GRACE DAY #19 FRIDAY, MARCH 6TH, 2026 @ LINCOLN CORRECTIONAL

All Glory to God! On Saturday, February 28th, the Student Center at City Church Gastonia was filled with a powerful spirit of service for our "Pack the Hope" assembly day.

We are so grateful for the 60+ volunteers of all ages who joined the Grace It Up team to share the love of Jesus. Together, we assembled 2,000 Grace Bags—tangible messages of hope that are now ready to be delivered to six local correctional facilities in time for Easter!

The energy was high as we packed bags with treats like Doritos, Cheez-Its, Little Debbie snacks, and Oreos. However, the true "treasure" in every bag is the spiritual nourishment:

• The Scripture Cookie: A "fortune-style" cookie containing a powerful Bible verse.
• The Grace Card: Our signature bookmark featuring curated verses and a forgiveness prayer, designed to guide residents toward the life-changing grace of Jesus Christ.

The atmosphere was moved by the power of testimony. Formerly incarcerated leaders Tabatha and Noel, along with family members of those currently inside, shared their stories. Their "shared scars" and messages of redemption reminded us that these bags aren't just snacks—they are lifelines of credibility and hope.

We enjoyed a wonderful time of fellowship over Lotus Pizza and drinks, celebrating the Gastonia community’s heart for the "least of these." To close the day, Pastor CD Osborne led our volunteers in a powerful moment of prayer. We laid hands on the Grace Bag totes, asking for God’s blessing over every resident who will receive one this Easter season.

Our deepest thanks to City Church, Shane Davis, Lotus Pizza, and every volunteer who gave their Saturday to love those behind bars. Because of you, 2,000 individuals will know they are seen and valued by God this Easter.

It was a crisp Monday morning on February 23 as our team of twelve volunteers gathered outside Foothills Correctional in Morganton, feeling a mix of anticipation and purpose. We were there to spend the day with twenty-nine young men—all seventeen or younger—who are currently facing the heavy reality of serving time for capital offenses. Once we cleared security, we hit the ground running to transform the visitation room into a space that felt less like a prison and more like a community. we set up tables designed for close-knit interaction, placing two volunteers with every five or six residents so no one felt like just a face in the crowd. We even set up a makeshift "Food Lion" pantry area right there in the room to make sure these guys were well-fed and cared for from start to finish.

The energy shifted the moment the music started. We kicked things off with some singing to break the heavy atmosphere, which led right into a series of deeply personal testimonials. It was incredibly moving to look around the room and see these young men huddled at their tables, leaning in and taking notes as our volunteers shared their stories. We wanted to balance that depth with some genuine joy, so we brought out the Bingo cards—which are always a massive hit—and introduced a new hula hoop race that turned into the highlight of the morning. Watching these guys try to navigate a hula hoop across the room in pairs without using their hands brought out so much genuine laughter and teamwork; for a few minutes, they just got to be kids again.

The food was a huge part of the day's blessing, starting with a spread of Chick-fil-A biscuits for breakfast and moving into a Domino’s Pizza feast for lunch. But the most "filling" part of the afternoon was hearing from Kyle. Kyle is currently halfway through a forty-year sentence right there at Foothills, and his perspective was a game-changer for the residents. He spoke with raw honesty about his life before finding Christ and how he eventually surrendered his life while behind bars. Seeing a man in their same uniform who has earned a degree in divinity and now serves as a Field Minister gave those young men a tangible map for redemption. They didn't just listen to him; they truly took his words to heart because he speaks their language.

As the day wound down, CD Osborne delivered a powerful message titled "Broken," focused on the truth that Jesus can recover and restore even the most shattered lives. When the altar call was given, the room felt heavy with the Holy Spirit as several guys stepped forward, asking for prayer not just for their own lives, but for the families they left behind. As they eventually lined up to head back to their cells, we were able to hand each of them a Grace bag and a goodie bag to take a piece of that encouragement back with them. We left feeling incredibly grateful to the administration, Chaplain Lambert, and the entire correctional staff for their help in making this happen. It was a day of pure grace, and we are already counting down the days until we can return this June or July.