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Date: 6/6/2022
MONSON – After eight and a half years, Grace Community Church closed its doors on Easter.
Pastor Larry Desreuisseau posted this statement on the Grace Community Church Monson Facebook page, “The Lord has called us into another season of trust and obedience in our life and ministry. After over a year of praying, listening, discerning and discussing, we will be closing the doors of Grace Community Church.”
He continued, “After eight and a half years this comes with great sadness, but it also comes with hope. There may be some grief in this, but so much gratitude. It also comes with a great anticipation of all the good that God has in store for all of His children moving forward. I ask that you all continue to pray for us as we move into what He has already set in place for us. Please know that we will forever hold you in our hearts and continuously lift you up to God in prayer.”
Pastor Larry and his wife Tammy started Grace Community Church in an apartment with six people in Palmer. They rented space at the Congregational Church in Brimfield on Saturdays for a year and a half. Then, six years ago, they rented the building at 125 Main St. in Monson to serve on Sundays and throughout the week. Grace Community was involved in Summerfest every year, offering games for children for free with prizes and a prayer tent. The Desreuisseau’s opened their church for those to use the bathroom, and air conditioning if people were hot and gave out free water. They also hosted family game night, open mic night, Christmas parties and a Christmas caroling events. The church was very successful through 2019, with over 40 members, and a building fund was started that same year.
Tammy explained, “It’s not blamed on COVID[-19], but slowly it seems like people began to stop coming for their own reasons. Just before COVID[-19], our numbers were starting to go down in 2020.”
During the coronavirus pandemic, the church hosted services online. When they went back to full service, they only ended up getting half the attendees, but still posted their services online for those who could not make it out. “That really hindered the growth of our church,” Tammy said. “But my husband and I still kept going because we love our community, and we love the people.” She went on to say, “Moving forward, God has put it on our hearts to go into the mission field and we are going to be moving on from this community.”
Grace Community Church was through the Assemblies of God, an internationally recognized organization. Evangel Assembly of Wilbraham was the Desreuisseau’s parent church when they were starting out. The Desreuisseau’s encouraged people from their congregation to go to Evangel Assembly on 348 Stony Hill Rd. in Wilbraham, and other local churches they considered to be of equal quality if Wilbraham is too far.
“We don’t know what God has in store for us,” Tammy replied. “Through our faith and hope whatever God will have us do we’ll do it.”