Taking Ground in the Granite State

Photos by Tom Price

Although raised Catholic, Tim Coughlin wasn’t attending a church when his fiancée invited him to Great Bay Calvary (GBC) in Dover, NH, in the spring of 2021. More accustomed to “country club” churches where community leaders mingle and a choir sings accompanied by organ music is the norm, Tim was totally unprepared for what awaited him. “The minute I walked into Great Bay [Calvary], I realized this was not the same crowd whatsoever,” he observed. “It was pretty dramatic to me. I remember Pastor Jeremy saying we are all a mess; that we are sinners. I had never heard anything like that in any church I went to, so I felt insulted. I thought, Why should I come here? What is this doing for me?”

Jeremy Smiley, pastor of Great Bay Calvary in Dover, NH, expounds on biblical truths to the growing congregation. GBC offers two worship services on Sunday mornings as well as a Wednesday evening service.

“Taking Ground”, a mission planted in Pastor Jeremy Smiley’s heart, has been a challenge in New Hampshire—the Granite State. “There’s an atheism here I’ve not seen in other places,” Jeremy divulged. “It’s the rockiest place I’ve ever been.”

But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Matthew 13:23 

More reserved in their faith, New Englanders trend toward traditional worship within Catholic and mainline Protestant denominations. “There’s an emphasis on education and Ivy League colleges here,” Jeremy noted. “People tend to believe they’re smarter or that they’re good people, so they don’t need God. So we asked God to bless this rough terrain, dislodge the rocks, and create more fertile ground for growth.”

At Great Bay Calvary’s (GBC) Kids Harbor, children learn prayer is an important foundation as they grow in their Christian faith.

Fruit from the Soil

Tim came back to GBC again and again, soaking up Jeremy’s teachings, coming to realize he, indeed, was not “all set.” An oft-used response in New England, all set means that everything’s OK, he explained. “What Jeremy would tell you is, you are not all set. It took awhile for that to sink in.” Jeremy recalls Tim’s first visit to GBC: “After the service, [Tim] told me I was ‘full of it.’ I’m used to that kind of bluntness, being from Philly. I told him, ‘I know you think I’m full of it, but just keep showing up.’ [Tim] did—and the Lord got ahold of his heart.” On October 30, 2022, Tim and four other men were baptized in the cold Atlantic Ocean surf.

Steve Case (left) ministers to David Cande at a Sunday service altar call. GBC’s vibrant prayer team ministry has been a catalyst for growth in the congregation. 

Tending the Growth

Dan and Angie Greaser, lifelong Christians with a well-grounded faith, had been attending a church mostly bereft of personal interaction. “When we first came through the door at GBC, people were remarkably welcoming—a complete breath of fresh air,” Dan remembered appreciatively. Angie added, “We had an immediate sense that God is working here. The people have servants’ hearts, standing shoulder to shoulder serving God.”

The Greasers look back over their somewhat unconventional lives and see God fulfilling His promise in Jeremiah 29:11 for them. Through raising a family, home schooling, and managing home-based businesses, God is now using their life experiences uniquely at GBC.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

Nancy Holka (right) warmly welcomes a visitor during Sunday morning’s meet-and-greet. “Six people came to me my first visit introducing themselves, saying how nice it was to have me there. That’s what kept me coming back,” Joy Chase remarked.

Dan’s background in human resources and social media has him serving on the GBC board as well as enhancing their social media and website platforms. Angie and Dan are actively involved in The Reef, a Bible study for young families. As they share their life experiences and biblical counsel with more and more young couples and families, they see a growing ministry.

Pulling Weeds & Cultivating Soil

Attendance dropped at GBC during the pandemic, but Jeremy saw people getting serious in their faith. “The pandemic solidified a necessity in our church body—the realization that fellowship is integral to our Christian walk,” he observed.

Newlyweds Patrick and Karineh Ellison worship together. To create a stronger marriage foundation, they completed a six-week premarital counseling session with Jeremy.

Joy Chase’s church shut down in 2020, prompting her to find a new place to worship. An internet search led her to GBC where she scoured its webpage, reading their mission statement, beliefs, and teachings. “I wasn’t sold because churches can put anything on a website,” Joy critiqued. “You need to experience going in and visiting.” What she found was a body of believers who made her feel welcomed and that her presence mattered. Joy remarked, “GBC truly embodies the local calling of what a church community is supposed to look like when it comes to how people take care of each other.”

Joy’s love for people and passion for sharing the Gospel brought 15 people to GBC over the past year—three have given their lives to Jesus. 

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

“The power of relationships is important,” she asserted. “A church invitation is good, but I believe a relationship needs to be built with the individual for them to receive and consider it. Jeremy is a Bible-believing, preaching pastor. I feel comfortable inviting people knowing they will hear the Gospel preached, speaking the truth in love.”

An Abundant Garden

A vibrant church, GBC offers ministry to children, middle school, and young adults. They also have men’s and women’s Bible study groups, and a young families group.

Recently, GBC’s apologetics course was so well attended they now offer it quarterly, inviting area churches; they are hopeful the local university’s Christian ministry group will soon participate. As a lawyer, Tim Coughlin found the class valuable in understanding and defending his faith. “I was cynical as to what the Bible was about,” Tim admitted. “I thought it required blind faith, but there is real truth to what you are reading. While faith is needed, it’s not blind. There are historical facts—establishing biblical events.”

Steve Case (right), prayer team leader, and congregants pray over Carmen Clark (center). Dan and Angie Greaser agreed, “When we came to Great Bay, it was a breath of fresh air. It was as if they were living out the New Testament model of the church.”

The church maintains local outreach with The Salvation Army; Community Partners, a social-work provider; and Options, a crisis pregnancy center. Often, it is GBC congregants who discover opportunities to serve alongside the community. “When a young adult or teen sees synergy between their church and secular life, it affirms their walk of faith,” elaborated Kiley Hamblet, GBC’s Director of Ministry Operations. GBC’s Global Outreach ministry partners with Christian organizations operating in Africa, Dominican Republic, Italy, and Pakistan. Joy was invited on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic with Live2Serve. 

Kids Harbor leaders are vital to the ministry, teaching children about Jesus and how to worship Him. “There is an inpouring of young families, more than any other cohort, so we made a commitment to be involved,” explained Dan Greaser.

“We distributed food, gave mommy-and-baby bags to pregnant women, and helped fund women-led businesses so they can provide for their families,” Joy described. “I met my fiancé, Lorrens, a Haitian missionary, there. I didn’t go down to find a husband, but God placed him there and orchestrated every step so we would meet.”

Dan Greaser shared, “GBC is growing exponentially, not because we are advertising, but people come in feeling this is different and want to stay. Jeremy’s hope is revival for New England.” Angie quickly tagged on, “And at GBC, it’s one family at a time coming in, meeting Jesus, and having their lives changed.”

LaMar Sprague (left) fist bumps with Jeremy after sharing a good health report. LaMar, an eyewitness to the Jesus Revolution in the late '60s, chuckles when people ask if he has seen the recent popular movie highlighting the Jesus Movement.

Jeremy acknowledges that the fruit may take a little longer to ripen on the vine there, but “God is definitely moving the rocks, allowing the church to take more ground.”

Visit GreatBayCalvary.com to learn more about this ministry

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