Hey GCK family! I am truly honored to have been asked to share with you, but first, I want to take some time to talk about my people. My husband, Mike, and I moved here a few short months ago with our two children, Grace (5) and Salvatore (1), from upstate New York. Moving across the country to a new place with no family and a handful of friends has certainly been a challenge, but God has been so faithful and blessed us beyond our imaginations. One of those blessings has been Grace City Church, which we attended for about two months.

In 2015, I served in children’s ministry as a Sunday school teacher and attended bible study once a week, but my life outside of church did not reflect what I claimed to believe. I found myself unwed and pregnant in an abusive relationship that same year. I wrestled with how I had gotten to where I was; I felt ashamed and scared. I believed the enemy’s lies that said my church family would condemn me the same way I had been condemning myself. God reminded me that He still loved me and sent His Son to die for me even though I was a sinner (Romans 5:8) and that His grace was sufficient enough for me (2 Corinthians 12:9).

I recommitted my life to Jesus; He restored me, rescued me from a destructive relationship, set my feet back on solid ground, and showed me His grace in action through His church. My church family rallied around me, supported me, loved me, prayed for me, and encouraged me. I was invited to my church’s mom’s group, and I began attending shortly after my daughter, Grace, was born. I made attending a priority, and it had a radical impact on my life and my daughter’s life.  

I was surrounded by women from different backgrounds, parenting styles, and stages in this group, but we all had two things in common: we loved Jesus and were striving to be the moms God created us to be. I was not judged, I was lifted up. I was not shunned, I was loved. I was not shamed, I was encouraged. I was not condemned, I was extended grace. I may have been the “odd man out” being a single mom but I always felt like I belonged. I was a part of something bigger than myself, a sisterhood that helped shape me into the mom I am today. In that group, I met some of my best friends who significantly impacted my life and my family. These are the same women praying for my wonderful husband long before I met him. After years of attending a moms group, I was asked to help lead. I did not feel equipped to lead, but my weakness is where God’s power is made perfect (2 Corinthians 12:9). I used my experiences to encourage and guide other moms, and God made beauty from my ashes.  

When we got to Florida, the closest friend I had was an hour away. I was a stay-at-home mom who felt very alone. I found two local mom’s groups and joined right away. Soon the feelings of loneliness and isolation melted away. Once Mike and I had felt that God had called us to call Grace City Church home, I felt led to start a moms group. God then opened the doors for that to happen, and beginning in January, Grace City Moms will be in the lineup for City Groups.  

I am so excited to start this new adventure that God has called me to and can’t wait to see what God will do in and through Grace City Moms. I pray that all the moms of Grace City Church, no matter what age or stage of motherhood, would join. As moms, we have been given the most important role in the church, we are raising the next generation of Jesus followers, and I pray that we wouldn’t try to do it alone. I pray that Grace City Moms will be a blessing to the women who attend and the entire church.

– Sydney DiGiuseppe