“The work of ministry is about finding new ways to reach people with the Gospel and the Grace Upon Grace helped us do just that at CTK during Lent this year. Their dramatic dance to Let My Prayers Rise Up during our Wednesday night worship service was elegant and expressive. They transformed a familiar part of our worship with engaging movement that drew the congregation into a new level of interpreting a much-beloved text. I'm thankful these young women shared their gifts with us in a beautiful way!” -Pastor Patrick, Pastor at Christ The King Mankato MN
"Each year during Lent we worship to Holden Evening Prayer. Our congregation dearly loves this prayerful liturgy. This year we invited Grace Upon Grace to incorporate dance into the service and we were transformed! The liturgy did not change but it was amplified in a way hard to describe with words. We were literally changed by the experience." -Pastor Mark Orvick, Senior Pastor at Diamond Lake Lutheran Church Minneapolis MN
"I am so grateful for the opportunity my 8 year-old daughter had to dance with Grace Upon Grace. She has been dancing since she was three and enjoys learning ballet, tap, and jazz at a local ballet company. Dancing in a worship service with Grace Upon Grace was the first time that she was able to connect her love of dance with learning more about God and the Bible. After several rehearsals with Grace Upon Grace, she started reading the Bible on her own and initiating conversations with me about God. I think she would participate in church every week through dance if she had that opportunity!" -Rev Siri Erickson, Chaplain at Christ Chapel St Peter MN and Parent of Workshop Participant
“Sacred dance with is not only the highlight of our daughter’s summer, but a time for her to light the world with her love for Jesus through movement, expression, and spiritual inspiration. She loves sacred dance because "she meets new friends and dancing in church for Jesus makes me feel special!"” -Jennifer, Parent of Workshop Participant
“I’ve been fortunate in the past to worship with churches that understood the power of sacred dance. Now that I’m a mom, I’m so grateful that my kids have the chance to dance with Grace Upon Grace. When she was eight, my daughter got to dance at a Sacred Dance weekend workshop. She was learning — by doing — that faith can be a whole body experience. She was proud that the young dancers would be a very important part of worship on Sunday. And watching them dance brought tears to many eyes. Their movement gave so much meaning to the words of inspiration in the music. Through the dancing, I think the whole congregation connected more deeply to their own faith. I wish more churches would include dance in their services!” -Lucy, Parent of Workshop Participant
“It has been a real joy to see [my granddaughters’] engagement with sacred dance. They have not been raised in the church, except for sporadic exposure to Sunday School when we could take them and vacation bible school each summer. Sacred dance gives them entry into the beauty and grace of our Christian story in a way that words alone can't do. It's also given them confidence in themselves and a different understanding about dance that is not primarily about performance. I am profoundly grateful for these experiences to be part of their lives.” -Mary, Grandparent of Workshop Participant