Greystone Baptist Church sits at the corner of Lead Mine and Sawmill Roads in North Raleigh, on a campus that includes a sanctuary, a youth building, a fellowship hall, classrooms, and the half-day weekday preschool that has been a fixture of the church's ministry for years. What the address does not reveal, and what every visitor eventually encounters, is how deliberately this congregation has committed itself to welcome. The church's motto is You are valued. You are loved. You belong. It is not a marketing line. It is a description of how the people here understand themselves and their calling.
A Mission Built on the Cornerstone
Greystone's mission statement reaches back to 1 Peter 2:5-6: With Christ as the Cornerstone, we will build a church of living stones, where every member is a minister and is equipped to express God's love by word and deed to all people. Every member is a minister is not an aspiration here; it is the operating assumption. Members teach, lead worship, serve on mission teams, cook for the fellowship hall, drive refugees to medical appointments, plant and harvest a community garden, paint buildings for nonprofit partners, and pitch in when a hurricane cuts a path through North Carolina. The building itself, in the church's language, is alive because of the people in it.
The congregation began in 1983 as a mission of faith, started by seventeen members of First Baptist Church in Raleigh who saw a need for a new Baptist witness in North Raleigh. The new church met in temporary facilities until 1986, when the present Lead Mine Road location became home. From the start it identified as free and faithful Baptists, prayerfully discerning its life as a congregation. That description has shaped forty-plus years of independence, curiosity, and a willingness to ask hard questions in public.
What Welcome Actually Means Here
Greystone has written down, in unusually plain language, what welcome means at the church. The Words of Welcome statement says that everyone is welcomed, affirmed, valued, and loved, and that all are encouraged to participate fully, sharing all aspects of life and faith, embracing each other as image-bearing children of God. It names what that includes in practice: all ages, races, sexual orientations, gender identities, ethnicities, socioeconomic conditions, levels of ability, household compositions, political affiliations, theological backgrounds, and beliefs. Everyone belongs.
The congregation goes further than a generic statement. Full participation at Greystone means everyone is invited to worship together regularly and share in the Lord's Supper. Anyone may teach a Bible study class, go on a mission trip, lead worship, serve on an advocacy initiative, and give financially. Anyone who joins as a member may experience baptism, serve on a Council or Group, be married in the sanctuary, and vote at a church conference. The church also acknowledges, candidly, that the language of welcoming and affirming is often associated with churches that have taken intentional steps to love LGBTQ+ people, and it owns that history: a year of education on the intersections of sexuality, gender, and faith reshaped the congregation and produced the welcome language it now uses.
Beyond affirmation, Greystone names three commitments. It welcomes questions, recognizing that growth and transformation require honest uncertainty. It embraces difference, believing that the image of God shows up in each unique person. And it works toward transformation, acknowledging that no community is perfect and that everyone has work to do, individually and together.
Sunday Mornings at Lead Mine Road
Worship happens at 10:00 am in the sanctuary every Sunday, in person and via livestream. The rhythm of the morning begins earlier than that. At 9:30 am a Coffee Fellowship Time opens in the hallway outside the sanctuary, and at 9:45 am gathering music begins as people drift in. By 10:00 am the congregation is settled and ready for the service.
The worship staff describes what happens as an all in approach. Worship is invitational, regularly inviting everyone to participate. It is inclusive, welcoming people of any ability level. It is integral to a living faith, inspirational in the sense that the movement of the Holy Spirit is meant to be tangible, and innovative as the team keeps looking for new, impactful ways to experience God. The church celebrates the acts of God as Creator, incarnate Christ, and Holy Spirit, and the service mixes words, songs, prayers, scripture, the creative arts, and proclamation. There is room for awe and quiet reflection, and a deliberate sending out: to be the hands and feet of God's love in our world as a community of faith.
For first-time visitors, the church is practical: dress comfortably. On any given Sunday there are jeans, suits, dresses, and everything between. Come prepared for a meaningful time of worship and fellowship, and bring whatever is on your mind - fears, doubts, joys, sorrows. There is also an openness to finding new friends and being challenged in your understanding of the Christian life.
