Grace Community Church

05/31/2026

If you would like to make a meal for the Morreale family the meal train is open for the next couple of weeks.
Here is the link to sign up:

Let's help David, Kaitlyn and Mia with some meals as they welcome baby Leo home this week.

05/30/2026

INDOOR/OUTDOOR LUNCH AFTER CHURCH

Please join us for lunch on June 7th directly following church. There will be a bounce house and games for the kids outside. We will have both indoor and outdoor seating but all the food will be served inside. We are grilling so please bring a side dish or dessert to share.

JUNE 14TH 2026 HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES SERVICE

If you have a high school student graduating this year we would love to celebrate them! Please submit 2 photos, one current and one of their younger years to [email protected]. We will create a slide show and have them come up front in service to recognize them.

GRACE MEMBERSHIP

If you are not a member and are interested in becoming one please reach out to Mindy at [email protected]

05/26/2026

Reorientation
Sunday, May 24, 2026 • Preached by Kyle Pipes

Summary: Back before we had things like Maps on our phones, I got on the right road but in the wrong direction on a trip home. After a few exits, something didn’t feel right, so I got off and looked at a map. Once I was able to reorient myself, I realized what I did and headed back in the right direction. We all need reorientation in our lives–in our relationships, our goals, our culture, just to name a few. When Saul encounters the risen Christ, his life is radically reoriented, reminding us that God reorients our purpose, vision, and passion, too.
God reorients our purpose. Saul believed his purpose was to stop the expansion of the early church. After his encounter with Christ, his purpose became to lead the expansion of the early church. Through God’s grace, the church’s enemy became the church’s friend! Our experience of Christ reshapes our purpose. We don’t necessarily become worldwide leaders of the church like Paul, but we each become reflectors of God’s grace. That’s our new purpose. This is done by loving our neighbors and enemies, building relationships, organizations, and communities on the vision of resurrection, and embracing the good and beauty in the world because it is what God will rescue and restore. How has God reshaped your purpose?
God reorients our vision to see through the lens of the resurrection. This is what happened to Saul, and he forevermore saw everything through the lens of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. As he writes in Ephesians 1:9-10, “he[God] has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.” I like to look at NASA’s photo of the day because it reminds me that the lens we look through dramatically changes what we see. When we see through the lens of the resurrection, we are reoriented in the way we see ourselves, others, the past, the future, and the world. When you look through the lens of the resurrection, what do you see now?
Misplaced passion misshapes life. Saul was passionate about protecting Judaism. This put him at odds with the God of the universe, not where you want to be. Saul becomes Paul, and his passion is reoriented to building the church, not destroying it. Our faith reorients our passion. Our passion becomes to be agents of hope, faith, and love in the midst of our everyday lives. What are you passionate about?

Passage for Reflection: Acts 9:1-18

Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” He asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” The men who were traveling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank. Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” He answered, “Here I am, Lord.” The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength

05/23/2026

JUNE 7TH INDOOR/OUTDOOR LUNCH AFTER CHURCH

Please join us for lunch on June 7th directly following church. There will be a bounce house and games for the kids outside. We will have both indoor and outdoor seating but all the food will be served inside. We are grilling so please bring a side dish or dessert to share.

JUNE 14TH HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES SERVICE

If you have a high school student graduating this year we would love to celebrate them! Please submit 2 photos to Mindy at [email protected], one current and one of their younger years. We will create a slide show and have them come up front in service to recognize them.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR YOUNGLIVES DONATIONS

The moms at Younglives felt blessed by our Mother’s Day gifts to them. Karina said one of the girls there said “I love that church, they do everything for us”.

These baskets are one way that we get to help teen moms feel seen and special by giving them a simple basket of self care items so thank you for donating. If you are interested in learning more or becoming a volunteer please reach out to Karina at [email protected]

05/15/2026

Building Something That Lasts
Sunday, May 10, 2026 • Preached by Kyle Pipes

Summary: The story of Acts gives us a guide on how to build something that lasts. This is important for us because we are always building something–a life, a faith, a next step, a family, a career, retirement. A solid foundation, structural integrity, and authenticity are all essential.
Growth and flourishing require a solid foundation. The foundation of the church is Jesus, the cornerstone. The book of Acts tells us how God’s Spirit empowers the Apostles and early church to become the new Israel. The life, death, and resurrection of Christ and the Miracles of the Apostles through the work of the Holy Spirit create the foundation of the church. How solid is your foundation?
The integrity of what you’re building will determine its longevity. While the punishment of Annanias and Saphira seems harsh to us, it is also a demonstration that the integrity of the early church was essential; otherwise, it would have been a non-remarkable gathering of people that would not have shaped history. If a structure, system, or object doesn’t have integrity, it collapses, falls apart, and becomes corrupted. What’s the strength or integrity of what you’re building?
Authenticity is essential for dependability. Peter tells Ananias that the property and money were theirs; it was the deception that was the problem. We all face pressure to maintain appearances, but the grace of God should empower us to be authentic. Is what you are building real?

