A Church on Five Forks Trickum Road in Lawrenceville
Gwinnett Community Church gathers on a single campus tucked along Five Forks Trickum Road in Lawrenceville, Georgia. The property is laid out around a one-way drive, with guest parking near the worship center at the back of the lot (Building C) and additional spaces along the way out. The church is non-denominational and elder-led, organized around a simple mission: to make disciples who exalt the Lord, encourage His people, and engage in spreading His message to the world. The church's motto, "Find courage to live for more.", captures the posture the congregation brings to a Sunday morning.
Sunday Mornings at 10:15
Sunday worship begins at 10:15 a.m. The service is laid-back and welcoming, the kind of room where visitors can meet new people and find a little inspiration. The worship center sits at the rear of the property in Building C, and a Connecting Point in the foyer is staffed before and after the service for first-time guests. The Connecting Point team hands out a free coffee mug to anyone who stops by, and a Connect Card (also accessible by QR code) is available for those who want to share contact information or prayer requests.
What to Expect as a First-Time Visitor
Gwinnett Community Church takes seriously the experience of someone walking in the door. Visitors are not asked to stand, give testimony, or come to the front. There is no offering plate passed during the service. Members drop tithes and offerings in a collection slot near the entrance to the worship center. Dress runs the spectrum from jeans and a collared shirt to coats and ties to shorts and flip-flops; the church teaches the biblical truth that "man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."
Guest parking is found directly in front of the worship center, with overflow parking at the back of the campus and along the one-way drive. Families with children of all ages are welcome to worship together, and a nursing space is available in the children's building, Building B, where a volunteer answers the doorbell to assist.
Children's programming runs alongside the adult service. At 9:00 a.m. the nursery through fifth grade gathers in Building B (enter under the blue awning), and at 10:15 a.m. Echo Kids Church meets for nursery through second grade in the same building. All childcare workers have passed a background check, and the Welcome Team in the foyer will guide new families to the right room.
Middle and high school students meet at 9:00 a.m. in room B215 for a class that focuses on biblical apologetics. On Wednesday nights at 7:00 p.m., Awana runs for ages three through eighth grade, and the youth ministry joins the same hour for a time of fellowship and Bible teaching.
What GCC Believes
Gwinnett Community Church holds to a classic evangelical statement of faith. The church confesses one God, infinitely perfect and eternally existing as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Old and New Testaments are taught as the verbally inspired, inerrant Word of God and the supreme authority for faith and life. Jesus Christ is confessed in His full deity, virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, substitutionary death, bodily resurrection, ascension, and future personal return.
The church teaches that all people are sinners by nature and by choice and need a Savior. Salvation is a free gift of God's grace, received through faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross. Those who receive Christ are born again of the Holy Spirit and become new creations in Christ. Baptism is reserved as a following to salvation, not a means of it, and is administered to professing believers by immersion in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The church is the whole body of believers in Christ, with the local church existing for worship, instruction in the Word, fellowship, and the proclamation of the Gospel.
Echo Kids: Nursery Through Fifth Grade
Echo Kids is the children's ministry, named for the desire to see the children of the church imitate or echo the truth and love they see in the church family. Programming is divided by age. On Sundays the nursery through fifth grade meets at 9:00 a.m., and nursery through second grade gathers again at 10:15 a.m. On Wednesday nights from 7:00 to 8:15 p.m., Awana serves ages three through eighth grade. Echo Kids care is also offered during some Women's Bible Studies.
The ministry's aim is twofold: to have leaders reflect Christ to children and to equip parents and grandparents to build a Christ-centered home that disciples their kids in faith. Every caregiver and volunteer must submit a Volunteer Application and a Permission to Obtain a Background Check form and receive clearance before serving.
GCC Youth: Middle and High School
GCC Youth supports middle school and high school students as they grow in faith and connect with the wider church family. On Sundays at 9:00 a.m., teens gather in room B215 to study biblical apologetics. Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. bring students together for fellowship and lessons drawn from God's Word. Throughout the year the group also gathers for game nights, a Christmas party, Operation Christmas Child, summer camp, and other fellowship and service opportunities.
The ministry seeks to move beyond simply serving students until they graduate, working instead to prepare and connect them for a lifetime of faith through relational and ministry connections across the whole church.
