Grace Community Church NI

Amy and Frances share stories from their recent trip to Zambia, highlighting the impactful work of Drop Inn. They begin with Hope Mission in Laka, a project supporting vulnerable girls and boys. The initiative now includes separate homes and plans are underway to build a clinic and expand the school. They also visit a school in Kasama supported by Drop Inn, where hundreds of children greet them warmly — even during the school holidays. The school currently educates over 750 children and is expanding with locally made bricks to accommodate more students and offer full-day classes. A feeding program is also in place, making a significant difference in the children’s health and ability to learn. In Kasama, Richard and Lana — Drop Inn’s local partners — lead several community-focused efforts. Their “bucket ministry” provides essential supplies to families, while their sports ministry engages young women through football. These efforts build strong relationships and uncover other needs, such as mattresses and bedding for vulnerable families and orphans. They also support local entrepreneurship, helping to develop a small shop and explore the potential for a sewing business. Looking ahead, they plan to build a school on donated land in a remote village and create a community hub with amenities like a hammermill and guest house. Amy and Frances emphasize the deep, lasting impact of Drop Inn’s work and invite continued prayer for the partners, the communities they serve, and the nation of Zambia. Episode link: https://grace-community.church/articles/zambia-report-2025

Jasiel and Danielli Dourado, originally from Brazil, now working with Ambassadors Football. Not only do they work with kids, training and teaching them through soccer, they have a ministry in Portadown — Anchor Church — that works to serve communities in the local area. They visited us during our Sunday Morning Gathering to share their stories and what God is doing with them now. Episode link: https://grace-community.church/articles/jasiel-and-daniellis-story

In this discussion, we explore the biblical theme of shepherds, starting with Ezekiel’s prophecy, where he calls out the failings of Israel’s leaders and portrays them as poor shepherds. We look at how shepherds were often viewed negatively throughout the Old Testament — seen as lowly in Egyptian society and later met with scepticism from religious authorities. But despite that reputation, there’s something deeply significant about the fact that shepherds were the first to hear the news of Jesus’ birth. It’s a powerful reminder of how Jesus chooses to identify with those on the margins — the overlooked and the underestimated. At the centre of this message is Jesus calling himself the “good shepherd” in the Gospel of John. This isn’t just about restoring the shepherd’s image — it’s about revealing the true heart of God: a God who cares, who searches, who rescues. It’s a contrast to some of the more distorted or fear-driven images of God we might carry. We wrap up with a personal reflection on why it matters to root ourselves in the belief that God is, at his core, good. Especially when life is uncertain, that trust becomes a steadying force. And following Jesus means living that out — not just in church or formal religious spaces, but in our daily lives. In that way, we echo the spirit of Psalm 23: the Lord is our shepherd, and we follow him wherever he leads. Episode link: https://grace-community.church/lesson/the-lowly-shepherd

This Easter message invites us to move beyond passive reflection into the active, transformative practice of resurrection in our daily lives. Reflecting on John 20, we’re reminded of the familiar yet powerful story of the empty tomb and Mary Magdalene’s encounter with the risen Jesus. But rather than settling for wonder alone, we’re challenged to consider what resurrection means for us now. How should we live in light of it? The answer lies in embodying the love Jesus showed — even from the cross — by redefining what it means to be family, opening our hearts and homes, and carrying one another’s burdens with humility, compassion, and joy. To “practice resurrection” means to live as if the new creation is already underway — because it is. It’s loving enemies, choosing mercy, holding on to hope in broken places, and living out the kingdom of God in the ordinary places we call home. As Jesus promised to meet his disciples in Galilee — the place they knew best — we are invited to meet him in our everyday lives, in familiar streets, with familiar people, living out a radical, resurrection-shaped love. This is where transformation happens: not just through belief, but through the daily, often costly discipline of choosing life, love, and new beginnings. Episode link: https://grace-community.church/lesson/realising-resurrection

Over the past few weeks in our midweek gatherings, we’ve been diving deep into Paul’s letter to the Philippians, especially those powerful verses about humility and the self-giving love of Jesus. It’s challenged us — not just to talk about these things, but to live them out. That’s why Amy Carmichael’s story felt like such a perfect fit for us to explore together. Born in Belfast in 1867, Amy’s life was marked by a quiet but fierce determination to serve others, starting with young women in her hometown and later giving her life to children in India who were being exploited and abandoned. She didn’t just speak about the love of Jesus — she embodied it. Whether it was opening the Donavur Fellowship orphanage or writing 35 books while bedridden, she showed us what it looks like when someone says “yes” to Jesus and never takes their eyes off Him. What grips us about Amy’s story isn’t just what she did — it’s how she did it. She carried herself with radical humility, choosing to sit with the girls she served rather than standing in the spotlight. She loved sacrificially, moving into the heart of poverty and pain, and enduring relentless hardship without giving up. Even after a life-altering injury left her confined to her bed, she poured herself into prayer, writing, and discipling others. Her life transformed not only a village in India, but also the way we think about what’s possible when we live like Jesus — serving, loving, enduring. And the most incredible part? Amy was just an ordinary person from a small place like many of us. Her story reminds us that transformation doesn’t start with the extraordinary — it starts with surrender. If we’re willing to follow Jesus the way she did, there’s no telling what God might do in and through us, even here, even now. Episode link: https://grace-community.church/lesson/the-story-of-amy-carmichael