Grace Episcopal Church

The story of Grace Church began in 1867 with the construction of a log chapel known as Beaverdam Mission. By the 1880s, the mission had taken on the name of the little community in which it was located, Grace. Our present building was first used on Sunday, May 31,1905. It was designed by Richard Sharpe Smith, an English architect who also supervised the construction of the Biltmore House.

By the early 1920s, Grace had reverted to the status a mission. There was no priest in charge; though, largely due to the leadership of lay readers, Sunday school and services continued until 1949. After several months when no services were held, Bishop George Henry approved the reopening of Sunday School at Grace under the direction of Porter L. Crisp. Growth and development followed rapidly. In 1960, we became a self-supporting parish under the direction of the Reverend Frederick Volbeda.

In 1967, the Rev. William Edwards became our fifth rector. From this time until the Reverend Edwards' retirement in 2000, Grace experienced growth, innovation and solid accomplishment. Grace had grown from 261 communicants to more than 600 with 300 in regular attendance each week.

In 2001, The Reverend Gary Coffey became, and is today, the sixth rector of Grace Church.