A Pentecostal Church on Churchville Road
Grace Assembly of God sits on thirty-one acres along East Churchville Road in Bel Air, Maryland. Across Route 22 from a movie theater and a short drive from Harford Community College, the main campus has anchored the congregation since 1999. Grace started in 1992 and met at Bel Air High School for more than six years before moving onto the property it occupies today. Pastor Bobby Hackett grew up in the Midwest, attended Central Bible College for his pastoral degree, and moved to Bel Air in 2012 with his wife Amber, also a Central Bible College graduate. Bobby served as Grace's youth pastor for eleven years and stepped into the lead pastor role in January 2023. Founding Pastor Paul Drost remains on staff as Founding Pastor with a Dmin. credential.
Grace exists to reach and equip families in Harford County. The mission statement reads, "We exist to help people discover a life of purpose with Jesus Christ through discipleship and serving one another." The congregation is affiliated with the Assemblies of God and embraces the national body's Statement of Fundamental Truths as its doctrinal baseline.
Sundays at 10 AM and Wednesdays at 7 PM
The Sunday gathering begins at 10 AM at 2303 E. Churchville Road. The service is livestreamed each week on Facebook, YouTube, and the church's online watch page, with hosts greeting online attendees in the comments. The setting is casual: coffee is welcome in the sanctuary, and visitors are free to wear whatever they like. The staff describes Grace as a spirit-led church where people can experience authentic community and a generous spirit toward local and global missions, with a contemporary, charismatic feel that draws on the Pentecostal tradition.
Wednesday nights reopen the building at 7 PM. Children gather in clubs, middle and high school students fill the youth room, men and women meet for Bible study, and prayer teams gather in the Activity Center. Many of the midweek groups follow a six- to ten-week rhythm with seasonal breaks.
Grace Kids: Birth Through Fifth Grade
Children sit at the center of Grace's ministry. Grace Kids serves newborns through fifth graders every Sunday morning and Wednesday evening in classrooms staffed by screened and trained volunteers. On Sundays, families check in at the counter inside the Activity Center lobby; on Wednesdays, the check-in counter moves to the lower level. Each child receives a numbered sticker and each parent receives a matching sticker that must be presented at pickup. Volunteer teams walk through an application, reference checks, an interview, training, and background screening before they ever set foot in a classroom.
Juli Luckett leads the program as Family Life Director. She and her husband Rob have been married for more than thirty years and have two sons. She has spent more than twenty-five years serving and leading in children's ministry. Families can pre-register their children online so the check-in process is faster on arrival.
The Sunday morning nursery is open during the 10 AM service. Grace Kids Preschool, for ages three to five, gathers in the Early Childhood Room with worship, an interactive Bible lesson, hands-on activities, and active play. Grace Kids BLAST serves kindergarten through fifth grade in the Activity Center with themed Bible learning, prayer time, small groups, and games.
Wednesday nights add specialized clubs. Rainbows, the Assemblies of God preschool club, fills the Early Childhood Room with animal-themed lessons, stories, and crafts. Girls Ministries offers Daisies and Prims for K through second grade in Room 12 and Stars for third through fifth grade in Room 18. Royal Rangers, the church's boys' program, begins in Room 16 on the lower level for both Ranger Kids and Discovery Rangers, with Adventure Rangers for middle and high school boys meeting on Sunday mornings from 9 to 10 AM in Room 11.
Each summer, Grace runs MEGA Camp, an evening sports and arts program with soccer, basketball, cheer, flag football, art, and science tracks running from 5:00 to 8:30 PM. Teens as young as thirteen can serve on staff, and all adult volunteers go through background checks and a Saturday morning training meeting.
Remix Youth and the NXT Conference
Grace's youth ministry, called Remix, welcomes sixth through twelfth graders on Wednesdays at 7 PM. Doors open at 6:45 PM. A typical night mixes games, new friends, live music, a relevant message, and small groups divided by age. On the last Wednesday of every month, the room retools for a free event night with food, games, and giveaways. Parents can join a monthly email list, and students can text "YOUTH" to 410-500-9026 for schedule updates. Social handles include @graceyouthbelair on Instagram and Grace Youth on Facebook.
Each fall, Grace hosts NXTCon, a weekend youth conference designed to draw middle and high schoolers out of their normal routines. The full weekend includes three main sessions, Saturday breakout sessions, a Friday night after-party with laser tag and late-night activities, and Saturday lunch. The full weekend rate is $60 per student, with a $45 Saturday-only option and free admission for any student who brings a new friend. Youth pastors attend free, and adult leaders can register for $5.
Dinner Church Around the Table
For those who find a Sunday morning service unfamiliar, Grace hosts Dinner Church on the first and third Fridays of every month at 6 PM at 701 Henderson Road in Bel Air. Modeled on the early church in Acts 2:42-47, each evening pairs a simple shared meal with a short message on the teachings of Jesus, reflective worship, and time for authentic conversation around the table. Everyone is welcome regardless of background or where they are in their faith journey. Children stay with their families at the table. The team is led by Thaddeus and Brittany Tomlinson, and RSVPs help with food planning; the team is unable to accommodate individual dietary restrictions. Volunteers can sign up to help with setup, food service, table leadership, or contributions to worship.
