AMAZING GRACE
STORY
Founded in 1996, Amazing Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church is a consolidation of three historic churches in East Baltimore—Bethany, Martin Luther and Trinity. Amazing Grace is a congregation in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is an active congregation of the Delaware-Maryland Synod. As an intentional multi-cultural congregation, from the beginning, Amazing Grace has sought to be present in McElderry Park to live out the gifts of God’s grace in Jesus Christ for all people. In the first year after its beginning, Amazing Grace was led by co-pastors, the Rev. Karen Brau and the Rev. Mary Zurell.
In 1997, Pastor Mary took a call to serve at New Hope Lutheran Church in Columbia MD. Pastor Karen was pastor at Amazing Grace until 2008 when she took a call to serve as the Senior Pastor at Luther Place Memorial church in Washington DC. In 2001, Kati Kluckman-Ault came to Amazing Grace for a parish nurse internship year to implement the health ministry at Amazing Grace. She remained until September 2010, when after another year long pastoral internship, she was ordained and called to serve on the Deleware Maryland Bishop’s staff. Pastor Gary Dittman was called to the congregation to lead and serve with God’s people in this place in August 2009.
Since 1996, Amazing Grace has worked to implement several programs that reflect their commitment to the healing power of God in Jesus Christ.
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The Amazing Port Street Project located behind the church- Originally an area of abandoned and dilapidated houses, it now boasts a perennial garden, a labyrinth and several murals to be a sacred space in the city.
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The Center for Grace-Full Living Formally the parish house of the church, the Center currently houses a food pantry and carries out programs and ministries to bring health, wellness and healing to the community. Current ministries include programs afterschool programming for children in the community, low cost counseling services, weekly massage therapy, weekly Narcotics Anonymous meetings, healthy eating cooking classes and reiki healing touch. In addition, there are bi weekly home buying seminars with Habitat for Humanity and health service assessments through Charm City Clinic (a collaborative of Hopkins Medical Students). The ministry of the Center is ever expanding as we seek to bring healing to the community.
