A Grammy-winning Christian rapper who made the New York Times best seller list will be speaking at Grace Community Church this Sunday.
Lecrae, known for his music’s focus on his Christian faith and authentic hip-hop beats, will be speaking about “the ups and downs of his faith journey” at Grace at 9 a.m., 10:15 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., Lead Pastor John Slye Jr. told ARLnow.
“Grace Community Church is thrilled to welcome 4X Grammy award-winner Lecrae to speak at all three of our Sunday morning gatherings on Aug. 18,” he said. “Lecrae will speak about his life, his music, and the challenges and triumphs of his faith journey, offering an open and transparent perspective.”
In a 2016 memoir, Unashamed, Lecrae — whose legal name is Lecrae Moore — discussed his discovery of God and self-worth following a troubled past involving abuse, run-ins with the law and struggles with drugs and alcoholism.
“I’m hoping my scars will heal other people,” Lecrae told the Associated Press when the book published. “I’m dealing with my pain and guilt in a healthy way for people to see me navigate. I’m not saying that I have it all figured out. But I am saying that I’m willing to wrestle with it in a productive way.”
On Sunday evening, Lecrae will also be performing at a 7:30 p.m. concert at Grace, located on the second floor of Ballston Quarter at 4238 Wilson Blvd.
The non-denominational church has been hosting big names since it relocated to the mall from the auditorium of Thomas Jefferson Middle School in 2022. At past concerts, performers have included Christian artists Steven Curtis Chapman, Colton Dixon and Jordan Feliz.
Moving into the Ballston Quarter space drove a 30% attendance bump, but the concerts, which started last September, put the church on the map, Slye told ARLnow in March.
“We have no desire to make Grace the hero. We just want to see the space bring people together, because this is a lonely place, and community is healthy for us, mentally, spiritually and physically,” Slye said at the time. “People just want to make friends and make community. We want to rally around that, big time.”
Photo via Lecrae/Instagram
