Grace United Church of Christ in Massillon is known for a 9:00 AM Sunday worship gathering and a Reformed heritage that reaches to 1894. Its mission joins worship, education and service, with Scripture, prayer and study guiding the church's response to the future.
Sunday at 9:00 AM on Main Avenue West
Pastor Karen McEwen is the church's pastor. Grace's regular worship service begins at 9:00 AM every Sunday at 933 Main Avenue West in Massillon. The church is accessible to people with mobility needs. The service is livestreamed on Facebook, and previously aired services can be viewed there as well. The church's phone number is 330.833.3875 and its email is secretary@graceuccmassillon.org. The church office is open Tuesday through Thursday from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
Three Services on February 22, 1894
In 1893, the Reformed Church Board of Missions commissioned Rev. W. H. Shults to form a church in Massillon. The work became The First Reformed Congregation of Massillon, organized on February 22, 1894, with forty charter members. Seven Reformed ministers took part in the day, which included three services at 10:00 AM, 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM. The congregation met in the United Brethren Church building at the point where West Main Street meets what is now Lincoln Way West. Grace purchased the building that year as the Brethren congregation moved to a new church building.
The congregation's 1894 home had good lines and a steeple tower that reached high into the sky. Grace used it as its home until 1931, growing together there. During the Great Depression, the bold congregation built a new church in 1931. Faith, courage, giving and fundraisers supported the project. The church mortgage was paid and ceremonially burned on February 20, 1944. Grace remembers this as an example of the faith and courage that enabled its founders. Through changing generations, the goal remained worship and teaching others about the Savior, Lord Jesus.
A New Church During the Great Depression
The 1931 building project gave Grace a new home during one of the most difficult periods in American history. The congregation's determination was reflected in the mortgage fundraisers, generous giving and continued work that allowed the debt to be paid thirteen years later. The ceremonial burning of the mortgage on February 20, 1944, marked the completion of that long-held goal. Through later challenges, Grace has continued to meet them with the same faithfulness associated with its beginnings, while keeping its purpose centered on worship and teaching.
Reformed Roots and a Forward-Looking Mission
Grace's mission is to proclaim and spread the good news of Christ to the community and the world and to serve as examples of the life to which Christians are called. Its roots are grounded in Reformed theology, while its present calling rests on the sound teaching of the Holy Scriptures. Worship, music, education and service to the community are all part of the tradition Grace honors.
At the same time, Grace looks toward the future through prayer and study, seeking God's leading and greeting what comes with the certainty of Christ's presence and power. The church says that God is still speaking, and that it is responding in joy and faithfulness. Its mission therefore joins proclamation and service with worship, learning and a continuing commitment to present and future generations.
Worship, Education and Service
Education and service are not separate from worship in Grace's mission. The congregation's original goal was to gather people so that the present generation and those to come could worship and teach others about the Lord Jesus. This work has remained a common effort sustained across generations. Online giving supports the church's continuing work of spreading the good news of Christ to the community and world.
Those strands remain together in Grace's life in Massillon: Reformed teaching, Scripture, prayer and study, worship and music, education, service, and care for present and future generations. At 933 Main Avenue West, Pastor Karen McEwen serves the congregation, whose Sunday worship begins at 9:00 AM and is also shared through Facebook.