Get to Know: Grace Episcopal Church, Kirkwood
Grace Episcopal Church sits in the center of an historic neighborhood in Kirkwood, a suburb just west of the City of St. Louis. The church's giant A-frame structure and steeple soar into the treetops, creating an easily recognizable landmark in this family-centered community.
Grace has a long history in the Kirkwood community. They began as a house church in 1854 and officially became a parish in the Diocese of Missouri in 1859. The congregation outgrew their small church at the corner of Argonne and Taylor and built a new church facility just a few blocks east at Argonne and Woodlawn in 1960. In 2013, the parish merged with St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in Warson Woods. The combined parishes now worship together as Grace Church.
"Our building is so much of our ministry," said the Rev. Todd McDowell, rector at Grace Church. "We give space to the community." Grace Church is blessed with ample space (indoors and outdoors) to share with many community organizations whose goals align with the church's goals, including:
- The Lab School: A preschool providing a context of life and learning in which children are nurtured in their mental, physical, emotional and social growth.
- Contemplative Outreach of St. Louis: A chapter of Contemplative Outreach, Ltd., teaching the method of Centering Prayer and supporting those whose Spiritual Journey includes a practice of this prayer.
- SPROG / Horizons St. Louis: An award-winning academic and enrichment program serving students from the Kirkwood community.
- The Hands and Feet of Jesus: A non-profit providing food, clothing and needed supplies to the homeless in St. Louis.
Many 12-step groups also meet at Grace throughout each week, including one of the largest gatherings in the region every Saturday morning. And the Kirkwood parish shares its certified kitchen with caterers and food truck vendors, including Skewered, Cinnacrush, The Wandering Yeddi, and Ding Dong Dish.
While the church facilities make it possible for community ministry, the people of Grace are doing God's work in other ways.
"Sunday school is a priority for us," says Fr. Todd. He says the parish's programs are constantly changing and adapting to fit the schedules of busy families involved in sports and other extracurricular activities that often conflict with Sunday morning church times. Grace Church also offers youth mission trips, along with vocal and handbell choirs for children, youth and adults.
Grace has an active food ministry, with member donations helping to stock the shelves of several different food pantries in the area and providing a meal each month to those in need through the Hot Lunch program at Trinity Episcopal Church in St. Louis. Grace is a founding member of KirkCare, which provides food and financial assistance to families in the Kirkwood School District, and Grace members also serve at the Shepherd's Center of Webster-Kirkwood, which provides services to seniors in the area.
Grace Church joins St. Michael and St. George in Clayton as leaders of the Community of Hope pastoral care program. Community of Hope trains members from throughout the Diocese to provide spiritual care to those in need. The group is also teaming up with the People-to-People ministry, distributing food to the unhoused in the city of St. Louis each week.
As Fr. Todd prepares to retire this summer, he is confident he's leaving the parish in a good place to move forward. But he knows what he will miss most about Grace Church. "It's not about the building. It will be about the people," said Fr. Todd. "I love them and they have shown love for me. I feel like I'm leaving family."
An interim transition committee is now beginning its work to find a new leader for this vibrant community of faith.
Vital Stats:
Church name: Grace Episcopal Church
Address: 514 East Argonne Drive
City: Kirkwood
Phone: 314-821-1806
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.gracekirkwood.org/
Worship Services:- Sundays @ 8 & 10 a.m.
- Weekdays - Tuesdays at 9:30 a.m.
Livestream on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GraceChurchKirkwood
or Grace Website: https://www.gracekirkwood.org/online-worship/
Clergy:
- The Rev. Todd McDowell, Rector
- The Rev. Virginia Bennett, Assisting Priest
Mission Statement: The Five Marks of Mission
- To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
- To teach, baptize and nurture new believers
- To respond to human need by loving service
- To seek to transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and to pursue peace and reconciliation
- To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth
Members: 468
ASA: 156
(numbers from 2020 parochial report)