Our Story Is Our Name

The grace of God in Jesus Christ is central to the Scriptures, the church, and the Christian life. You may be under the impression that you must live a “good life” to impress God so that you can win his love and blessing. Maybe you think that church is a club for “good people” who have their act together- the “holier than thou people.” Nothing could be further from the truth!

The good news of God’s Grace is that we are welcomed into God’s family and receive his love based upon the perfect life, sacrificial death, and victorious resurrection of Jesus Christ for us. The message of the gospel is not about us and what we do for God. It’s about Jesus Christ and what he has done for us. Jesus came to rescue failures and screw-ups. He came to set us free from bondage to guilt, fear, and shame so that we can live a life of love and service to our neighbors. God’s grace heals, renews, and transforms. It’s this message of grace that we want to work out in every area of life. It’s this message that we are most determined to grow into and express as a community.

The second part of our name is Mosaic. A mosaic is a beautiful work of art that is made up of many broken pieces of different shapes, colors, and sizes. When these different pieces are bound together by a skilled artist, they each contribute to the beauty of the larger work. This is the vision of our community. We are a community made up of broken people, of many different ethnicities, cultures, experiences, and vocations. We believe that God, the great artist, is bringing us together by his grace so that he can reveal the beauty of his kingdom to NE DC through us. Our conviction is that the most powerful testimony to the truth of the Christian faith is revealed in the quality of our life together.

The mission of Grace Mosaic is “unity in diversity” and we would love for you to be a part of the beautiful mosaic that God is creating in Northeast DC! So come with your questions. Come with your culture, your story, and your gifts. Come with your loneliness, family drama, and needs. We are bringing the same things, trusting that God not only wants us to believe, but also to belong and to be free through faith in Jesus Christ. This is God’s good news for all people- and that includes you!

Grace Mosaic’s History

Every good church story begins with a seed of faith, and ours was no different. For years, faithful people gathered in humble prayer within the living room of Kevin and Amy Offner. From these gatherings emerged a prayer request: for God to cultivate a reformed theology church, a vibrant tapestry of many cultures, woven together by His grace in the heart of D.C. Prayers answered, followed by action as Virginia’s McLean Presbyterian Church and New York City’s Redeemer Presbyterian Church united in a shared quest to find a pastor who would ignite and lead this dedicated community to plant a new church. In the summer of 2003, the moment arrived as Rev. Glenn and Meg Hoburg joined their ranks, called to guide this nascent movement. The size of the community grew quickly to 500 weekly attendees — a diverse community extending God’s grace across the city.

From the start, this new community dreamed of a network of churches sharing the same mission in the city. That vision became reality in 2010 when Grace Meridian Hill Church was launched by Rev. Duke and Paula Kwon in the northern section of DC. 

A few years later, in 2013, Rev. Russ and Vanessa Whitfield were called by the Grace DC Session to plant a new church alongside elder Chris Moore, elder Michael Schafer, deaconess Esther, and deacon Ian Milne. Together with 50 committed people—some of whom had been part of the original living room gathering—they planted Grace Mosaic Church in Northeast DC. The community began by hosting Tuesday evening dinners to gather neighbors and pray for the Lord’s guidance. By September 2014, the church was meeting every Sunday morning for worship at Stokes, a local elementary school that shares a similar cross-cultural mission.

As the Lord led and blessed our work, Pastor Russ’s vision grew, and he brought on Rev. Joel Littlepage and an amazing staff to expand our spiritual growth, grow our love of worship, and serve our neighbors. After 12 years of service to Grace Mosaic, Pastor Russ moved on to a different vocational call in 2025. As Grace Mosaic continues our practice of praying and waiting on the Lord, we sit in the interim searching for our next Lead Pastor to shepherd us through the years of ministry to come.

We have already witnessed incredible fruit in our short history of ministry, and we sincerely believe this is just the beginning of the abundant works the Lord will accomplish through Grace Mosaic in Northeast D.C. With humble hearts, we will continue to passionately glorify the person and work of Jesus Christ, joyfully welcome our neighbors into the transformative love of God, and boldly live out a word and deed faith that profoundly impacts lives. We eagerly anticipate and celebrate how the Lord will continue to beautifully create our diverse mosaic by His boundless grace. His story, through us, is just beginning.