Weekly Newsletter
February 20, 2025
This Sunday
With Jesus’ wilderness temptations in the rearview mirror, we finally come the beginning of Jesus’ Galilean ministry in Luke 4:14-30. With God’s words from his baptism still ringing in our ears, “You are my beloved son; with you I am well pleased,” Jesus opens the scroll of Isaiah to teach in the Nazareth synagogue, making the incredible claim that prophesy was coming true. The year of the Lord’s favor with all of its freedom, liberty, and healing was being fulfilled.
Join us this Sunday at 10am for worship. Come renew your heart with the promises of God in the hearing of his word and the fellowship of his people!
QUICK LINKS: Children's Ministries | Outreach | Sermons | Giving | Sunday's Service | Worship Music Library
Activities & Announcements
Leadership and Restorative Work
This past Sunday, we announced that Sam Barker has resigned from the role of elder in order to devote himself more fully to his family amidst his doctoral studies as he and Lauren continue to serve our CityKids children’s ministries. We thank Sam for his faithful service to our church body and pray the Lord’s blessings on his family, work, and studies.
The elders continue prayerfully to consider candidates for eldership to fill vacancies in leadership and to meet CityChurch’s need for leaders of diverse experience, backgrounds, and stages of life. One such candidate whom the elders now recommend to the congregation for eldership is Taylor Whitson.
Taylor has served previously as worship leader and pastoral resident at CityChurch and currently serves as interim lead pastor since late October of 2024. The congregation is asked to prayerfully consider whether Taylor meets the biblical qualifications for eldership in 1 Timothy 3:1–7 and Titus 1:6–9. The means for a congregational vote will be provided in the coming weeks.
After encouraging conversations and initial results, we look forward to sharing the data from the congregational survey conducted by the Institute of Biblical Leadership a few weeks ago. Once the data is processed and compiled, we will use it to begin working together to cast mission, vision, and values for CityChurch as we consider the work to which God has called us here in the city of Bristol.
2025 Sunday School
Hunter Herndon is teaching a Sunday evening class on Spiritual Formation. Spiritual Formation is the process and practices by which we engage in the Holy Spirit’s work of shaping our hearts and lives after the likeness of Jesus. Over the course of 14 weeks (give or take), we’ll learn about how God does this work in us and how by his grace we participate in it.
You can learn more about the class and let us know you’re interested in joining here. If you missed the class last week, check the resources tab on ChurchCenter online or on the app to see what you missed.
Bingo, Books, & Breakfast
Make plans to join the ladies of CityChurch for an evening of fellowship playing bingo and enjoying breakfast for dinner on February 28th at 6:30pm at the church building. Bring a breakfast dish to share and a book or two (or puzzles) for bingo prizes.
Family Sunday
March 30th will be our next Family Sunday! On Family Sundays we have an abbreviated service with music, liturgy, and teaching aimed to engage kids who will remain in the main service. Then afterwards we will share a potluck lunch together.
Keep an eye out for a sign-up link as the day draws closer!
Texts from CityChurch
Our Daily Sermon Prep text messages have been discontinued until further notice. However you can still receive daily texts with the readings from our CityBible Reading plan sent straight to your phone each morning. You can learn more about CityChurch communications and sign up for text messages here.
Local Disaster Relief:
Bristol Motor Speedway
One of the ways we can all be involved in helping with disaster relief in our region is by helping to load trucks and trailers with donated supplies. At this point, local donations at the Speedway are overwhelming the ability to transport them into the affected areas. This web site will direct you to a volunteer sign up form where you can choose a 4 hour block to come help with these efforts by loading vehicles with supplies. Please help out if you can!
Ministry Help
Several of our ministry teams are in need of more volunteers to help serve the needs of our congregation.
If you are interested in helping with…
Sunday morning set-up (refreshments, communion), talk to Wesley or Kayla.
Sundays’ Safety Team, talk to Lance.
Kids ministry, talk to Lauren.
Relational outreach with the folks coming in off the street, talk to Burt.
Church communications and social media, talk to Taylor.
Small Groups
Small groups are the place where life happens together. Sharing our struggles and pointing each other to Jesus is our primary agenda. If you're not part of a small group, just ask! We have a variety of groups that meet across the region, including at the church on Sunday mornings before church.
If you’re looking for a group to join, talk find Lisle Whitman at church or fill out this form
Outreach
We are still collecting non-perishable snacks for Anderson Elementary School. If you need more info about this, contact Kayla Reasbeck.
There is a bin in the 3-4 room to put the non-perishable items.
Committing to the Family
If you are interested in joining the City Church family, please let one of the elders know, and they will arrange a time to meet with you!
We essentially want to hear your spiritual story and how you came to faith in Christ. We look forward to hearing more stories and receiving more into membership!
Membership has nothing to do with being in a club, but merely affirms your commitment to City Church and your willingness to submit to the spiritual leadership of the elders.
Church Finances
Last Week's Giving: $3,387
Weekly Financial Need: TBD*
MTD Giving: $10,373
MTD Target Giving: TBD
YTD Giving: $20,085
YTD Target Giving: TBD
YTD Actual Expenses: $28,307
*The budget for 2025 has not yet been finalized.
Reflections from…
Paul Tripp
I Love When You Interrupt Me
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”
(James 4:13-15)
---
Had firm plans
good reason to go
prayer and anticipation
preparations finalized
all details covered
we’re ready to go
thankful for what’s ahead.
Started the day knowing
what we would do
but a call comes
everything changes in a second
confusion sets in
minds race
can’t go.
What now?
If not now, when?
Why?
…
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