Passage for Reflection: Acts 4:32-5:11

Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. There was a Levite, a native of Cyprus, Joseph, to whom the apostles gave the name Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”). He sold a field that belonged to him, then brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But a man named Ananias, with the consent of his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property; with his wife’s knowledge, he kept back some of the proceeds, and brought only a part and laid it at the apostles’ feet. “Ananias,” Peter asked, “why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, were not the proceeds at your disposal? How is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You did not lie to us but to God!” Now when Ananias heard these words, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard of it. The young men came and wrapped up his body, then carried him out and buried him. After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you and your husband sold the land for such and such a price.” And she said, “Yes, that was the price.” Then Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” Immediately she fell down at his feet and died. When the young men came in they found her dead, so they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. And great fear seized the whole church and all who heard of these things.

05/08/2026

MOTHERS DAY

Stacie Issakainen, one of our members, has started a grass fed tallow skincare business to honor their daughter Olivia’s chronic health condition, and she is graciously providing our moms with samples of her products.
They will be displayed on the table in the foyer so be sure to grab one on your way out. We will also provide fruit cups in addition to our normal donut spread to celebrate.

LAST WEEK OF COLLECTING YOUNGLIVES ITEMS - MOTHER’S DAY BASKETS

We have the opportunity to bless the moms that Syracuse Younglives serves! You can help by donating items that we will use to create Mother’s Day baskets. We will donate 12 baskets total and will need all items to the church by Sunday, May 10th!

Here are the items that we need for the baskets (please pick one item and donate 12 of that item.

$10 McDonalds, Dunkin, Amazon and Walmart gift cards!! Deodorant, lotion, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, loofah, candy, chocolate, devotional/book/journal, baby wipes, markers, colored pencils, adult coloring books, lip gloss, chapstick, makeup (consider for all color skin) and 12 bins or baskets. There will be a bin in the foyer or you can connect with Karina or Mindy at church if you don’t want to leave them in the bins.

You can also put together one whole basket if it’s easier for you to do that. Reach out to [email protected] or 315-427-5587 with questions.

LADIES BIBLE STUDY TUES NIGHTS 7PM

Join us as we discuss the book of Acts using a study guide by NT Wright starting Tuesday the 21st at 7pm.

05/05/2026

The Battle is Real
Sunday, May 3, 2026 • Preached by Kyle Pipes

Summary: We are all battling something — ourselves, others, systems, the spirit of the age, just to name a few. Today, we continue our series in the book of Acts and discover guidance on what to do in the midst of those battles: find power in the resurrection, be bold, and connect with God.

Find power in the hope of restoration and resurrection. In Acts 4, Peter and John end up in a battle with the religious authorities for healing a man. God’s Kingdom is one in which the world is resurrected and restored, but this was upending the political and religious norms. This was a frequent battle for the early church, and they always responded by doubling down on God’s plan revealed through the resurrection of Christ. Remembering that resurrection and restoration are signs of what is to come helps us have hope in the midst of our battles. We unlock a new vision for a path, opposed to getting caught in believing that it's all meaningless or that it will always be this way. How might restoration and resurrection give you the power of hope right now?

The boldness of love creates movement. Peter and John respond boldly to the battle with the religious authorities by highlighting that they were complicit in Jesus death, but Christ has been resurrected, and God’s Kingdom is bringing healing. Bold action in Christ is servanthood, sacrifice, and forgiveness. These can take the practical forms of being candid and kind, listening so others feel heard, admitting need or asking for help, and offering forgiveness. These actions transform the battles we are in. What’s a bold move you could make?

Prayer places us and our struggle within the field of God’s power, grace, and love. The early disciples pray that God would continue to enable them to speak boldly. The prayer in Acts 4 is a helpful guide on how to pray: connect to the personal, powerful, loving God, remember God’s faithfulness, ask for the power to love, and experience God’s Spirit. We will find that this will powerfully shape us in the midst of the battles we face. What are your current rhythms of prayer?

Passage for Reflection: Acts 4:5-31

The next day their rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. When they had made the prisoners stand in their midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. This Jesus is ‘the stone that was rejected by you, the builders; it has become the cornerstone.’ There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.” Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized them as companions of Jesus. When they saw the man who had been cured standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. So they ordered them to leave the council while they discussed the matter with one another. They said, “What will we do with them? For it is obvious to all who live in Jerusalem that a notable sign has been done through them; we cannot deny it. But to keep it from spreading further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” So they called them and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in God’s sight to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge; for we cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard.” After threatening them again, they let them go, finding no way to punish them because of the people, for all of them praised God for what had happened. For the man on whom this sign of healing had been performed was more than forty years old. After they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. When they heard it, they raised their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth, the sea, and everything in them, it is you who said by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant: ‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples imagine vain things? The kings of the earth took their stand, and the rulers have gathered together against the Lord and against his Messiah.’ For in this city, in fact, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. And now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant to your servants to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.

