The Grace Point Church of the Nazarene will celebrate its past, present, future and everything in between Sunday as it marks its 10-year anniversary of reopening in Pilot Point.
The church will pay homage to The Church of the Nazarene, which was established in Pilot Point on October 13, 1908, when three groups, the East Coast, West Coast and the South, came together to form it, Pastor Dwayne Edwards said.
“It was affiliated with a movement in the mid- to late 1800s called the Holiness Movement churches,” Edwards said. “They believed in God could change your life if you feel the power of God. You could walk the holy life; it wasn't just a dream. You could actually do it because God helps you do it. So, that's kind of where that began.”
The Church of Nazarenes will celebrate its 118th anniversary this fall.
Edwards recalled the church and the town’s rich history before the church was founded on the property when Franklin College was the first school in Pilot Point.
The Rest Cottage was a home for babies, unwed mothers and a reverend who made a difference in their lives.
“J.P. Roberts, who went up there, he preached out there in the streets,” Edwards said. “It's a whole different era of life. Like late 1800s, 1890s, these young girls would find Christ in their life, and he would bring them up here, and they developed what's called the Rest Cottage, which is a place they could come and have their baby that they adopted out. And we were there from like 1903 to like 1975. All those over 6,000 babies were born on this, on our ministry right here in Pilot Point.”
Now the Church of the Nazarene has expanded to nearly 3 million members and over 30,000 churches worldwide, including the one in Pilot Point.
After ministering in San Diego, California, for 22 years, Edwards, affectionately known to many in the community as PD, felt called to continue pastoring.
He and his wife came to Pilot Point back in 2016 with a purpose and mission to give new light to the church.
“We really try to be known in the community as a church who gives a rip about your life,” Edwards said.
The church was temporarily closed for remodeling of the 1997 building and reopened with a new look and a new name, becoming Grace Point.
“I was reaching people who didn't go to church,” Edwards said. “Who quit going to church, who used to go to church and who never went to church. That's the people we bring into our place, and we wanted them to know that when you come here, no matter what your background, there's going to be a lot of grace, which is simply put—God's love.”
Keeping the tradition alive, Grace Point hosts several community events annually in Pilot Point, including Chrome Fest, Christmas under the Stars and Easter at Grace Point.
It also holds a biannual community project weekend, during which volunteers go out into the community to provide acts of service.
“God's love is beyond us,” Edwards said. “It's beyond comprehension. It's insane. And that's the love God has for you. And that's the love we offer our community, and we offer the world. So, that's where Grace Point comes from. And that's the message I'm going to [share].'