Immediately after worship, at 11:00 am, the Bible Study hour begins. Children gather for Journeys Bible Study, youth meet in the Youth Building for Sunday Spaces (an hour built around their individual and communal interests, gifts, and talents), and adults settle into one of several classes. The current offerings include Salt and Light (working through Max Lucado's Life Lessons from 1 Corinthians), The Edge in a hybrid format (Andy Stanley's Not In It To Win It), Grace Fellowship (Smyth & Helwys Faith Formations), Faith in Connections (discussing The Bible for Normal People podcast), Women's Fellowship (Smyth & Helwys Connections), and LIFT - Learning in Faith Together (Joel Edward Goza's America's Unholy Ghosts video series).
Parking is intentionally easy. The primary lot is off Sawmill Road and is closest to the sanctuary. A secondary lot off Lead Mine Road serves the fellowship hall and classrooms. On Sundays, additional short-term parking is available in the Greystone Shopping Center in front of shops that are closed on Sundays. The only rule is to avoid spaces belonging to businesses that are open.
The Creating Beloved Community Series
The most distinctive piece of formation work at Greystone right now is the Creating Beloved Community series, the congregation's faith formation theme for the year. It invites the church into the work of building authentic relationships with neighbors, anchored in the conviction that every person is created in the image of God and is worthy of dignity, love, and belonging.
Each month focuses on a specific community: immigrants, the LGBTQ+ community, people with disabilities, people of different races and cultures, and those living with food insecurity or economic disparity. The series uses guest presenters, discussion, spiritual practices, and direct community engagement. Faith Forums meet on the second Wednesday night of the month in the Fellowship Hall, often with a guest speaker or staff member. Paired with the forums, small groups gather during the fourth week of the month in host homes to reflect on what the forum raised. The goal is not abstract education; the church wants the series to change how people live and relate.
One recent forum, What is Beloved Community?, set the theological frame. Another, Creating Beloved Community with the LGBTQIA+ Community, was led by Rev. Dr. Nancy Petty and facilitated by Rev. April Alston. The series also recommends books (works by Walter Brueggemann, Gregory Boyle, Priya Parker, Osheta Moore, Kathy Baldock, David Gushee, and others), podcasts, children's books, music playlists, and video resources such as The Bible for Normal People, the documentary ACROSS about migration, and an Immigration 101 webinar by We Choose Welcome.
Music and the Arts
Music is the second-largest reason Greystone is recognized in the broader Cooperative Baptist world. Christian McIvor, Minister of Worship, Music, and the Arts, is a trumpeter, singer-songwriter, worship leader, and educator who also chairs the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of NC's Music Ministry Advisory Team and serves on several environmental stewardship and creation care boards. He is a CarolBrass Trumpet Artist and the Adjunct Professor of Trumpet at Campbell University. His most recent album, Living Stones, is available on Spotify and Apple Music.
The music ministry has many entry points. The Adult Choir leads worship every Sunday morning, rehearsing Wednesday nights from 6:00 to 7:30 pm in the Choir Room. They sing choral anthems and lead the congregation, with seasonal Christmas and Easter musical presentations and the occasional extra concert. The Youth Choir sings for select Sunday services and special events. The Grace Tones is a women's ensemble of ten to twelve voices singing SSA and SSAA arrangements that range from traditional choral music to spirituals, gospel, and contemporary Christian groups. They also sing for retirement homes, other churches, and holiday events. The K-5 Children's Choir practices during the Bible Study hour, 11:00 am to 12:00 pm most Sundays, and sings at special services. The Handbell Choir plays level 2-4 repertoire, with rehearsals Sunday evenings from 5:00 to 6:00 pm.
Instrumentalists have room to contribute too. Keyboardists rotate. Band and orchestral musicians play solos, duets, and accompany the choir and congregation. Christian welcomes contact from anyone willing to share instrumental gifts.
Children, Youth, and the Weekday Preschool
Children's ministry at Greystone is intergenerational by design. Children worship with their families in the sanctuary, attend Sunday morning Bible study, and participate in Children's Choir. They join camps, retreats, ECO Camp, field trips, and special events; build relationships with adult leaders; eat meals with the church family; and take part in intergenerational church-wide activities. Journeys Bible Study meets Sunday mornings at 11:00 am. Children lead worship for Children's Sabbath Sunday. Special messages for children are built into worship, along with unique interactive prayer experiences. PASSPORTkids! camp and weekend retreats give older children their own immersive settings, and topical classes are offered for parents to support them as the primary guides in their children's faith development.
