Grace Race FundHistory
The Grace Race started in 2004 as a fundraising event sponsored by Grace Community Church in Chelmsford Massachusetts in cooperation with its sister church, the Naivasha Kenya Assemblies of God Church in Naivasha, Kenya. Members of Grace Community Church who had a passion for helping the orphans brainstormed ways to participate in this orphanage and training facility project by using the resources available in the Chelmsford/Westford/Lowell area. Now in its 8th year, the Grace Race has become the primary fundraising vehicle for the construction and staffing of the facility.
The church partnership itself has been in existence for over 12 years. It started when Mike Lynch, former pastor of Grace Community Church visited Bishop Kimemia of the Naivasha church in 1999. Since then, Grace Community Church has sent four teams to Naivasha to visit with and minister to the orphans there – in 2003, 2007, 2009, and 2010. Another visit is planned for October 2011.
Grace Community Church also directs an orphan sponsorship program called One Child, which allows families from the church as well as friends of those families to provide regular financial support to and correspondence with over 80 orphans in Naivasha. Bishop Kimemia and the leadership of his church devised the plans for the orphanage in 2003, with vision of providing room and board, education, and job training for 100 orphans.
The Grace Fund Inc. was founded in early 2008 as an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) non-profit organization distinct from Grace Community Church but with strong ties to both the church in Chelmsford and the church in Naivasha. As a non-religious organization, The Grace Race Fund Inc. is better positioned to raise funds from a wider range of corporations and individuals who are passionate about helping orphans and providing education and job training, but may have policies preventing donations to churches. The Grace Race Fund’s vision and mission today are specifically focused on the project in Naivasha, as we believe it is important to complete this work that has made steady incremental progress since it was started in 2004.
This undertaking is ambitious and has presents many challenges. A project of this size and scope is not something that two churches alone can handle with their limited resources. In addition, the recent post 2007 election turmoil in Kenya has put further strains on the Naivasha church as it has had to care for many families displaced from homes destroyed in the conflict.
For this reason, the Grace Race Fund Inc. seeks to involve the people and corporations of the Chelmsford/Westford/Lowell area to raise the funds necessary to complete this project in a timely fashion. It is exciting to see the progress that has been made in the last several years through hard work and God’s provision, but we recognize that much work remains to be done.
Please join us in our efforts to help the orphans of Naivasha by running or walking in the Grace Race this year, volunteering on race day, making a contribution, or just passing along the word to others. We appreciate your interest in and support for this unique community event and project to improve childrens’ lives in Kenya!
