Dear Family,

This past weekend, your elders and I gathered for our annual retreat to reflect on what God has been up to among us and discern the kind of community that God is inviting us to become. Through exercises drawn from human-centered design and Theater of the Oppressed, we identified areas of our community where new signs of life are emerging. In reflecting on our focus scripture passage, we considered the ways in which God was already active among us. I left our time together with deep gratitude – not only for the tremendous leadership that serves our church, but also for the space and time we had to dream, vision, and identify our next, most faithful, steps as a community. From this, two areas of our life together came into focus:

1. Prayer. You may have noticed that during Sunday worship there are an increasing number of folks seeking prayer. We recognize this as a sign of the Spirit’s movement among us! We are reflecting on what it might look like to offer more opportunities for us to pray with and for one another beyond the moment of communion.

2. Spiritual Flourishing. We sense a collective desire for spiritual flourishing – not only as a community that has weathered tremendous transition over the past several years, but also as we enter an election year that is sure to be filled with plenty of vitriol. To combat the corrosive effects of this climate, we must take on values and practices grounded in our Core Beliefs that serve to protect our peace. The following are ways that we seek to not only do just that, but also promote spiritual flourishing and be bearers of God’s abundant love – among one another and in our city:

• Theological Hospitality. A compassionate posture that engages our theological differences with an expectation that, as we learn from one another, we will discover more about who God is.
• A Generous Gospel. Just as Jesus invited all to “come and see,” we start from a place of belonging and assume that each person has gifts to offer.
• Imagination on Fire. Intellectual growth is a gift that seeds our imaginations for the pursuit of a world where God’s vision of wholeness of life for all can flourish.
• A Prophetic Joy. Because Jesus came to bring abundant life for all, we are animated by a fierce and joyful conviction that what we see is not all of what we can get.
• An Embodied Faith. When we show up for, pray with, and serve alongside one another, we make God’s saving grace and transformative love real, felt, and concrete.
• Beautiful Play. We cultivate wonder and curiosity about the ways that God is active in our midst and, together with the Spirit, we identify the gifts embedded in the world around us.

Jesus invites us toward a posture of open-heartedness, but we must navigate a culture that encourages us to draw sharp lines of division. Our ability to engage these value-driven practices not only enables us to stay close to Jesus and one another, but also grow as neighbors in our city. In the weeks and months ahead, we will explore the shape of these practices as a community.  Please join us in prayer as we all join with God in the new life that is already unfolding in our midst!

Other aspects of our life together that are important for you to know about:

ELDER BOARD TRANSITION
Elliot Rossomme has decided to step down from his role as an elder at City Church. You can hear more from Elliot on this video. This was not a swift decision but, rather, one that emerged out of deep reflection and discernment We are grateful for the service that Elliot has offered; from helping us move through a time of tremendous transition over the last 18 months to tending our relationship with our partners at City Hope. Please pray for our elder board as they continue to faithfully lead our community with energy, intelligence, and imagination.

FINANCIAL UPDATE
We ended our 2023-24 pledge campaign with $1,138,217 in pledges. Paired with estimated unpledged giving, we anticipate a total of $1,438,217 in income this year. If you recall from our narrative budget, our goal for this fiscal year is $2,200,000. There are many factors that have contributed to this shortfall, from the many transitions in our leadership to shirts in people’s spiritual commitments in a post-pandemic world. 

Our fiscal year doesn’t end until August, however the finance team and I are considering how to address this shortfall. One key area that we are prayerfully considering is whether or not to stay at the Russian Center. When our current lease expires in May 2024, the rent will increase by 40%, to $14,000 per month. While the idea of moving may feel like yet another transition, we are keeping our ears and hearts open to the ways in which this might also be an invitation from the Spirit. We have employed the assistance of a local real estate agent to help us explore our options. 

While this news is concerning, it is paired with the new growth we are seeing—both in numbers of people and spiritual response—and so we trust that God is not done with us yet! Please be in prayer with us over this issue and, if you are able to support in addressing any of these concerns—from increasing your financial commitment to a hot tip on real estate – don’t hesitate to contribute! And, of course, you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Finance Team or myself.

CELEBRATIONS!
There are many aspects of our life to celebrate! Here are just a few:

IN WORSHIP, we’ve welcomed a number of diverse voices to lead us in song and reflection and have added to our community through baptism and membership. (Interested in membership? Sign up for our upcoming membership class.) 

IN OUR COMMUNITY, new CG offerings are being developed and our LGBTQIA theology group leaders are working with Joshua to develop a class that is open to the whole church. Find out more at our next Community Sunday after worship, on Feb. 18th.

STUDENT MINISTRIES got a glow-up in classroom one as they channeled their inner Banksy to airbrush some wall panels. 

CHILDREN’S MINISTRY is where our recent class on Bodies, Sex, and Relationships equipped parents and caregivers with tools for becoming “the askable parent.” Barbara is also designing take-home Lenten prayer kits based on the prayer stations that our children engage in every Sunday.

SERVICE + JUSTICE efforts are taking root as Jesse has worked to grow a community of City Church volunteers to serve with partners like City Hope and the Civic Joy Fund.

Even as our challenges are real, God is up to good and life-giving things in our midst. Please join me in praying for our community as we continue to be a people marked by love.

Even as our challenges are real, God is up to good and life-giving things in our midst. Please join me in praying for our community as we continue to be a people marked by love.
 

Faithfully,
Pastor Emily