At City Church, we understand that faith is more than a set of beliefs; it’s a way of life and a posture of the spirit that is formed in community. This past fall, our staff created 'kinship gatherings'—from parties to silent retreats to roundtable conversations—where our ministry leaders could connect, reflect on our common purpose, and celebrate the gifts they bring to create space for Jesus-centered community. This commitment hasn’t been limited to leaders only. On Sundays, in addition to our community meal, Steven and Joshua have hosted monthly pour-over coffee bar along with salon-style conversations, offering a space for folks to linger and reflect on anything from centering prayer to the sermon that was just preached.
Our vision is taking shape: Jesus-centered community, attuned to the activity of the Holy Spirit, so that we might courageously participate in the work of God’s transformative love. I am proud of the kind of community that we are becoming: a place where the particular gifts, expertise, experiences, and wisdom of each person can have an opportunity to help us be more whole, connected, and a reflection of God’s breadth and welcome. This is what it's looked like these past months:
Jesus-Centered Community
All Church Retreat. This February 13 - 16, we’re stepping away from the noise of the city to make space for rest, friendship, play, and spiritual grounding. Many of us struggle to find these things in our everyday rhythms. This retreat is an invitation for our whole community to slow down, to be with one another, and to make room for God again.
You can expect fireside relaxation, friendly-competition, contemplative prayer, snack taste-testing, and creative workshops like crafting, icon-writing, or shaping a simple Rule of Life.
NOTE: There will be no Sunday worship at the Russian Center on February 15th. We’ll have Sunday worship at Mission Springs. Register by January 9th. Contact Pastor Joshua.
Deacon Board. We’ve received 4 nominations for the Deacon Board and hope to receive more. If you know someone who brings gifts of care, organization, mutual aid, and spiritual support, ask if you can nominate them to serve in this ministry that offers practical care and spiritual support for our community. Questions? Contact Pastor Emily.
Courageous Participation
Financial Health. Our current financial income and spending remains steady and within expected/budgeted ranges. At our congregational gathering in October, our Finance Team reported that 74% of our annual budget has been raised by pledged commitments. This is good news! It also means that any one-time gift you make as part of your year-end giving will make a great difference in helping us to raise the remaining $431,000 in our budget. Give Here. Give Marketable Securities. Questions? Contact our Finance Team.
Public Witness. In September, our Public Witness team discerned a call to focus on supporting those adversely being impacted by rapid and intense changes to our immigration system. Since then, we've encouraged our community to practice neighbor-love through court vigils and a monthly multi-church prayer effort that lifts up requests made by those on the front lines of supporting immigrants in our city, Invitation to Action. Most recently, our elder board voted to increase our giving to assist our partners at Open Door Legal in the hiring of an immigration attorney.
Attunement to the Spirit
Family Ministries. Our Children’s Ministry continues to grow in numbers and depth of connection, with the Family Community Group that kicked off this fall, as well as monthly Holy Listening sessions led by Ms. Barbara. A bit of sweet fun has been added to the mix with “honey parties” to celebrate when children memorize a Bible verse.
Our Student Ministry has cultivated a broad and warm sense of community among the growing number of youth who are finding a place to call home on the J-Block. Kaylee also received a $10,000 grant from Change the Story to develop a storytelling initiative that will offer micro-grants for our youth to explore faith and identity through zines, podcasts, and other forms of media this Spring. We're excited to see what our youth will create!
Worship. Jason has been leading a thoughtful liturgical redesign for deepening our Sunday morning worship experience. This has included some lighting changes and shifting our order of worship – something that both allows our children to spend more time together and allow the Spirit to unfurl in our midst. We are continuing our year of exploring the foundation of our faith through the Narrative Lectionary (we are following year 3). In the fall, we explored Ancient Promises for an age of Uncertainty and, beginning in Advent, we shifted to reflecting on Enduring Hope for Times of Despair.
Staffing. In the fall, we shared the news that Amanda Samuel will be joining our staff as the Pastoral Associate for Community Life following their graduation from Princeton Seminary in May of 2026. Between now and then, we hope that you will hold Amanda in prayer with us. We also shared the news that Nigel Tan discerned a need to step back from seminary. Because of this, he also stepped away from his role as a ministry intern.
There is so much more I could say about what is happening in our community but I hope you feel as encouraged as I do about the way that the Spirit is moving in our midst. If you have any questions at all, or would like to hear more about any of the things above, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me or one of your elders.
Faithfully,
Pastor Emily