Grace Episcopal Church In Tampa Palms Is Always Open To Visitors

By Amy Gutierrez

Although today there is a wide variety of places to worship in New Tampa, Grace Episcopal Church in Tampa Palms stands out as one of the first in our area. Rooted on a large, picturesque triangle between Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., Tampa Palms Blvd. and Amberly Dr. for more than two decades, Grace is a church that is truly an exciting place to worship and serve. Visitors to the church never feel either overlooked or overly pressured.

Grace Episcopal invites anyone, from the seeking to the devout, “to live a life of worship, friendship, commitment and love by learning and sharing to develop a responsive way of living together that honors God.” With its mission statement that is inclusive and sincere, the Reverend Canon Benjamin B. Twinamaani (affectionately referred to as “Father Ben”) proudly admits that Grace Episcopal has created a style of worship for its ethnically diverse congregation that is, “somewhere in between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism,” Father Ben says. “Our beliefs are Episcopalian, but our style of worship is a blend of many faiths.”

Grace is part of The Episcopal Church, which welcomes all who worship Jesus Christ in 109 dioceses and three regional areas in 17 nations.

Father Ben is deliberate in his welcoming approach and says that, in particular, ministering to the youth of the church is more important now than ever before. Twenty percent of Grace’s more than 300-member congregation is 18 years or younger. With a deliberate move to lectionary teaching (using a book or list of assigned scripture readings), giving youth more than surface teachings by delving into scriptural foundations, the younger members of the church are able to feel that they are a part of the church as a whole.

“Our youth lead Sunday services once a month,” says Father Ben. “In this millennial generation, I believe there is the next Billy Graham who will change the world.”

Father Ben knows a little bit about the world. In fact, born in Uganda, he came to the U.S. knowing no one, to attend college. Ordained to Episcopal Priesthood service in 1995 by the Dallas Theological Seminary in Texas, he currently attends the nearby University of South Florida in pursuit of a doctorate degree. Father Ben says that he is very proud of his accomplished staff, as well.

Among them are Rev. Dr. Lynn Grinnell, a retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. and long-time New Tampa community activist, serves as Deacon, Keri Knecht Grosso is Grace’s full-time director of youth and family ministries and Lisa Ross-Johns is the Parish administrator. With the assistance of many lay church members serving alongside the staff, numerous ongoing events such as mission trips, Vacation Bible School (VBS), education classes and the newly introduced Financial Peace University (FPU) are offered to the New Tampa community.

 

Vacation Bible School (VBS)

This summer, July 14-18, VBS will be held from 9 a.m. – noon and the VBS theme this summer is “Weird Animals.” This theme will integrate real life experience videos to show the children that we are all one of a kind and all uniquely designed.

Children who attend VBS will hear from an autistic child to gain a better understanding of special needs and will even hear from a child who bullied other kids before turning his life around. VBS will meet each day for worship, to learn Bible stories and to hear about how real kids have seen God at work in their lives. They also will do “science experiments” with toys that help teach lessons and play together. The cost is $10 for the week and includes a T-shirt and snack. Whether your family attends Grace Episcopal Church or not, your child will be welcomed and encouraged to attend. For children who would benefit from art camp, the VBS days are extended to 5:30 p.m. each day and the cost is $65 for the week. Grosso and her team of dedicated volunteers invite you to register today.

VBS is only one way Grace Episcopal Church is serving the needs of the community. Deacon Lynn Grinnell, along with designated leaders in the church, is responsible for addressing the needs of the community monetarily. Grace is heavily involved with Metropolitan Ministries, whose mission is to care for the homeless and those at risk of becoming homeless in our community through services that alleviate suffering, promote dignity and instill self-sufficiency as an ongoing ministry of Jesus Christ. In addition, mission trips to the Dominican Republic and Uganda are organized in efforts to better the lives of those outside of our local community.

Grinnell is extremely passionate about Sustainability Management, which creates the ability to keep a system running indefinitely without depleting resources, while maintaining economic viability and also nourishing the needs of present and future generations. She describes this as her calling —caring for the planet and the people.

“We operate on needs-based evangelism,” says Father Ben. “Not necessarily budget evangelism.”

Grinnell agrees, “When you look at the Bible, Jesus wasn’t funding the local synagogue. He was ministering to the people who were hungry and hurting. That is the heart of Grace Episcopal.”

Grace Episcopal Church (15102 Amberly Dr.), holds services each Sunday at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m., but also has a number of other ministries available. For more info, please visit GraceNewTampa.com or call 971-8484. Visitors are always welcome to attend services at Grace Episcopal.