Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church had a unique claim of having been organized in a still house, an abandoned building near the Wilhelm-Menius graveyard. The formal organizing of Grace Church took place on the 2nd of May, 1880. Dr. John B. Davis, who assisted in organizing, preached that day.
Grace’s history goes back much further than 1880 and overlaps with the history of other Lutheran congregations. The “founding fathers” of Grace Church, with their families, had met quite some time in the old abandoned house for services every other week. Many of their ancestors began to migrate to this area of North Carolina around 1750.
Grace’s pastors, from the beginning of her organization, have been well-trained and conscientious workers. Five of the pastors have served as President of the NC Synod, some professors of colleges and seminaries, missionaries, developers and organizers of churches, and some served on important boards and committees. Grace’s first pastor, the Rev. V.P. Stickly, helped organize Grace Church, and it was dedicated on April 24, 1881.
The church was remodeled in 1924. In 1929 some Sunday School classes were added, and the sanctuary was re-floored and stained. In 1939 the parsonage was built on Miller Road.
On March 30, 1947, the church building burned during Sunday service. Most of the movable furniture was saved and placed in storage. Council immediately secured the use of Patterson School to hold services in.