We are ending our series on "Who We Are" with a look at one of the most important words in the life of City Church: Renewal. Our mission, as you know by now, is to follow Christ to renew the city. But what does it mean to follow Christ in renewal? How is God renewing us in order to be part of this work? We'll take a look at those and other questions as we walk through the activities we engage in that we believe lead to renewal for the church, for our own lives, and for our city.
Within this post, there is a brief survey for you to take while you read. We will use your feedback as we continue to refine our plans and programs.
In The Divine Embrace, Robert E. Webber writes about the way God renews us through a loving embrace that reunites us with Himself and redirects our lives. God does this work over and over again with us as we live out our spirituality. At City Church, we have identified four activities that we believe engage us in that process of renewal. As we engage in holistic renewal individually and as a church, we believe multiplication of our efforts will be the natural overflow.
1. Gathering A Worshiping Community
We gather as a community each week to be reminded of who God is and who we are in relation to God. We come to worship God, to experience God's love and forgiveness and to be God's presence to each other. Through that gathering, God reunites us to Himself and we can then move back into the world from a place of connection. City Church meets for worship at two sites every Sunday, and in worship services at County Jail throughout the week. We build the foundation of our lives from a place of worship and union with God, because it is only from that place that we can go out to love the world as God calls us to love it.
City Church has never been, though, a church for itself. We have been responsible for planting and coaching 23 congregations across America. We've also seen the founding and growth of the Newbigin House of Studies right here in San Francisco, a seminary program to train leaders and church planters to multiply this work to renew the city.
2. Intentional path
Living on an intentional path with God each day is a key piece of renewal. Not only are we invited to engage with God in personal spiritual practices like prayer and scripture reading, but also to put ourselves in community with others to support, encourage, and teach us. This is precisely why we offer Community Groups all over the city. Being in vulnerable community will often draw you deeper within your own story, and that is part of why we established our professional counseling center at City Church. We also offer regular support groups, classes and retreats around issues that will take us deeper into God's story, our own stories and practices of renewal. In all of these things, in community with others and communion with God, God is reuniting us to Himself.
3. Proclaiming and embodying the gospel
When we know God's love for us our passionate response is to allow God to redirect our lives. Think about all the neighborhoods, workplaces, schools and homes that we cover as a congregation. We are able to embody the gospel in our circumstances in many different ways and many different places as we simply go about our lives. When you live your life authentically in your communities, you will often find that God leads you to opportunities to share your faith and invite people to come to City Church. City Church has grown because of people praying for these opportunities and responding to them when they arise. We are a church who is committed to remembering what it's like not to believe so that we can be a place for anyone who comes through our doors to encounter the work of the living God. We also live this out by offering events throughout the year that invite people who wouldn't come to a regular Sunday morning service--artist dinners, our annual Harvest party, and an upcoming faith and work retreat in June.
4. Serving those in need inside and outside of the church
When we are united to God we find ourselves living out God's story in our individual lives and in our life together as the church. Serving is one of the ways in which we participate in the story of God. We are redirected to use our time our gifts and resources to help others and enhance our communities. Within the church, we have people serving in all different ways, according to need and giftedness. In three services each week, people serve by distributing the Eucharist, collecting the offering, teaching children, playing music, greeting people at the door, and praying--among other roles. Throughout the week, City Church is as deeply committed to serving those in need in San Francisco. We offer mentoring and worship services in County Jail and build relationships with students at El Dorado Elementary School. City Church has just secured a new location in the Tenderloin to bring hope, love, and renewal to people in that community.
How we serve is not only an outpouring of our love, it is a redirection of our spirits. We turn from being inward-focused and selfish to generous and open-handed, sharing the renewal we experience in Christ with others.