2025
Dear One Harbor Church,
Another year has gone by where we’ve been able to make much of the gospel together! Like the previous sixteen years, we’ve known both the privilege and the pain of being part of the church, but the privilege has far outweighed the pain.
In 2024, we leaned hard into discipleship with a steadfast determination to see Jesus increase in our lives. I’ve been so thankful for all the ways in which this is happening and we are poised already at the beginning of 2025 to see more of Jesus at the end of the year and less of us! As John the Baptist said, “He must increase; I must decrease.” Amen!
Additionally, in 2024, we experienced major transition at two of our four sites:
Firstly, the baton was passed from Tom Tapping, who has faithfully led our Swansboro site since its inception in 2016, to Luke Harper. The Swansboro site, which moved into a new facility on Easter of 2024, has grown from a handful of folks to nearly a thousand gathered weekly hearing the gospel! We rejoice that God has been so kind to us in this transition and we are full of gospel hope as we look to the future for One Harbor Swansboro.
Secondly, we also are sending out Jesse and Hayley Kincer, who’ve been part of One Harbor since nearly the beginning, and led the New Bern site since its inception, as this site transitions to an autonomous church called, “City Grace.” These kinds of moments can be so hard, but again, we are grateful for God’s kindness. We are grateful for years of partnering closely with the Kincers and all of the folks at One Harbor New Bern, and we are praying our biggest prayers for them all in this new gospel endeavor!
There are so many other things that we can rejoice over, mourn and pray for as we look over our shoulders at 2024. Many of these things are highlighted in the report you are about to read. Truly, God is so good and his mission is so big!
As we are now in a new year, I want you to join us as we trust God for a season like the church in Jerusalem enjoyed in Acts 9:
“So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.” Acts 9:31 ESV
This is what we are praying and fasting for as we look forward to this year.
Pray For A Season Of Peace
God is good even when times are tough. We’ve experienced several years of hardship and trials. From massive hurricanes, to pandemics, to major leadership challenges, etc., we have endured and God has been faithful through it all. However, the Bible tells us that there is a time for peace and a time for war. We are praying for a time of peace! Join us in asking God for this. However, consider the role you can play. Jesus calls us to be, “peacemakers,” not those who “stir up division.” As we trust God for a season of peace, “so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” (Romans 12:18)
But we don’t just want peace. Peace by itself can mean the “quiet death of irrelevance” as someone has said.
Pray For A Season Of Being Built Up
You can’t focus on infrastructure, on building up, when you’re fighting non-stop conflicts. Peacetime affords you the opportunity, if you don’t give way to passivity, to build and rebuild. Like a city or a country, the church needs building up. From actual buildings to systems, staff, leaders, and processes that allow for the flourishing of those in the church and the community around the church. As you pray, ask God how you can help! Remember in Nehemiah how everyone had a part to play in the wall being built and the city restored, that’s the local church at its best!
But what good are buildings and infrastructure if there are no people to benefit from them?
Pray For A Season Of Multiplication
Multiplication can feel like a burden, not a blessing, when your energy is being cannibalized by conflict and you lack the infrastructure to handle the growth. However, when you have peace and you have infrastructure, multiplying is a blessing. We are SO grateful to God for all the growth that he continues to send our way. Yet we keep trusting God for more because there are so many people around us who still need the life-changing news of the gospel. We have a massive vision to fill ENC with the gospel. Join us in praying for God to find us faithful and entrust us with more as he sees fit.
Pray For A Season Of God’s Grace and Power
The church in Acts was defined by these things, may it be so with us! Fellow partners, we have so much to be thankful for and so much to do together. We must take these words seriously, both individually and corporately. How must we live if we want to “walk in the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Spirit?”
Let’s continue to grow as disciples of Jesus and carry the gospel into every corner of Eastern NC. Let’s more than ever seek to remain faithful, humble and hopeful!
For The Sake Of The Gospel,
Donnie Griggs
Lead Pastor
One Harbor Church
In 2024, we leaned hard into discipleship with a steadfast determination to see Jesus increase in our lives. I’ve been so thankful for all the ways in which this is happening and we are poised already at the beginning of 2025 to see more of Jesus at the end of the year and less of us! As John the Baptist said, “He must increase; I must decrease.” Amen!
Additionally, in 2024, we experienced major transition at two of our four sites:
Firstly, the baton was passed from Tom Tapping, who has faithfully led our Swansboro site since its inception in 2016, to Luke Harper. The Swansboro site, which moved into a new facility on Easter of 2024, has grown from a handful of folks to nearly a thousand gathered weekly hearing the gospel! We rejoice that God has been so kind to us in this transition and we are full of gospel hope as we look to the future for One Harbor Swansboro.
Secondly, we also are sending out Jesse and Hayley Kincer, who’ve been part of One Harbor since nearly the beginning, and led the New Bern site since its inception, as this site transitions to an autonomous church called, “City Grace.” These kinds of moments can be so hard, but again, we are grateful for God’s kindness. We are grateful for years of partnering closely with the Kincers and all of the folks at One Harbor New Bern, and we are praying our biggest prayers for them all in this new gospel endeavor!
There are so many other things that we can rejoice over, mourn and pray for as we look over our shoulders at 2024. Many of these things are highlighted in the report you are about to read. Truly, God is so good and his mission is so big!
As we are now in a new year, I want you to join us as we trust God for a season like the church in Jerusalem enjoyed in Acts 9:
“So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.” Acts 9:31 ESV
This is what we are praying and fasting for as we look forward to this year.
