Brief History
- Details
- Last Updated: Wednesday, 28 August 2013 15:07
- Published: Sunday, 25 August 2013 18:22
- Written by Wilma Zalabak
Grace Chapel Fellowship, a church to bless other churches, was begun by Wilma Zalabak, M.Div., in her home in 2000, and started its first mission project on Franklin Road in March, 2007. That's when Bible Storytelling met in the conference room connected with the small office which The Atlanta Listenary, Inc. was renting at the time. The Atlanta Listenary is Wilma's for-profit consulting business, first licensed in 1996.
The Bible Storytelling project opened the doors to work shoulder to shoulder with Marietta City's Weed and Seed federal grant project, piggybacking on their events the health fair, food giveaways, and Christmas gifting that have drawn in Marietta Adventist Church (MAC) for the since 2007. In the summer of 2010, the use of MAC t-shirts highlighted for the first time MAC's tremendous involvement on Franklin Road under the umbrella of Grace Chapel Fellowship.
This working together with the City and the Franklin Road Association opened the way for Marietta First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), through its Disciples Mission Food Pantry, to provide bread weekly to families in need there.
In March, 2008, both The Atlanta Listenary and Grace Chapel Fellowship lost their location in proximity to Franklin Road. Since then the large events with MAC's involvement continue, and various kinds of Bible events and classes meet in various places, wherever needed.
Grace Chapel Fellowship blesses other churches by raising the level of biblical literacy and awareness in the area, by meeting at times other than regular church services, by directing all tithe to the other churches of the area, and by inviting other churches into various mission opportunities on Franklin Road. Grace Chapel Fellowship creates opportunities for churches to be part of something beyond and bigger than themselves.