Dear Friend, I am grateful that you took the time to visit our website and 
learn more about us. As a Christian community of faith, we take seriously and joyfully our calling to welcome others as God has welcomed us. 

I have been the pastor here at GPMC since January, 2007.  In my four and a half years here, I have discovered what I hope you will encounter if you join us on a Sunday morning: grace, love, faith, commitment, and sharing.

Here at GPMC you will find fellow sojourners in this journey of life, people who walk together through the hills and valleys that we all experience along the way. We do so as people who are called by God, equipped by the Holy Spirit, and sent out into the world by Jesus Christ. Wherever your faith journey is taking you right now, you will find with us other people who are at a similar stage in life. Look around the website, email me with any questions, and, by all means, join us some Sunday and introduce yourself. I would love to meet you in person.

For those of you who are interested in joining our church, we hold new member classes at least quarterly. Please call me or email me (phenry@gpmchurch.org) for more information about the next set of new member classes, schedule for October 16 and 23 from 10:10 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

In order to give you a "snapshot" of our life together, here are some fast facts abour our community of faith. 

    We are a 1264 member Presbyterian church; this means, among other things, that we elect     our officers.  Currently we have 20 elders (including 2 youth), 32 deacons (including 3             youth), and 12 trustees.

    We are part of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), an historic “mainline” Protestant church of     roughly 2 million members.

    Our worship attendance has been growing for the last 5 years and is on track to grow again     this year.    

    We grew in membership in 2010 for the first time in over 20 years.  Our new members         range from young couples to senior singles and everything in between.

    We are a friendly, faithful congregation open to change and growth: 21% of our members         have joined in the last 10 years, 50% in the last 20 years.

    We are a vibrant church that has added many new outreach, Christian education, and             fellowship opportunities in the last 12 months.  Among the additions have been an                 intergenerational mission trip, hosting a rotating homeless shelter, a prayer group for
    parents, and an Easter Sunrise Empty Tomb 5K Run and Walk..

    Over 15% of our budget is committed to outreach.

    We are a growing church that is holding its own in a tough economy: we had the                     same number of pledges for 2011 as we had for 2010.  Pledges account for 60% of our             budget and last year over 55% of our members made a pledge to the church.    

    We are a traditional church without traditionalism: rather than say “We can’t do that” our         committees, councils and boards ask, “How can we help make that  happen?”    

    We call ourselves “A light by the lakeshore” and expect “every member to be a minister.”    

    Over the last 24 months we have increased the staff hours committed to young families,         children, and youth to include 2 full time positions.

    We added a Coordinator for Outreach Ministries in 2011.

    Ours is an intergenerational congregation: 37% of our congregation is over the age of 65;     33% of our congregation is under the age of 45; and people of all ages serve in all                 ministries of the church.
     
    Christian Education at GPMC encourages and nurtures us to think about what it means to         be a Christian, not only for a moment, but for a lifetime.

    GPMC is comprised of people of all ages, talents, and possibilities but we are not complete.     We are always open to welcoming others and participating in God's amazing creation
 

For a fuller picture of our life together, you can also access our 2010 annual report here.

I look forward to meeting you soon.  May the Lord bless you and keep you.

The Rev. Peter J.M. Henry