Elmhurst Baptist Church BECOMES...
	Community of Grace

From looking at the Word of God, it seems that God gives great value to names. Names were given to project the future of a person or a place, to remember an event, or to release people into their destiny as with Abram (“high father”) to Abraham (“father of a multitude”), Sarai (“dominative”) to Sarah (“female noble: lady, princess, queen”) and Jacob (“supplanter”) to Israel (“he will rule as God”). Jesus changed Peter’s name and even Saul changed his name to Paul in the New Testament.

Keeping in mind the significance of names, we have struggled with our current name. “Elmhurst” did not reflect our vision and our calling nor did it communicate what God has called us to be and do as a church name should. The name “Elmhurst” comes from two words, “Elm” as a type of tree, and “hurst” means a “wood or grove.” There might have been a grove of elms around here one day, but there isn’t now. Our church was named after the small, unknown street in Hayward and is often confused with the “Elmhurst district” in Oakland. It can get rather confusing. Our nickname that we have used here for some time, “Restoration Depot” was fun to use to tell the story of how God wants to restore lives, but it really wasn’t a good name either. Grace seems to be a theme here and having wrestled with it, we decided to change our name to “Community of Grace.” This seems to reflect better God’s call on our church. We define our values using an acrostic of GRACE.

• Going After the Presence of God
• Restoring Lives to Fulfill Their Destiny
• Advancing the Kingdom of God
• Character Based Leadership
• Extravagant Worship

If you're interested in a complete synopsis of the ministry of Community of Grace, plan on attending a 4 hour class called "Class 101 - Discovering Church Membership" It is usually offered six times a year and is from 1-5 p.m. Please check the church calendar or call the church office to verify class dates. We will feed you and will provide free child-care if you give us a week's notice. There is no obligation to the church by attending the class. We are here to serve you.

In His Service,

Rodney Hogue
Pastor

top of page