Grace Presbyterian Church has been in Peoria for over 140 years. From the beginning, we have been committed to reaching the Peoria area and the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Grace's mission is to obey Christ's commands to love God, love others, and make disciples. In doing so, we believe we will nurture a loving community that changes lives through Christ. We have four core values with which we align all our ministries:

•	Truth/Scripture — We are committed to the authority and trustworthiness of the Bible in all aspects of life and ministry, taking precedence over church tradition and human opinion.
•	Prayer — We are committed to pray in our humble dependence upon His Spirit.
•	Unity — We are committed to teamwork, cooperation, and harmony, being one in spirit, sentiment, and purpose.
•	Intentionality — We are committed to equip all generations to serve the Lord utilizing innovation and creativity, and by lovingly engaging our world until Jesus returns.

Historical Sketch

Grace Presbyterian Church is the outgrowth of a Sunday School that was established March 1, 1862 in what was then the fourth ward of the City of Peoria, near the site of the Riverplex today. The first superintendent of the school was D. W. McWilliams, a prominent railroad man who had recently moved to Peoria from New York. He was able to secure a passenger rail coach to use as the first meeting place for the new Sunday School. The Fourth Ward Mission School started with 19 children, and within a few Sundays the class had grown so much a second passenger coach had to be added.

After two months, a small building was erected at the corner of what was then Clay and Green streets (the site of Taft Homes today) with the help of the YMCA. Evening services were added, and on May 1, 1868, the little mission school was organized and incorporated as a church.

The church moved to the corner of Wayne and Madison streets (where Friendship House is located today) in 1874. Since they were no longer in the Fourth Ward, they changed their name to Grace Mission Church. Around 1877 under the leadership of Rev. H. S. Beavis, it was decided that, since the church was now self-supporting, it would be more appropriate to drop "Mission" from the name, and the church became known as Grace Presbyterian Church.

The original wood frame church building was destroyed by fire in 1890, and church members built a new brick structure at the same location. During the Great Depression, church leadership considered shutting the doors, as membership declined; however, perseverance and faith in the future enabled the church to continue.

In 1957, under the leadership of Dr. Bruce Dunn, the church moved to Forrest Hill and Knoxville and a radio ministry was established that expanded the church’s outreach. The church built an addition in 1972 that included a new sanctuary, office space, and Sunday School classrooms. A television ministry was also started that year, and continues to this day.

The church purchased 60 acres of land on Route 91 for a new home in 2004. Ground was broken in 2008, and the church moved into its new home on September 26, 2010. Today, under the leadership of Dr. Ben Johnston, Grace Presbyterian Church continues to reach out to the Peoria area and the world with the good news of Jesus Christ.