patrick Lafferty and he has been unanimously decided upon by our team and has the endorsement of the Session.

We have really enjoyed getting to know Patrick and his family over the last few months. The team process included: written questions, three online Zoom interviews, a visit by Patrick and his family to Asheville (5 days), and four members of the search team traveling to visit the candidate in his home environment and church. All of these interactions have affirmed our belief that Patrick and his wife would be wonderful leaders for our beloved church. We have grown to love him and his family and we know that you will, too!

We are pleased to announce that Patrick will be visiting with us here at Grace on the weekend of June 18th. There will be three opportunities for the body to interact with him and we will also hear him preach on Sunday. Wednesday, June 21st at 7:00pm, the search team will have an open forum where members can come and ask questions of the search team following Patrick's visit. The following Sunday, June 25th, members of Grace will vote (must be present) on whether or not to accept the candidate that the search team has recommended as Lead Pastor of Grace Community Church.

Patrick, Christy and their three children are as lovable as they come! They are open and warm with hearts for the broken and lost. We have seen great compassion and humility in them which adds to their evident knowledge and abilities. We see a family that is enraptured by the work that Christ has done and is spurred to action by the love they have received in Him. We are thrilled to announce them to you as our recommendation.

Sincerely,
The Pastor Search Team

Patrick Lafferty Family Bio

 

Important Dates:

• Friday, June 16th, 7pm-9pm: Pavilion, Bring a dessert and enjoy live music.
• Saturday, June 17th, drop-in, 3pm-6pm, Gallery, Meet & Greet, Q&A with Patrick
• Sunday, June 18th, Pastor Lafferty preaching during both services
• Sunday, June 18th, 12pm-1 pm, Gallery, reception
• Wednesday, June 21st, 7pm-8:30pm, Grace, Q&A with Pastor Search Team at Grace
• Sunday, June 25th, Congregational Meeting for members to vote to accept and call Patrick Lafferty as the Lead Pastor for Grace (must be a member and present to vote)

A Sampling of Patrick's Sermons:

• From a series on The Sermon on the Mount - 2016Matthew 6:9-15 - Reimagining Our Desperation
• Matthew 5:3 - Reimagining Goodness
• From a series on The Apostle’s Creed - 2017John 3,14,15,16 - Elemental: I Believe...in the Holy Spirit
• Acts 1:6-11, Peter 4:1-11, Revelation 19:1-19 - Elemental: I Believe...in Jesus Christ
• While on staff at PCPC and part of regular preaching rotation - March 2012
• Matthew 6:9-24 - Internal Audit
• From a series through Ecclesiastes - Easter 2017Ecclesiastes 12:8-13 - Disabused: Who Will Have the Last Word?

 

A Sampling of Articles written by Patrick:

• 1.30.14 - Reaching the Nations"
• 7.31.14 - Outward Community
• 3.26.15 - Live Like You're Dying
• 10.15.15 - A Call to Prayer
• 3.28.16 - Cross Culture Conversations
• 8.25.16 - Arts as Apologia
• 9.15.16 - New Eyes (and New Small Groups)
• 1.26.17 - Calvin's Corner (and Seven Disciplines That Shape Church Mission)
• 3.23.17 - Regroup or Redouble
• 4.06.17 - Sin and Death (includes small window into Christy's photography)
• 5.25.17 - Do Not Go Wordless into that Good Night