05/01/2026

YOUNGLIVES - MOTHER’S DAY BASKETS

We have the opportunity to bless the moms that Syracuse Younglives serves! You can help by donating items that we will use to create Mother’s Day baskets. We will donate 12 baskets total and will need all items to the church by Sunday, May 10th!

Here are the items that we need for the baskets (please pick one item and donate 12 of that item.

$10 McDonalds, Dunkin, Amazon and Walmart gift cards!! Deodorant, lotion, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, loofah, candy, chocolate, devotional/book/journal, baby wipes, markers, colored pencils, adult coloring books, lip gloss, chapstick, makeup (consider for all color skin) and 12 bins or baskets. There will be a bin in the foyer or you can connect with Karina or Mindy at church if you don’t want to leave them in the bins.

You can also put together one whole basket if it’s easier for you to do that. Reach out to [email protected] or 315-427-5587 with questions.

LADIES BIBLE STUDY TUES NIGHTS 7PM

Join us as we discuss the book of Acts using a study guide by NT Wright starting Tuesday the 21st at 7pm.

04/28/2026

A Shared Way

Resurrected Life: A New Way
Sunday, April 26, 2026 • Preached by David Morreale

Summary: In Acts of the Apostles 2:42–47, the early church is not presented as a perfect religious community or a strategy for church growth, but as a vulnerable people reshaped by the Spirit after the resurrection of Jesus. Living under the power of the Roman Empire, they shared meals, possessions, time, and daily life because they no longer saw themselves as isolated individuals protecting what was theirs. They had become a people who belonged to God and to one another.

Within the passage is a tension many modern Christians feel: if this is what life with God produces, why does the church so rarely look like this now? The answer is not simply better discipline, stronger programs, or more intentional habits. Acts 2 did not begin with human effort—it began with God’s interruption. Spirit-formed community cannot be manufactured through willpower.

We all have stories about the beauty, messiness, sacrifice, and uncertainty that often accompany shared life. Sometimes generosity bears visible fruit. Sometimes it feels confusing and costly. Yet both reveal the same invitation: to stop treating life as a private possession and start receiving it as a gift to be shared.

To say “your life is not just yours” does not mean losing boundaries, identity, or agency. It means seeing time, home, money, and presence as entrusted by God for the sake of love. Resurrected life is not merely a new belief system—it is a new way of living together.

The practical invitation is to take a real next step into shared life through community, especially small groups, where ordinary rooms, meals, and conversations become spaces where the Spirit forms extraordinary people.

Passage for Reflection: Acts 2:42-47

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

43 Awe came upon everyone because many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 All who believed were together and had all things in common; 45 they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

04/21/2026

When the Spirit Comes

Resurrected Life: A New Way
Sunday, April 19, 2026 • Preached by David Morreale

Summary: The arrival of the Spirit in Acts 2 is not a quiet or controlled moment, it is disruptive, visible, and transformative. Wind and fire signal the presence of God, echoing Sinai, but now God’s presence no longer rests on a mountain or in a temple. Instead, the Spirit fills ordinary people. What was once limited to a few is now available to all. As the Spirit comes, barriers break, language divides are healed, and the confusion of Babel is reversed through mutual understanding and hope. Yet the same event produces different responses, some are in awe, while others dismiss it. When the Spirit moves, not everyone will recognize it.

At the center of this passage is a profound transformation: fearful, confused, and ordinary people become courageous, hopeful, and bold. Peter, who once denied Jesus, now proclaims him. This is the defining truth of resurrection life: it is not something we produce through effort or discipline, but something we receive through the Spirit. The Christian life is not powered by self-improvement, but by the presence of God within us.

Many of us, however, try to produce what can only be received. We rely on our own strength, planning without prayer, serving without connection, believing without experiencing transformation— and end up exhausted. We can manage relationships, shape behavior, and build impressive lives, but we cannot manufacture soft hearts, peace, or true fruitfulness. When the Spirit is absent from how we live, what is revealed is often our limitations and brokenness. Our fears, our anxiety, our need for control. But when we depend on the Spirit, we receive something different—grace for our limits, peace for our anxiety, surrender for our control, and mercy for our exhaustion.

The invitation of Acts 2 is not to try harder, but to stay open. Rather than approaching spiritual practices as tasks to complete, let us approach them as ways of cultivating dependence. We can begin our days with surrender instead of strategy (“Spirit of God, fill me today”), pause to acknowledge God’s presence in key moments, and pay attention to the subtle ways the Spirit nudges us toward love, humility, and connection. This is not about pressure, but participation.

Ultimately, resurrection life is received, not achieved, but an invitation to receive what we could never produce—life with God. The question is not simply what God is doing, but whether we are open to receiving it.

Passage for Reflection: Acts 2:1–21

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”

But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: “Fellow Jews and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

‘In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.
Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
And I will show portents in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
The sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.
Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’