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Caribbean Life, March 24-30, 2022
House of Grace church serving and educating the community
By Tangerine Clarke
The diversity within the pews of
the House of Grace church, is representative
of the East New York
Community it serves, with programs
that uplift, and spiritually
nourish congregants while filling
them with hope, at in-person and
online Sunday services, from its
231 Rockaway Ave. sanctuary in
Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
The church conducts monthly
services on the first Saturday –
At the Altar of God Prayer Only
service from 6 am – 7 am. Additionally,
a Sunday service from 10
am- 12 pm is held in-person, and
live streamed via Facebook.
A Bible Lesson is held from
7:00 – 7:40 pm every Wednesday
& Friday, via a Live Stream
Facebook link Houseofgrace231,
while an 8:00 – 8:30 pm Thursday
Pray with Me conference call via
telephone could be accessed, by
Dial-in #1-302-202-1108 – Access
Code: 516605.
The food pantry that serves
more than 200 residents every
Saturday, is one of the most
important missions of the church,
that partners with food banks to
ensure everyone who joins the
line leave with a hamper of nutritious
food.
Pastor Gabriel Adewale Adebayo,
a senior Nigerian-born clergy,
stated, “if you come to Grace,
you can’t turn back,” during a
recent lengthy interview with
Caribbean Life in the church’s
auditorium, where he recalled his
journey as a young Muslim sweeping
the floors of a mosque he
attended with his mother.
The House of God, which
opened its doors 14 years ago,
and ministers to approximately 90
parishioners of African, Caribbean
and Hispanic heritage, was the
beginning of the pastor’s transition
into the Christian faith, after
being discouraged by the teachings
and customs of the Muslim
religion.
“I was born and raised a Muslim
and one day my mother, a
very dedicated woman, taught me
what God needs from us,” said the
pastor who believes that everyone
should be treated equally, and
not be dictated to, as an example
of women must be fully covered
from head to toe to enter the
sanctuary.
Pastor Adebayo praised the work
of women parishioners, naming
Pastor Eintou Rogers, as a dedicated
leader, and Elder Joeanne
Cruickshank, who after leaving
her place of work every Wednesday
stops to clean the church. He also
thanked volunteers, Elder Janice
Fisher and Deaconess LaShawn
Stevenson, and others, for their
service in the food pantry.
Women’s Heritage Month
was especially inspiring, in the
church, that offered programs to
help those who have experienced
domestic violence. House of Grace
also joined the fight for the 500
million women and girls who cannot
afford to purchase menstruation
products, as part of its “End
Period Poverty” campaign.
A leadership program, trains
and teaches people every Sunday
from 12:00 to 12:30. “There’s no
question that there is too much
for us to do for everyone,” said
the cleric.
Due to the Coronavirus pandemic,
the pews became empty,
since the church followed all protocols,
and continues to maintain
a safe space, going as far to have
a command COVID-19 center for
testing on the premises.
For this, he is grateful that no
one from his congregation died
from the virus. Mask requirement
stays in place to keep the
now small gathering healthy, and
thanked his wife, a nurse, for her
professional contribution.
The church is in the process
of expanding its space to include
the basement, in order to accommodate
youth programs, that currently
host prom dress and scholarship
indicatives, supported by
members and the community.
Members of House of Grace Church, last Saturday, March 19, continued
their food pantry outreach, where more than 100 residents
received hampers of nutritious food. From left, Pastor Maxwell
DeGuire, Pastor Kehinde Jobi, Sr. Pastor Gabriel Adebayo, Pastor
Einfou Rogers, Deaconess Natasha Macintosh, Elder Joeanne
Cruickshank, and residents who lineup every Saturday for nutritious
food at the church’s 231 Rockaway Ave., location. Photo by
Tangerine Clarke
Do You Know NYC’s
COVID-19 Alert Level?
The COVID Alert Levels show the current level of
COVID-19 risk and what to do to protect yourself.
Alert Level What This Means
• Avoid nonessential activities and crowded places.
• Keep physical distance in all public settings.
• Stay home if sick or were exposed to COVID-19.
• Wear a mask in all public indoor settings.
• Get tested for COVID-19.
• Avoid crowded indoor and outdoor settings.
• Get vaccinated and boosted.
• Consider wearing a mask in public indoor settings.
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Current Level:
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Know our current level and learn more at nyc.gov/covidalert.
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