Our Story
The mission of Grace Church began in the hearts of less than ten settlers as immigrants settled in the lake region and prairies of west-central Minnesota. Early in 1871 a few new residents met in a log cabin home and envisioned a congregation and requested help from the Methodist Mission Society. When they held their first business meeting along with worship and Holy Communion in August of 1871, they became the second organized body of Christ-followers ministering to the residents of the Fergus Falls region. Focused on saving souls and making disciples of Jesus, these Methodists met atop a saloon, in an opera house, and in other locations. They built facilities near a bridge over the Ottertail River so they could reach more people and help them receive the grace of Jesus Christ.
In 1882 when Fergus Falls had twenty saloons and Ottertail County had less than 600 residents, the congregation rebuilt south of the river to reach more people. Yet their hopes sufferedas they languished in debt. God responded to their prayers and renewed their hearts in faith and action through both messages and sacrificial leadership. In January 1908, celebrating God’s work and freedom, a little girl struck a match to the mortgage that had hung over them for 25 years. Five months later, when a few boys playing in a barn across the alley set the straw afire, an abandoned phone at the emergency center, a broken water main, a defective fire hydrant and a missing team of horses for the town’s pumper allowed the fire to spread and burn the church building down. Yet the lessons God had just showed them were not lost. With faith and sacrifice they relocated and rebuilt in Fergus Falls again to better reach a growing population with a gospel that transforms lives forever. In 1971, Grace Church would relocate and rebuild once again to connect new people with Jesus and his saving grace.
At Grace Church we experience God’s redeeming love that changes us and sends us on a mission to help others know that love and life. With a Christ-authored faith, Grace has not only launched special ministries to youth and children, but also to the poor and dying. Grace helped found hospice care in Fergus Falls. It partnered to launch many works among those with needs in the Fergus Falls region. It sends adults and young people into missions all over the world.
Join us at Grace United Methodist Church as we make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
150 Years of Grace ~ 1871-2021