Children also put their faith into action. They support CBF field personnel through special collections, contribute to food relief through the Kid's Mission Garden, work in the community garden itself, and remember older members and people on the prayer list by making cards and crafts. The Kid's Mission Garden, established in 2015, has grown produce for North Raleigh Ministries in the spring, summer, and fall and is maintained primarily by the children themselves, who plant, tend, and harvest.
Youth ministry, led by Anna Beth Cross, gathers students in grades 6-12 around Sunday Spaces (11:00 am to 12:00 pm in the Youth Building), Sunday Night Discipleship (6:00 to 7:30 pm in the Youth Building during the school year), and a calendar of retreats, camp experiences, community events, Christmas parties, movie nights, and mission trips. Summer mission trips and special projects with community partners are built into the rhythm of the year, alongside leadership and service opportunities within the church itself.
Young adults, from mid-20s to mid-30s, meet roughly once a month for gatherings centered on fellowship, discussion, and doing life together. The group is intentionally open and easy to enter.
For the youngest children, Greystone runs a half-day weekday preschool as a ministry of the church. Greystone Baptist Preschool serves about 50 children from 8 weeks old through pre-kindergarten in a Christian environment that develops each child individually, socially, cognitively, physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. The Tadpoles class (8 weeks to 12 months) is offered five days a week. The Frogs class (12 to 24 months) is offered five, three, or two days. The Busy Bees class (24 months to 3 years) uses a Montessori approach. The Caterpillars class (2 and a half to 3 and a half) and the Butterflies class (pre-kindergarten) round out the program. The preschool also runs weekly summer camps in June and July for children ages 2 through rising K. Tours are available by contacting the preschool office at 919-870-0040 or weekdaypreschool@greystonechurch.org.
The Spirit of Justice and a Network of Mission Partners
Greystone's mission work happens through a wide, intentional network. The church supports the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship - Global, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina, Baptist Women in Ministry of North Carolina, the Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists, the Raleigh Baptist Association, and the NC Council of Churches. Beyond those affiliations, Greystone partners with a long list of local agencies and pours volunteer time, money, and advocacy into each.
Locally, the Construction Ministry team provides disaster relief. After Hurricanes Matthew and Florence it worked in Lumberton, and after Hurricane Helene it sent teams to Western North Carolina to help residents rebuild - a project the Missions and Advocacy Council expects will continue for many months. The Green Chair Project, a nonprofit that supplies cribs, beds, and essential furnishings to vulnerable Wake County families through a network of more than 100 partner agencies, has been a long-standing partner. Together for Hope, a rural development coalition that fights persistent rural poverty in America's 338 poorest counties, sends a Greystone team each summer to Helena-West Helena, Arkansas, where the team supports CBF field personnel running a children's camp and doing home repairs.
The church is also deeply engaged with several Triangle-area partners. The LGBT Center of Raleigh offers programming and services for LGBTQ+ communities. NeighborHealth Center provides primary, women's, and pediatric care with no one turned away regardless of insurance status. North Raleigh Ministries, founded in 2004, focuses on financial literacy and food assistance, and regularly receives food from the Kid's Mission Garden. Welcome House Raleigh provides temporary housing for arriving refugees and immigrants, legal aid, a furniture bank, and ESL classes, both in-person and virtual. Refugee Hope Partners serves thousands of refugees in the Triangle, and Greystone members tutor children, provide basic needs, drive families to medical appointments, and help newcomers adapt.
Around hunger and homelessness, Greystone partners with the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina, hosting group volunteer opportunities; A Place at the Table, Raleigh's pay-what-you-can cafe; Project Linus, which provides handmade blankets to children who are seriously ill or traumatized; Rise Against Hunger, whose meal packaging events produce millions of nutritious meals a year; and the Wake County Continuum of Care, supporting the operation of White Flag Shelter locations during severe weather.
