A Brief History of Grace Community Bible Church

by Dale Sterzer


Converted to Christ, Hungry for Biblical Teaching

God came into my life, and my wife Kathy's life at a time when we were not looking for Him, and did not want Him. He convicted us of the wretchedness and filthiness of our sin, broke our pride, and drew us to Him begging His forgiveness and mercy. Following this conversion to faith in Christ, in 1991, we attended a large church in Dallas, and loved it. The pastor and his wife were wonderful, loving people; the music was worshipful; the fellowship was warm and loving. As we studied to learn the Bible's doctrines, however, we realized there was a difference between the portrait of God revealed in the scriptures, and the picture being painted by the teachers in the church. The pastor taught that God waits passively, almost helplessly for people to decide whether or not to follow Him. This did not seem to us like the powerful, forceful God described in the Bible. Nor did it seem to be the same God who had saved us. We became very involved in the church, and began to ask many questions about what grace means, and about how God saves people. Not hearing any solid answers, we began to hunger for something more substantial.

In a Monday evening Bible study at Denton Bible Church, we heard a different kind of teaching about God. Dr. Nelson and others in that church taught that God actively pursues His people to save them; that He is sovereign, ruling over every aspect of the universe; that He dispenses unmerited favor in His grace; that He works in the lives of people even when they do not realize it; that He breaks down sinful people's human pride, convicts them of sin, and draws them with an irresistible grace. Our hearts cried out, "Yes, yes! This is the God who has subdued us, and this is the God we read of in the Bible. This is the God of holiness, righteousness, justice, grace, mercy, and providence, who has forcefully entered our lives, opened our eyes, given us the gift of faith, redeemed us from the powers of darkness, and adopted us as sons in the Kingdom of Christ!" The messages from the pulpit agreed with the Bible's witness of who God is, and with our own experience of being saved by Him. In this preaching, we were strengthened in the faith, and thoroughly convinced that God dispenses free grace through sovereign election, according to His good pleasure, will, and purpose.


A Move to Fannin County, Difficulty Finding a Church Home

We moved here to Fannin County in 1995. The drive was too far to continue attending Denton Bible Church, so we began to search for a local church home were the preaching and teaching would be in the same spirit. For the next four years, we attended several churches in the Bonham area, and were disappointed in what we experienced. The doctrine in these churches was akin to what we had heard at Calvary Chapel. We heard preaching and teaching that was shallow, man-centered, and overly emotional. Some of the churches were so set on getting out by 12:00 noon that often the centerpiece of the worship service, the sermon, would have to be hurried and shortened to meet the deadline. Some of the more difficult (and wonderful) doctrines of the Bible, such as man's total inability to save himself, and the sovereign grace of God in salvation, received little attention in the sermons we heard. I was concerned for the spiritual health of my family, especially my two young children. My attempts to ask good questions and challenge teachers who were in error made me an unwelcome figure in several Fannin County churches. My wife and I felt like people wandering in the desert looking for food and water, but finding none.

Despite these frustrations, we did meet some very good Christian people along the way, and developed some dear friendships. We also love the people of all these church with brotherly Christian love, and bear no grudges or ill will toward them.


A New Church Is Born, then Another

Nonetheless, we were starving for good biblical teaching and for warm Christian fellowship. We believed strongly that we should be part of a local fellowship, but we were convinced that none of the churches we had attended was right for our family. Then, in August of 1999, we met a small group of believers who were in the same situation---disappointed in the churches they had attended, and hungry for something different. Together we organized Cornerstone Bible Church. For the next five years, I had the privilege of being one of the preachers in that new church. The other preachers and I studied the scriptures and taught a Christ-centered message of God's sovereign grace.

During this time, I dreamed of and hoped for an opportunity to start a non-denominational community Bible study group, for the purpose of bringing people together to study the scriptures. Keeping the matter in prayer, I waited for the right opportunity. Then, in September of 2003, my wife and I received an unexpected phone call about the vacant church building and property of the former Clark Memorial Methodist Church in south Bonham. After visiting this property with us, our church family considered locating there, but decided against it. My wife and I, however, considered this a golden opportunity to preach the truth of Christ in this depressed neighborhood. We decided to rehabilitate the old buildings and by God's grace start a new church, in which we would worship Christ and preach the Gospel. My dream of a community Bible study would become a community Bible church!

The hundred-year-old church building is located at 601 South Fourth Street, in an old, depressed neighborhood on the proverbial "wrong side of the tracks." Locating a church in such an area seemed a perfect answer to prayer and fulfillment of my hopes. The buildings needed extensive repair and renovation, and we began work in October of 2003. By God's grace, with help from Christian brothers and sisters, we were able to hold our first worship service in February of 2005.

For the first one and a half years, there were about eight of us who met for worship, including my family of four. It was cold that first winter, and the heater in the sanctuary did not work properly. We sat wrapped in blankets, with cold feet and noses, but with the Christ-centered preaching of the true Gospel warming our hearts. Sometimes, when few people would come for worship or Bible study, doubt would creep into our minds. "Are we doing the right thing?" But behind these doubts was the faith that God is sovereign, and would continue to answer our prayers and do His work of saving souls. We believed (and still do) that God will fill this sanctuary building with worshipers, some newly converted to faith in Christ, some newly strengthened in the faith by Christ-centered, biblical preaching.


Praying for Help, God Answers

It was long hours for me to maintain my business, work on the church buildings, practice guitar for leading worship, and prepare solid, biblical sermons---but I was thankful for the privilege of doing it. I realized, however, that I could not keep up with the church as it grew, and would need help. I began to pray for a man, or more than one, to come alongside me in this ministry.

One by one and two by two, God sent people to the church. By the Fall of 2006, we had baptized six dear souls in Lake Bonham, and there was a small group of people attending worship services and Bible studies. Meanwhile, as we continued to pray, God was working in the lives of people we did not know, sending them to this church.

Three families in one of the churches here in Fannin county were experiencing conflict with others in their church over the very doctrines that I refer to as "Christ-centered" and "biblical." After a painful parting with that church, all three families made their way, one by one, to Grace Community Bible Church. In God's perfect providence, He provided that one of these men could move his family into our church's parsonage and begin work here as an elder/pastor in this church. Since then, God seems to be sending one individual or family after another to join this fellowship.


We Worship the Lord, Others Are Welcome

We endeavor to worship God in a simple, biblical, orderly manner, not seeking to entertain, nor to be entertained. We sing hymns and other songs, read the scriptures, confess our sins, pray, share The Lord's Supper, testify to God's goodness, preach the Word, and listen to the Word preached. We try to glorify God by worshiping Him in spirit and in truth, by rightly dividing the Word, and by teaching the whole counsel of God. Outside of the worship services, we are trying to develop a church family in which our love for each other exemplifies the love God has for us in Jesus Christ.

If you do not yet have faith in Jesus Christ, then I urge you immediately to believe in Him, to turn away from your sinful lifestyle, and to be baptized as a sign of your belief and faith in Him. If you need help understanding these matters, come to the next meeting of our church, or contact one of us pastors any time of the day or night. There is no need for you to try to clean up your life before you come to Christ or attend church. That is God's work. He is the only perfect one in this church. The rest of us are all works in progress. If you are a believer already, I invite you to attend the next meeting of Grace Community Bible Church, and to contact us personally with any questions you may have.

Dale Sterzer, elder/pastor
Grace Community Bible Church

The Perfect Church for Imperfect People!