After nearly 10 years of patience, lots of hard work, and more than likely, tons of prayers, the congregation of Grace and Glory Lutheran Church will soon have a place to call their home. At a formal ceremony on Aug. 7 at the church’s 10-acre property across the street from the Fluvanna County Public Library in Palmyra, Rev. Ken Albright, distinguished guests, and the parishioners consecrated the church’s grounds, a culmination of a short, very current, and very fruitful heritage.

The groundbreaking is a new chapter for a church that began as a small idea and has blossomed into a positive and active member of the Fluvanna community. With the recent county approval of the plans for the building, the church can now move on to that next step. This groundbreaking is only the beginning, according to Rev. Albright.

Grace and Glory Lutheran Church began in 2000 as a small grassroots group of people trying to plant a church at Lake Monticello. Once the church garnered 100 adult members, it was recognized by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Thus, Grace and Glory was born. Starting out in the aerobics room at Armstrong Fitness Center, the church immediately began to move out into the community, welcoming all that wanted to be a part of the movement. The church also went about with a powerful mission of benevolence. Currently, the church gives about 18 percent of its offering to helping others. Members also collect food for the food bank, visit the elderly at local nursing facilities, prepare meals for the sick and shut-ins, and minister to prisoners at the Fluvanna Women’s Correctional Center. Their work in the community has given the church their recognition as a Mission Congregation by the Virginia Lutheran Synod. To this day, Grace and Glory see itself as a community church that welcomes all visitors and helps anyone in need.

With ground broken, Grace and Glory will now have a base of operations that works with the needs of the congregation for their God-centered work in the community and service to others. Walter Lindenman, who is the church’s Chairman of Building and Steering Committee, said before the ceremony that all final paperwork had been turned into Fluvanna County and building the 7,243-square-foot facility will commence in just a few weeks. He sees a targeted completion of the church around June of 2012.

The actual groundbreaking ceremony, led by Albright was a beautiful ritual, involving four readers taking positions at the four corners of the plot, reading a passage from the Bible, then driving a stake into the ground, claiming the land for God’s purpose and making the space sacred. Then with the ringing of a hand bell choir, all were invited to enter the square and consecrate the ground with a hymn. As the song completed, the weather began to become more and more the center of attention due to a swiftly moving thunderstorm rolling in from the northwest.

Albright made a sage decision to re-locate the ceremony indoors to the county library.  As the winds picked up and lightning scorched the skies, a box of dirt was gathered up, and the group headed over to the library. Properly sheltered from the rapidly deteriorating weather, the ceremony continued. Bishop Jim Mauney of the ELCA Virginia Synod, Rev. Chip Gunsten, Mission Director of the Virginia Synod, Pastor Developer, Rev. Bill Stewart, and Frits Geurtsen, the Congregational President, each gave a short message blessing the church as they move forward to the next step. Using small shovels, the earth that was brought over in a box was turned over to signify that ground had been broken. The Youth Group performed a song, much to the delight of those gathered in the social hall. Final prayers and intercessions were offered, and a congregational hymn ended the ceremony. The attendees, who numbered over 150, were invited to partake of an impressive picnic dinner.

After the Groundbreaking, Albright spoke informally about the future of the church and how the new building was a bold new direction in the short history of Grace and Glory Lutheran Church. 

“This is a huge step for us. We are looking forward to progressing, to getting the building off the ground. We’re looking to develop our ministries further.” 

The new building will hold 180 people and the opportunity to expand is always there as the congregation and ministries to those outside of the church grow. 

“We want to really work with all of these organizations in the community… and churches in the area,” especially when it comes to community outreach, said the pastor, who works with several clergy groups to do this kind of work, he said.  Reaching out to the community is what the Fluvanna-based church considers a prime part of its mission and vision.

For more information on visiting, becoming a member, or the many ministries of Grace and Glory Lutheran Church, visit its website at http://www.graceandglory.org or call (434) 589-2217.