KAREN RAYFIELD
Founder, Grace House | Outreach ministry, Church on the Rock

“You have to keep moving forward.”

In 2017, Karen Rayfield was ministering at Church Under the Bridge when she met a young woman in desperate need of housing. Karen reached out to her friend Dorothy Ware, who had access to a residential space where the young woman could live temporarily. From that day on, Grace House was born.

Grace House is a Christian transitional home for mothers and expectant mothers ages 17–27 who have been displaced, are homeless, or are at-risk for homelessness. The one-year program, which is associated with Church on the Rock, includes regular church attendance and Bible study, as well as counseling and practical support.

Karen herself experienced homelessness as a young adult. At 19, she found herself pregnant and living on the streets of Chicago. She said that another woman helped her out of that situation, and she knew she would one day pay forward that kindness—which she has done tenfold.

For its first five years of operation, Grace House operated out of a five-bedroom home. However, in 2022, Church on the Rock purchased a 5,000-square-foot facility, which includes 10 bedrooms, seven bathrooms, and an emergency wing for those needing immediate assistance.

Grace House is an extension of Karen’s home life. While Karen and her husband’s biological children are grown, they are currently keeping and caring for five kids, ranging in age from 18 months to 11 years old, none of whom are biologically related to the Rayfields. She is “Mimi” both to her biological grandchildren and to the children she has fostered.

Karen and Artie enjoy attending the annual Grace House Gala. submitted photo

Previously, Karen cared for the children of an incarcerated mother. Eleven months later, the mother and her children reunited at Grace House. “The family is thriving now,” Karen said. She cited her role in their journey as one of her greatest accomplishments.

Twice weekly, Karen ministers to incarcerated women. “I love it to see lives change right in front of my eyes,” she said. Multiple times every week, she feeds community members: senior citizens, families living in State Line hotels, children on breaks from school. She and her husband, Artie, have been known to provide transportation and funding for laundry services.

“My third grade teacher told me that she could see me working in the community and serving,” Karen recalled. “I didn’t understand it then, but I understand it now.”

Karen serves others from a place of lived experience and deep understanding. She is a testament to the unlimited possibility of each human life. “I truly believe that God has a plan for each and every one of us,” she said. “Sometimes we have a hiccup in the middle of the road, but it’s never meant for us to stay in the middle of the road. You have to keep moving forward. There’s purpose and destiny waiting.”

FSLM ASKED KAREN:

What book are you currently reading?
The Gods of the Woods by Liz Moore.

Name a girl or woman you admire.
Mother Theresa.

If you could speak one sentence of wisdom to your past self, what would you say?
Trust the process, believe in yourself, and a quitter never wins.

How Jo Murphy Sees Karen:

“Karen is simply amazing. She has a warm smile and sweet laugh that instantly makes others feel like they are her people. She gives tirelessly to the community, doing everything she can to help the city’s most vulnerable. Every time I turn around, I find out about some new way that Karen is pouring into Texarkana. Once she told me about how strategic food ministries keep teenage girls from making desperate choices with their bodies. Another time, she had to cancel a coffee date because she had just received a new foster placement. More recently, I was driving a young friend home after a play date with my own children. This kiddo is one of many that she has stepped up to be a surrogate grandparent for. As we were driving, he pointed out the window at a young woman walking down the street. “I know her,” he said. “She lives at the house my Mimi bought to help people.” And that’s Karen. Her love for Jesus flows into everything she does. She’s like Texarkana’s own Mother Theresa.”

Feature Stories

Tribute to Women: Karen Rayfield