Grupo Grace is a Dominican worship band formed in 2015. They are five: David Lewis, who leads and sings; Rafael Tejada on voice and guitar; Frank Soriano on bass; Eliezer Minaya on drums; and Randy Viloria on piano. Their own line for what they do is that they met God at the altar and intend to stay there.

How it started

Lewis had been living in Antigua for several years. He came back to the Dominican Republic, met Tejada, and the friendship turned into a band. Their debut, El Río de Dios, was recorded in 2016 for Camila Studio.

Libres Live followed, cut at the Iglesia Tabernáculo de Adoración — the congregation Marcos Yaroide pastors, and the one Sara Batista sings out of. Altar Live came after it, with Josh Morales of Miel San Marcos, Aaron Moses of Maverick City, the pastor Moisés Bell, and Mathew and Waleska Morales as guests.

Altar

The band leads a mission of the same name: an annual gathering, now several years old, that draws thousands of worshippers and brings in speakers from outside the country to teach on worship. It is not a support act to the records — it is the thing the records come out of. Génesis Colón’s Rompan el Techo, the most widely heard Dominican worship song of recent years, was recorded live at the Altar conference.

What they carry

Grace is also a label and a workshop. Génesis Colón names them as her leaders and as the producers of her output; Naomi Almonte records through Altar Music, and Arquitecto began with a reflection Lewis shared with Tejada, who then arranged it. Misael J sings on their Espíritu Santo Fluye.

Suena el Arpa set a record in Dominican Christian music. Herido, Pero Caminando and Haré Un Altar En Mi Casa belong to the same body of work, and Una Iglesia Sin Mancha, cut with Luis Moreno, is the most recent.