On the south side of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, a congregation of believers has been gathering every Sunday morning at Donegan Elementary School since January 2010. GraceWay Community Church describes itself with two short phrases that capture everything the church wants to be: "Committed to Truth . . . Amazed by Grace." That dual identity, biblical conviction paired with wonder at what God has done, shapes every part of life at GraceWay, from the preaching of Scripture to the way the congregation cares for its children and supports missionaries around the world.
A Church Plant Born from Prayer
GraceWay began in May 2009, when a small group of men who were faithfully serving their church in nearby Orefield, Pennsylvania, sensed the need for another Christ-exalting, Word-centered, evangelical church in Bethlehem. Those conversations turned into plans, and the first public worship gathering took place in January 2010. The congregation cheerfully calls itself an "infant church," honest about the positive growth and the occasional growing pains that come with being a young church plant. Over the years the church has settled into a steady rhythm of ministry, built a detailed doctrinal statement, and developed a global mission network stretching across five countries, a sign that the prayers of those founding men have produced a substantial, multi-layered work.
Sundays at Donegan Elementary
GraceWay meets at Donegan Elementary School, 1210 E. 4th Street, on the south side of Bethlehem. Worship begins at 10:00 a.m., but anyone arriving early will find a light breakfast waiting in the lobby. The Café runs from 9:15 to 9:50 a.m. and offers coffee, tea, bagels, fruit, yogurt, and other light items, giving the congregation a chance to catch up before the service begins.
Parking is in the lot behind the school, accessible off 5th Street, and the church is clear that there is no dress code; come as you are. Services generally last about an hour and thirty minutes and follow a familiar shape: musical worship, a time of giving, and the preaching of God's Word. Communion is celebrated occasionally. On the first Sunday of each month, children stay in the service for a special kids' message and activities rather than being dismissed to class.
The sermon is also livestreamed each week on the church's YouTube channel, and recordings remain available afterward for anyone who missed a Sunday or wants to revisit a message. Children who need a quieter place can use the nursery in Room 235 of the Kids Hall, where the service is live-streamed so parents will not miss anything happening in the main room.
Worship, Grow, Serve, Go
The heartbeat of GraceWay's discipleship is a four-part mission: Worship, Grow, Serve, and Go. Each word is a response to God's grace, and together they summarize the journey the church wants every member to walk.
Worship is, in the church's own words, "a way of life that remembers and celebrates the mercies of God." Members are committed to offering their whole selves, head, heart, and hands, to declare God's worth. Grow is the path of becoming who believers already are in Christ by faith, unfolding individually and corporately through worship services, discipleship, small groups, and church membership. Serve points outward toward the body of Christ, recognizing that the gospel frees people to love and serve their brothers and sisters. Go is the church's sending impulse, modeled after the way Jesus was sent into the world.
Beliefs Rooted in Scripture
GraceWay holds to a detailed doctrinal statement built around several core convictions. The Bible is treated as the Word of God, "fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts," with supreme authority in matters of faith and conduct. The church affirms one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, equal in every divine perfection and executing distinct but harmonious offices in creation, providence, and redemption.
Jesus Christ is confessed as God's only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, living a sinless life, dying a substitutionary atoning death, raised bodily, ascended into heaven, and personally and visibly returning to earth. The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, regenerates and sanctifies all who believe, and indwells every believer as an abiding helper, teacher, and guide.
GraceWay teaches that human beings were created in God's image but fell into sin, leaving every person born with a sinful nature and under just condemnation. Salvation comes through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, who died as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice. Those who trust in Him are justified on the ground of His shed blood, regenerated by the Holy Spirit, and made new creatures.
The church observes two ordinances committed by Christ to the local church: baptism and the Lord's Supper. Baptism is by immersion of a believer in water into the name of the triune God, has no saving power in itself, and is reserved for those old enough to believe for themselves. The Lord's Supper is a memorial of Christ's death, observed by all who have placed faith in His atoning blood and are walking in obedient fellowship with Him; the church practices open, not closed, communion. GraceWay also affirms the bodily resurrection of both the just and the unjust, a literal heaven and a literal hell, the personal and visible return of Christ, and the eternal state of the righteous and the wicked.