Sisterhood and Brotherhood
Women of every generation find a home at Sisterhood, where evenings pair worship, a guest speaker, and a pre-party with cider and treats. Recent guest speakers have included Angela Donadio, a Bible teacher and author who brought a message on joy from Philippians. Spanish translation is available, and ladies ages 10 to 100 and older are welcome. Childcare is offered for $5 per child with registration.
The men's ministry, Brotherhood, gathers men who have finished high school for a six-week study of Sam Deuth's Following Jesus, then transitions into ongoing leadership development around emotional health, spiritual disciplines, and mutual accountability. Pastor Bobby Hackett, Kenny Cherry, and Thaddeus Tomlinson lead the group on Sunday evenings from 6 to 8 PM.
Connect Groups Across Harford County
Small groups are the backbone of how Grace does life together. The church organizes its connect groups into four tracks. Study Groups dive into Scripture, including an inductive study of Hebrews that meets Sunday mornings at 9, a moms' apologetics group for women with children ages 0 to 18 studying Mama Bear Apologetics: Guide to Sexuality, and a six-week Marriage study built on Jimmy Evans's The Four Laws of Love, meeting Wednesdays from 7 to 8:30 PM. Midweek Prayer gathers in the Activity Center at 7 PM, with Pastor Paul Drost leading a journey through the Psalms for the fall season.
Community Groups meet around shared interests. Hike Connect is a Saturday series of five-mile hikes at state parks within about forty-five minutes of the church, from Susquehanna State Park to Rocks State Park. Golden Age brings adults 55 and up together monthly after Sunday service, usually at a local restaurant, for a meal and conversation.
Ministry Groups channel service. The Grace Care Network is a team of more than seventy-five people who take meals, send cards, and pray for individuals in the church. Wonderfully Made is a special needs ministry building support for children in preschool and elementary ages, with team members serving one Sunday a month. U30 Young Adults meets on the second and fourth Saturdays at 6:30 PM in the Activity Center. The Music Team rehearses on Thursdays at 7 PM under Creative Arts Pastor Samuel Stauffer, with openings for additional musicians. A seasonal Christmas Choir rehearses in November and December ahead of a December performance. Adventure Rangers, Photography, Host Team, Production and Livestream, and the Fun and Fabulous Food Team round out the rotation.
Outreach Groups take the church beyond its walls. Foster the Family serves local foster and adoptive families through monthly support group childcare and the Blessing Closet, which organizes clothing and supplies for families in transition. Meals for the Homeless provides and serves dinner at Welcome One Shelter on the ninth of every month. Drive-Thru Prayer, active April through October, meets on the main campus lawn on Friday evenings from 5 to 6:30 PM to pray for people passing by. Dinner Church is also part of the outreach track.
Grace en Español on Henderson Road
Grace en Español shares the church's mission, translated into Spanish. The congregation gathers on Sundays at 11 AM at 701 Henderson Road in Bel Air. Wednesday-night rhythms mirror the main campus with Spanish-language prayer at 7 PM, Bible study, and youth and children's clubs. Spanish translation is offered at Sisterhood Nights so women in both congregations can attend together. Pastor Josh Smith leads the Hispanic ministry.
Children in the Spanish ministry have their own programs. Grace en Español Kids meets for ages three through eleven on Sundays at 11 AM on the Henderson Road campus, with Wednesday clubs at the main campus for the same age group. Grace Youth in Spanish welcomes ages 12 to 18 on Wednesdays at 7 PM. Skylar coordinates the children's ministry.
What Grace Believes
Grace Assembly of God teaches that the Bible is God's Word, accurate, authoritative, and applicable to everyday life. The church confesses one eternal God who exists in three Persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - and is both totally loving and completely holy. Jesus Christ is both God and man; He lived a sinless life, died on the cross in the place of sinners, and rose again in victory. Each time the church shares communion it remembers this work. Sin separates people from God; repentance, faith in Jesus, and submission to His will restore the relationship. The Holy Spirit empowers believers for a holy, fruitful, and power-filled life, often expressed through water baptism. The church looks forward to the return of Christ, the judgment of the wicked, and the renewal of all things. The fuller statement aligns with the Assemblies of God's Sixteen Fundamental Truths.
Serving Harford County and Beyond
Outreach runs through Meals for the Homeless at Welcome One Shelter, Foster the Family services, Drive-Thru Prayer, Dinner Church, and the Blessing Closet for foster families. Generous giving flows through Kingdom Builders, a faith-promise fund that invests in missionaries and ministries around the world. The Blessing Closet and Foster the Family support local foster and adoptive families, the food team serves Welcome One Homeless Shelter in Belcamp, and Drive-Thru Prayer connects with neighbors passing by on Churchville Road.
Coming for the First Time
First-time visitors can plan a visit online and have a parking spot reserved, a host at the front door, an introduction to the pastor, a kids' check-in helper, a tour of the building, and a saved seat in the worship center. The dress code is open: wear whatever you want, and coffee is welcome in the sanctuary. The main campus is at 2303 E. Churchville Road, near Harford Community College and across Route 22 from the movie theater. The Spanish-language campus meets at 701 Henderson Road on Sundays at 11 AM, and Dinner Church gathers there on the first and third Fridays at 6 PM. Office hours run Monday through Thursday from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM; the office can be reached at 410-879-5340 or info@graceofbelair.com. Online giving is available through Realm, and services are livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube.