Church to open on Trade Street

The Church at Greer Station (TCGS) will hold its first public service this Sunday, Sept. 7 at Grace Hall on Trade Street.

For Rev. Trevor Hoffman and Rev. David Eill, the church’s two pastors, this weekend marks an important milestone.

“It kind of blows my mind to think that we’re going to be in the downtown area in a facility like Grace Hall,” Eill said. “We’re just super excited about it.”

While this is the first official public service for The Church at Greer Station, the group has been meeting at Greer Community Ministries since April.

“The first launch [on Easter Sunday] marked our ‘identity building phase,’” Hoffman said. “Our church has existed as a small group for a few years. This summer provided an opportunity for us to transition from a small group ministry of an existing church to an autonomous local church gathering for worship on Sundays.

“Our aim this summer was primarily about getting our sea legs as a church before turning our attention and energy toward the greater downtown Greer area,” he said.

Eill said the time spent at Greer Community Ministries has been beneficial.

“We couldn’t have asked for a better situation and a better set up than what they provided for us,” he said. “Greer Community Ministries has been great. They have been nothing but kind to us and we’re very appreciative and thankful for them. People work together in the community to make that community better and that’s something we hope to do with more non-profits and churches in the area.”

The Church at Greer Station welcomed its first wave of members last Sunday. Joel Gardner was one of 33 joining the church.

“Being a member at TCGS is like being a part of a big family,” Gardner said. “We see each other pretty often and we get to share life with each other—hard times and good times.”

Hoffman said he has seen steady growth since starting the ministry in the spring.

“Something we’ve discovered is that evidences of God’s grace often present challenges, and challenges present opportunities for God to give us grace,” Hoffman said. “This summer has been full of incredible stories and awesome testimonies about God personally involving himself in the lives of our people. We’ve had seven families move into the area, families who are excited about making disciples in our city. God is good and is up to some pretty neat things.”

Being a first-time pastor comes with a learning curve, Eill said.

“In a lot of ways, it has kind of been learn as you go,” he said. “You do everything you can to prepare ahead of time, but just like anything else, you can’t really know what it’s like until you’re actually doing it.

“Trevor and I have enjoyed learning how to work together,” Eill continued. “I’ve had to learn how to preach the gospel to myself before I preach it to the rest of the congregation. It’s the first time that I’ve had to account for leading other people spiritually. The things I’ve been preaching, I’ve come to find out that the Lord has been teaching me those exact same things. It has been humbling.”

Familiar territory

Having grown up in the Greer area, Eill can remember meeting at Grace Hall with Springwell Church.

“That’s where my church met. It’s a little bit nostalgic for me,” he said. “I just remember how downtown was then and how it is now.”

Since then, downtown Greer has changed, Eill said.

“It’s completely different. It’s thriving a lot more, there’s more commerce and there’s more people,” he explained. “It’s just an incredible location because now, in downtown Greer and at Grace Hall, we’re kind of at the epicenter of the community in Greer. That’s where we want to be. We want to be where the people are.”

Partnership

Becoming part of the Greer community has meant partnering with other local churches and organizations.

“We’ve become members of the Greater Greer Chamber of Commerce and are working to be a part of the Greer Station Association,” Hoffman said. “Our desire is to be an asset to our downtown community and work in conjunction with several of the churches already doing really good work in the city.”

The Church at Greer Station has also worked closely with what Hoffman calls “sister churches.”

“Any church preaching Christ crucified, multiplying disciples and working for the good of our city is a sister church,” Hoffman said. “At the same time, we acknowledge God gifts certain people and communities in specific ways and for specific tasks. Every local church is a unique expression of the universal church and offers something different. One of our guiding principles is to ask, ‘Who would weep if our church did not exist?’ It is our goal to be such a blessing to Greer that our city would ache if we closed our doors.”

Freedom Fellowship’s Rev. Cliff Marshall has worked alongside the two pastors over the past several months.

“We really believe in what David and Trevor are trying to do in starting a church that will reach the downtown area of Greer,” Marshall said. “We know they are going to do things in a way that’s biblical and a way that’s God honoring. We believe they will actually reach people with the message of the gospel.”

The Church at Greer Station has also partnered with the Three Rivers Baptist Association. Rev. Tom Capps, mission ministries director with the association, said he is excited for what is to come.

“We’re very excited about the launch of this new church,” Capps said. “We’re excited about Trevor and David’s passion for working with the City of Greer and the other existing churches in the area. We think they’ll do whatever it takes to reach every man, woman and child for the gospel.”

More information about The Church at Greer Station can be found at tcgreerstation.com. Grace Hall is located at 108 Trade Street. Services begin at 10 a.m.

“I hope we can just be a community that is known for being for Greer,” Gardner said.
“We want to be a community that is here to love on Greer and help in any way we can.”