Pray For A Season Of Peace
God is good even when times are tough. We’ve experienced several years of hardship and trials. From massive hurricanes, to pandemics, to major leadership challenges, etc., we have endured and God has been faithful through it all. However, the Bible tells us that there is a time for peace and a time for war. We are praying for a time of peace! Join us in asking God for this. However, consider the role you can play. Jesus calls us to be, “peacemakers,” not those who “stir up division.” As we trust God for a season of peace, “so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” (Romans 12:18)
But we don’t just want peace. Peace by itself can mean the “quiet death of irrelevance” as someone has said.
Pray For A Season Of Being Built Up
You can’t focus on infrastructure, on building up, when you’re fighting non-stop conflicts. Peacetime affords you the opportunity, if you don’t give way to passivity, to build and rebuild. Like a city or a country, the church needs building up. From actual buildings to systems, staff, leaders, and processes that allow for the flourishing of those in the church and the community around the church. As you pray, ask God how you can help! Remember in Nehemiah how everyone had a part to play in the wall being built and the city restored, that’s the local church at its best!
But what good are buildings and infrastructure if there are no people to benefit from them?
Pray For A Season Of Multiplication
Multiplication can feel like a burden, not a blessing, when your energy is being cannibalized by conflict and you lack the infrastructure to handle the growth. However, when you have peace and you have infrastructure, multiplying is a blessing. We are SO grateful to God for all the growth that he continues to send our way. Yet we keep trusting God for more because there are so many people around us who still need the life-changing news of the gospel. We have a massive vision to fill ENC with the gospel. Join us in praying for God to find us faithful and entrust us with more as he sees fit.
Pray For A Season Of God’s Grace and Power
The church in Acts was defined by these things, may it be so with us! Fellow partners, we have so much to be thankful for and so much to do together. We must take these words seriously, both individually and corporately. How must we live if we want to “walk in the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Spirit?”
Let’s continue to grow as disciples of Jesus and carry the gospel into every corner of Eastern NC. Let’s more than ever seek to remain faithful, humble and hopeful!
For The Sake Of The Gospel,
Donnie Griggs
Lead Pastor
One Harbor Church
transformed by the gospel.
The gospel is the good news of what Jesus has done. It transforms who we are and it transforms what we do. Below are some ways that we’ve seen the gospel at work in our church in 2025.
Weekly Attendance
We want to make disciples who are on mission in their communities. Rather than meeting in one centralized place, we gather in multiple locations, called sites. It is amazing to have so many people come together each week throughout Eastern North Carolina to declare how good God is and to remember how much we need one another.
In 2025 we released our New Bern location to be their own autonomous church. That said, our attendance grew across our three locations.
In 2025 we released our New Bern location to be their own autonomous church. That said, our attendance grew across our three locations.
sermons in 2025
We prioritize the preaching of the Word. At One Harbor, you won’t hear a sermon that’s not about the gospel of Jesus Christ. Below you can see some of the series that we went through as a church in 2025.
baptisms in 2025
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MOREHEAD BAPTSIMS
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EAST BAPTISMS
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SWANSBORO BAPTISMS
morehead site update
God has been so good to us, and 2024 was no exception. The culture of both prayer and worship deepened last year, partly through intentional programming like Mid-Week Worship and First Friday Prayer meetings and also through the creation of a Prayer Team for those particularly called to intercession and deliverance ministry.
Our Youth Ministry has continued to blossom, with many middle and high schoolers arriving early on Sundays to pray for the morning with our serve teams. We participated in missions to support families of special needs affected by the Ukraine War and also on-going support of house-churches in the Middle East. For a growing number of Spanish speakers, we’ve implemented a live translation capability that makes our services more accessible.
We have also expanded our counseling ministry through resources made available by the Summit Church, specifically a program called Gospel-Centered Marriages, and we have trained a number of couples to serve as marriage mentors. A capable set of volunteers has launched GriefShare for those in our church who have suffered profound loss. Our Access Ministry has continued to flourish, making Sunday services available to those with special needs. The Ladies Ministry has offered regular prayer breakfasts, Bible Studies, and outdoor events.
Though the fruit of some of these things is still in its early stages, we are grateful for all the ways God continues to strengthen our church!
Our Youth Ministry has continued to blossom, with many middle and high schoolers arriving early on Sundays to pray for the morning with our serve teams. We participated in missions to support families of special needs affected by the Ukraine War and also on-going support of house-churches in the Middle East. For a growing number of Spanish speakers, we’ve implemented a live translation capability that makes our services more accessible.
We have also expanded our counseling ministry through resources made available by the Summit Church, specifically a program called Gospel-Centered Marriages, and we have trained a number of couples to serve as marriage mentors. A capable set of volunteers has launched GriefShare for those in our church who have suffered profound loss. Our Access Ministry has continued to flourish, making Sunday services available to those with special needs. The Ladies Ministry has offered regular prayer breakfasts, Bible Studies, and outdoor events.
Though the fruit of some of these things is still in its early stages, we are grateful for all the ways God continues to strengthen our church!
ADOLFO AND BRENDA
a story of God's saving grace
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Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Vestibulum faucibus accumsan nulla, non faucibus velit convallis et. Nulla tempus placerat massa. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Vestibulum faucibus accumsan nulla, non faucibus velit convallis et. Nulla tempus placerat massa.