On matters of organization, the church holds that every believer has direct relations with God and is responsible to God alone in matters of faith, that each local church is independent, and that Church and State must remain separate. Cooperation with other churches is welcomed but voluntary.
GraceWay Kids and the G-Squad
Children are a deliberate focus at GraceWay. GraceWay Kids serves Pre-K through fifth grade, with two classes (Pre-K to 1st grade and 2nd to 5th grade) that meet in the Kids Hall after children are dismissed from the service at the start of the sermon. Parents check kids in at the Welcome Center. A nursery is available for infants and toddlers in Room 235 and includes toys and a changing area; for nursing moms, the room offers a livestream of the service so they can stay engaged with the message.
For students in sixth through twelfth grade, the G-Squad youth group meets weekly on Thursday nights at 7 p.m. for activities, Bible teaching, and small-group time broken out by gender and grade. Kirsten James leads Children's Ministries and Communications, and Jon and Courtney Dersch lead Youth Ministries.
Small Groups, Men's and Women's Ministries, and Prayer
Beyond the Sunday gathering, GraceWay places a strong emphasis on community that fits into the rhythms of daily life. Small groups meet at different times and locations around the area, and anyone interested in joining one can email Pastor Jim Lowe. The church also offers men's and women's ministries, which include regular breakfasts, accountability groups, seasonal Bible studies, and occasional retreats.
A Prayer Team plans quarterly prayer events and hosts a weekly Wednesday evening prayer time on Zoom, encouraging the congregation to grow in the practice of praying for one another and for the wider work of the church.
Going to the Nations
GraceWay's sending impulse is visible in the global partners the church supports. Ryan and Erin Bennett serve in Paris, France, making disciples in one of Europe's most spiritually challenging cities. Dan and Joy serve together in Asia, teaching English and connecting with students and ex-pats through a local house church. A partner identified only as K does written translation work and trauma-informed care on the field in Asia. Jason and Sara Sykes have been serving in the Dominican Republic since 2020, and Jon and Lorena Templeton facilitate a church planting movement in Ponferrada, Spain. In Pforzheim, Germany, Jil Christiansen has spent more than twenty years supporting the local church, discipling others, and praying for the country.
Serving on Sunday Mornings
A church plant only runs because its members give their time. GraceWay's serve teams include a setup and tear-down crew that prepares the school's gym each Sunday morning, a Café team that serves the weekly breakfast, a greeting and welcome team stationed at the door and the welcome desk, a children's Sunday school team that teaches two classes each week, and a nursery team that cares for the youngest children. Each team rotates roughly every four to six weeks, training is provided, and, in keeping with Pennsylvania law, volunteers who work with children must have current criminal and child abuse clearances on file.
The leadership of the church includes Lead Pastor Jim Lowe, four elders (Jon Dersch, Mark Edwards, Dan James, and Rich Sharpe), three deacons (Remoun Amin, Bonnie Lowe, and Phil Tielmann), Kirsten James overseeing Children's Ministries and Communications, and Jon and Courtney Dersch leading Youth Ministries.
For giving, GraceWay accepts donations through Zelle directed to treasurer@gracewaycc.com, through an online giving portal, or by cash or check in the offering box on Sundays or by mail to 72 Kiernan Avenue, Hellertown, PA 18055. Funds can be designated to the General Fund, a Leadership Fund that elders and deacons use to meet special needs in the church body, or to special funds as they arise.
GraceWay Community Church still calls itself an infant, but on any given Sunday morning at Donegan Elementary, with coffee brewing in the lobby and kids streaming into the Kids Hall, the church looks like what those founding men in Orefield were praying for: a Bethlehem congregation committed to biblical truth and amazed by grace.