Saving Grace Church of the Nazarene in Battle Ground is preparing to host its first “Community Cuts” event, offering free haircuts for people of all ages from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 24, at 203 S. Parkway Avenue.
The effort is part of the church’s push to meet practical needs in the community following a recent rebranding and revitalization of its mission to serve its community.
“In this economy, and during this time of year, especially, we wanted to relieve some of the financial stresses families encounter in preparing for the new school year,” said Jen Swaney, the church’s outreach coordinator.
The church, established in 1951 and formerly known as Starting Grounds, was facing closure earlier this year when a small group of members decided to relaunch under a new name. Board member Will Swaney said the group felt “God wasn’t done” with the church’s work. The name “Saving Grace” reflects their aim to create an outpouring of care that extends beyond Sunday services, he said.
“We believe this is a place of saving grace, and we believe that's an outpouring that comes out of these doors, and that's what we want to see,” Will Swaney said.
With a congregation of about 25 to 30 people, Saving Grace relies entirely on volunteers to carry out its work. Will Swaney said the board’s renewed goal involves creating visible community impact every month.
“Monthly, we see some sort of impact, right? We're not concerned with necessarily the number, but we're concerned with … making sure that we're impacting … the community every single month,” he said.
Since relaunching in May, the church has aimed to put that mission into action through consistent community outreach. Past efforts have included hosting an Easter egg hunt for families, organizing a summer kickoff event, assembling more than 100 hygiene and snack packs for men and women in the unhoused community in partnership with the Council for the Homeless, and delivering over 100 care packages with healthy snacks and encouraging notes to local police and fire departments.
“We don't want everything to live inside of these walls,” Will Swaney said. “We want people to feel like this is an open door when they have a need and that we're here to meet that for Battle Ground.”
The board decided the new mission would focus on consistent, practical outreach. Will Swaney said that commitment shaped the idea for Community Cuts.
“We’re trying to find a way to serve those in the community who may not have the funds to do everything that they need, so haircutting is one of those things when kids go back to school or even teachers or anyone, goes back they wanna feel their best and this is a way for us to give back,” he said.
“We wanted to extend that further to our seniors in the community, our veterans or anyone who can't afford a haircut but would like to feel that way about themselves, that people do after they get a haircut,” he added.
The free cuts will be provided by licensed stylists and barbers volunteering their time. Appointments will be booked starting at 10 a.m. and will last about 20 minutes each. While waiting, guests can enjoy family-friendly movies, treats, crafts and a supervised outdoor play area for children.
