Click here to view a slideshow of the Maffins' farewell service.
Redeeming Grace Church is about “proclaiming the grace of Jesus Christ that sets sinners free to serve the living God with whole-hearted joy.” Since 2005, they’ve been doing just that. In December 2013, Redeeming Grace church planter Paul Maffin retired, passing the baton to associate pastor B.J. Walters.
The Redeeming Grace Story
In 2005, Paul and Margaret Maffin were sent by Christ Memorial Church and NETS to plant Redeeming Grace Church. But their story begins long before that.
Paul came to faith in 1971 through the ministry of L’Abri Fellowship. Following graduation from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in 1979, he pastored for 14 years near Boston. From 1993-1995, Paul and Margaret served as missionaries in Cameroon, West Africa, where he taught at Cameroon Baptist Theological Seminary. On returning to the U.S., Paul worked through Christ Memorial to establish campus ministries at the University of Vermont and Champlain College. In 1998, he began serving as associate pastor of Christ Memorial Church, where he remained until launching Redeeming Grace in 2005.
In December 2013, B.J. Walters took the reigns as RGC's senior pastor. B.J., his wife, Christin, and their three children (Naomi, Ethan and Levi) came to Vermont from Texas via Southern Seminary in Louisville. B.J. is eager to see RGC continue to grow both in outreach and in fellowship, and the Walters look forward to living out their days ministering the gospel in northern Vermont.
The NETS Effect
Redeeming Grace has had a solid support system from the start. Some 70 members of Christ Memorial formed the core. NETS Preaching Mentor Craig Combs assisted with the launch, and NETS residents still hone their preaching skills there on Sunday mornings.
When Redeeming Grace learned of a building site on prime acreage just off I-89, The NETS Network kicked into high gear. NETS raised over $90,000 for the mortgage, helped secure a construction loan, and coordinated workers from Christ Memorial for the building project. Redeeming Grace has been kind to NETS as well, offering their facility to host events and giving sacrificially from their mission budget to NETS church plants.
NETS helped secure B.J. Walters as associate pastor to succeed Paul in his retirement. A 2013 Southern Seminary MDiv, B.J. is part of a modified NETS Residency designed to strengthen him pastorally and smooth his transition into RGC.