David & Lisa Grainge

David and Lisa Grainge serve in south Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The community consists of a diverse cross-section of ethnicities, as well as numerous socio-economic backgrounds.

According to local missiologists Coz Crosscombe and Bill Crispin, only 12 percent of the over 1.6 million people who live in Philadelphia attend church on a Sunday morning. The area is in desperate need of a spiritual awakening. There are many who have never heard the gospel message, and others who profess Christ but do not have a solid knowledge of or commitment to the Lord.

After seeing the need in their community, the Grainges began revitalizing a 125-year-old church that serves several ethnic congregations in south Philadelphia. They minister to refugees in their community, and hope to see the current English-speaking congregation revived and enlarged.

David writes: “As you reach your local community, it has far-reaching effects across the world, around the globe, and that’s a powerful thing. We can make a difference locally that goes far beyond our communities.”

In addition to this church revitalization ministry, David and Lisa serve the needs of their community by offering food distribution. They also teach English as a Second Language (ESL) classes and provide refugees assistance in navigating the social services system.

The Grainges have served as InFaith field staff since 2012.

David has a B.A. in German (with minors in teaching and writing) from Middlebury College and an M.Div. from Grace Theological Seminary. For nine years he pastored the Millgrove Bible Church in Alden, New York, and he was previously the executive director of the Buffalo Christian Center in Buffalo, New York.

Lisa is a paralegal, a background that has greatly benefited her refugee assistance ministry. She graduated from Penn State University with a degree in psychology in the Fall of 2022. She is a client advocate at AlphaCare, ministering to pregnant women in crisis and their families.

David and Lisa were married in 1987. They have four biological and six adopted children.