Men's and Women's Ministry
Men's Ministry exists to help men become faithful disciples of Jesus and loving leaders in their homes, churches, and communities. A full week of Bible study and prayer options supports that aim. On Monday evenings at 7:00 p.m., a men's Bible study led by Ron Pillsbury meets to study God's word together. Wednesday evenings at 6:30 p.m. bring men of all ages together for prayer and fellowship under David Straughan. Friday mornings at 6:30 a.m. gather Mike Yaksh's group for prayer and Bible study, and Saturday mornings at 7:30 a.m. host Chuck Rice's men's Bible study. The Monday Men's Property Crew, led by Watson McClam, cares for the church facilities.
Women's Ministry promotes the spiritual and emotional health of the women of GCC. Tuesday mornings from 9:45 to 11:45 a.m. host three parallel studies: Isaiah (Deborah McLendon), More Than Enough (Paula Gilman), and Precept Revelation Part 2 (Marilyn Yaksh). Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 8:15 p.m., Kristina Friberg and Jeannine Gaiek lead the Elijah study. Throughout the year the ministry hosts retreats, Ladies Night Out gatherings, dinners, luncheons, painting nights, teas, trips, and guest speakers.
Love in Action, an extension of Women's Ministry, organizes meals and transportation for church members in life-stage transitions or recovering from illness, including families with a new baby, those healing from medical treatment, or anyone needing a ride to a medical appointment.
E-Groups and D-Groups: Discipleship in Community
E-Groups are small to medium-sized gatherings that meet in homes and on the campus for biblical, relational discipleship. The goal of these groups is to multiply mature ministers who can serve in ministry themselves. D-Groups are an overflow of that model, gathering two to five people (preferably of the same gender) for intentional mentoring in the faith and the multiplication of disciples and leaders. Pastor John Baker oversees the D-Group ministry.
Local Missions: The Free Dental Clinic and Beyond
Gwinnett Community Church has run a Free Dental Clinic since 2006, providing dental services to community members living under the state poverty level. The clinic has expanded over the years to include a clothes closet, food and Bible giveaways, and other health resources. The Dental Mission Team is led by Llura Bellinger and Elizabeth Rice.
The church partners with Family Promise, offering its resources and congregation to host families experiencing homelessness during scheduled weeks throughout the year. Llura Bellinger and Lynda Nelson lead this effort. Monthly donations to the Lawrenceville Co-Op are collected at the church and delivered by Cyndi Lunsford's team; current needs include canned meats, fruits, beans, spaghetti sauce, peanut butter, jelly, cereals, oatmeal, grits, and dry beans.
Each second Tuesday of the month, GCC serves as a distribution site for There's Hope for the Hungry. From 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., community members can drive around the campus to Building G and receive free food. The outreach is led by Llura Bellinger.
Sending Out: National and Global Missions
Faith Promise giving funds much of the missions work. Members commit to a specific amount by faith, trusting God to provide above their normal means, and look for ways He enables them to give throughout the year.
On the national level, GCC supports Gordon and Angela Ebert with Cru (Gordon grew up in the church's youth ministry), David and Peggy Jones (the founding pastor and his wife) through TeamMates in Ministry, a hospitality and renewal ministry for pastors and missionaries, and Mike McCoy of Mike McCoy Ministries, who reaches students in Catholic schools.
Globally, the church partners with missionaries across several regions. Josh and Gina Bloomfield serve with Ambassadors for Christ International in Sydney, Australia, training church leaders across Southeast Asia and the South Pacific. Billy and Adrianne Crossan serve with Athletes in Action in the Czech Republic, where Billy works as a professor on the sports faculty of Charles University. David and Kathy North coordinate TEAM's church planting work from Spartanburg, South Carolina. Richelieu Reeves teaches and leads evangelistic ministry with Grace and Truth Liberia Ministry. Pablo and Kusi Saccsara lead Runa Simi in Peru, with Bible distribution, radio outreach, and audio Bible work. Amber Stark serves with Oasis Rest International in Slovakia, providing rest for missionaries and pastors. Ken and Connie Temple serve with Faith Global Missions to a major unreached Muslim people group.
Each year the church also participates in Operation Christmas Child, packing shoebox gifts filled with toys, school supplies, and hygiene items and volunteering at the local packing center.
Leadership and Staff
Pastor John Baker leads Gwinnett Community Church and oversees the discipleship ministry. The church is elder-led and served by a board of elders who provide spiritual direction and general oversight following the pattern of 1 Timothy 3:1-7. A team of deacons serves the congregation, pastor, and elder board following 1 Timothy 3:8-12, caring for the building and grounds and supporting the work of the church.