Beyond Grace:
Grace Kids Volunteer Leader Julia Gilmore
Each month through the end of 2020 (and maybe beyond… see what we did there?), we’ll feature a volunteer from our Family Life Ministry (Grace Kids and Grace Students) who continually goes above and beyond for the kids and students within the groups they lead.
“You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts.” – 2 Corinthians 3:2-3
In September, we are proudly featuring Julia Gilmore.
Julia serves on the Grace Kids Early Childhood team
as a small group leader for 2-year-olds.
I have always been taught that giving back to my community is the rent we pay for living on this earth. Therefore, I grew up volunteering wherever and whenever I could. When I was 13, my family moved from Illinois to Johnson City. It was a big change and quite the culture shock. However, my family and I were immediately welcomed by Grace Fellowship and the community of GFC.
After about a year of attending the church services, I decided I wanted to do more by getting involved in the church. So, I started serving with Grace Kids with the two’s at second service every Sunday. I specifically wanted to volunteer with the two’s because I was looking for a way to make an impact on the Grace Kids community.
When COVID-19 hit, we weren’t able to attend church physically anymore. This also meant that I wouldn’t be volunteering with my two’s every Sunday, and although it was frustrating, I didn’t let this stop me from helping make an impact on the kids at Grace. During this time, I had already been creating craft kits for the kids in my neighborhood who needed something to do during quarantine. I thought this would also be good for Grace Kids in addition to the lessons and themes that were already planned by the staff each month.
My first craft included decorating a tree stencil with buttons and gems. This tied in the Bible story seeing God in creation (Romans 1:20). My second craft helped to teach the kids about the “Light of the World,” where we created lanterns out of mason jars and tissue paper. For the last lesson of the month, the kids learned about the “Great Commission” – sharing the Gospel with the world and watching it grow. With that, I created the flower pot crafts, where the kids would be able to plant a seed and help it grow.
I am hoping to continue these crafts so I can continue to serve my community and continue to make an impact on the Grace Kids program.
– Julia Gilmore
As you can tell, servant leadership spills over out of Julia’s faith and it is alive and well in the fiber of her family, all who serve alongside her in the community. Julia also serves supporting the Southern Appalachian Ronald McDonald House and the St. Jude Tri-Cities Affiliate Clinic. It is no surprise that she was chosen as the Royal International Miss Scholarship Program’s International Junior Teen Role Model 2019-2020. Julia hopes other young people will see her serve and know they too can make a difference to the people in their communities.
GFC is grateful for Julia and her servant heart!