At the heart of the church's advocacy is the Spirit of Justice Team, formed after a year of congregational learning. The team's mission is to educate, advocate, and welcome allies in support of all people in Raleigh and surrounding communities, with a special concern for racial and social justice. In the wake of the Uvalde school shooting, the Spirit of Justice Ad Hoc Team, with the support of the diaconate and Leadership Council, drafted a statement firmly opposing all criminal acts of violence and the structures that contribute to them, committing the church to address the crisis of gun violence in multiple ways.
Buddy Break: A Ministry for VIP Kids
Greystone hosts Nathaniel's Hope Buddy Break, a free kids' respite program where children with special needs (called VIP kids) are paired one-on-one with a screened volunteer Buddy for crafts, stories, music, games, and friendship. Siblings attend too. While the children play, their caregivers get three hours off from ongoing caregiving responsibilities. The program is open to church members and non-church members.
Sessions are held on Saturday mornings from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm on a roughly monthly schedule. Buddies must be at least 14, complete a two-hour Buddy Training 101 class, and pass a background check. To register, families complete the online VIP Family Information Form, attend a required VIP orientation with notarized authorization and consent forms, and reserve a space for each month they plan to attend. Contact Nancy Register, Buddy Break Coordinator, at BuddyBreak@greystonechurch.org or 919-847-1333.
Becoming a Member
Each Sunday the ministers extend an invitation during a time of response for newcomers to come forward and be presented to the church for membership. Greystone welcomes new members by profession of faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord with subsequent baptism, by transfer of current membership from another Baptist church, or by reaffirmation of Christian experience and transfer of membership from a church of another denomination. Exceptions are considered by the pastor and diaconate and approved in church conference.
The Staff Team
Interim Pastor Bo Prosser, Ed.D., is an adult educator with two master's degrees in theology and Christian education from Southern Seminary in Louisville, and doctoral work in adult education from North Carolina State University. A former radio sports announcer, author, and consultant who has worked with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship across the country, Bo is known for his teaching on humor, creativity, and adult learning.
Anna Beth Cross, Associate Pastor of Faith Formation and Administration, came to Raleigh from Birmingham in 2021 and serves as the Director of Communications for the CBF Youth Ministry Network. She earned her BBA in Marketing and her Master of Divinity from Baylor's Truett Seminary.
April Alston, Associate Minister for Children and Preschool, is a North Carolina native and graduate of East Carolina University (BS in Child Life) and McAfee School of Theology (MDiv). She has more than twenty years in ministry with children, youth, and families and has served as a house parent for Baptist Children's Homes of NC.
Christian McIvor, Minister of Worship, Music, and the Arts, holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from SUNY Potsdam, Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and a Master of Divinity from Wake Forest University School of Divinity.
Brenda Vaught joined Greystone Baptist Preschool as Director in 2025, bringing more than twenty years of experience managing Christian preschool programs.
Connecting, Giving, and the Realm App
Greystone communicates with members and friends through a weekly e-news and a presence across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Spotify. The Living Stone Podcast distributes recent sermon series. Realm Connect serves as the online directory and giving platform. Members can view personal giving history, update contact information, and pay for church events, fundraisers, and meals through the Realm Connect app, available on Apple and Android devices.
Giving happens through Realm eGiving (online), cash or check by mail to the secure mailbox at 7474 Creedmoor Rd., Box 302, Raleigh, NC 27613, auto debit through the Financial Secretary, recurring Bill Pay, electronic transfer of stocks or mutual funds, and Qualified Charitable Distributions from IRAs for those 70 and a half and up.
The Building and the Belonging
The sanctuary is the heart of the weekly gathering. The fellowship hall hosts Wednesday Faith Forums, intergenerational meals, and a steady stream of mission-team send-offs and receptions. The youth building is its own ecosystem for Sunday Spaces, Sunday Night Discipleship, retreats, and youth choir practice. Classrooms fill the Bible Study hour with adult classes and children's choir. The Kid's Mission Garden grows food for neighbors. Together they make up a campus that is as much about formation as it is about worship.
For all of that, what most defines Greystone is not the building or the budget. It is the conviction that a community of faith can be honest about its questions, generous about its differences, and serious about doing something about the suffering of its neighbors. Come as you are, the church says. Bring your whole self, the messy stuff, and the neat stuff. Bring it all, and let's be transformed by God, together.