The City Church is currently in "launch week!"
Across the city, our first Villages are meeting in homes, laying the groundwork for becoming "communities on mission" together in their neighborhoods.
And this Sunday, Jan 24 at 6pm, Four Day Weekend Theater in downtown will be the site of our "launch gathering" - the first of five every-other-week All-Church Gatherings which will take us up to Easter Sunday.
Village leaders have been trained; teams are getting in place for Sunday set-up, A/V, security, KidCity, and more. And we're gearing up to talk about the gospel for the next several weeks - because there's no other right topic to start a church!
Please be praying for our church family these next few days. Below is some important info for you to know, but more than all the logistics that need to work out, pray for our leaders and teams, for our city, and that this weekend is the official beginning of something amazing that God will do in us and through us, "for the glory of God and the good of Fort Worth." Love you, praying for you, and grateful for you.
Spread the word; see you Sunday!
Ben
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:: VILLAGES ::
Villages are the center of life in The City Church. These "communities on mission" do life together in different neighborhoods across Fort Worth. Click here for a map: http://is.gd/5NdQi; jump into the Village that best fits your area & schedule!
- Westcliff Village [near TCU] Mon, 7-9pm
- Wedgwood Village [I-20/McCart] Thur, 6-8pm
- Ridglea Village [I-30/Ridglea] Sun, 11a-1pm
- Bluebonnet Village [near TCU] Sun, 11am-1pm
- Fairmount Village [S. downtown] Sun, 12-2pm
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:: AN INVITATION TO SUNDAY'S LAUNCH GATHERING ::
Some of you have been on The City Church journey since July 2009; some of you are still following from a distance. Whichever end of that spectrum you find yourself, or anywhere in between, I want to invite you to join us Sunday night as we officially kick-off The City Church.
Over the past six months, as we've gathered regularly, we've seen a group of people become a family, who cares for each other and meets each others' needs; who is warm, welcoming, and encouraging to each other as we pursue God together. We've seen a change in many of us, as we are becoming increasingly intentional in spending time with neighbors, co-workers, classmates, and friends, building relationships and trusting God to do what God will do.
We've had great discussion, good food, many laughs, and have built an all-around great foundation, and this week we're honored to "go public," sending each other as missionaries into neighborhoods across Fort Worth. This Sunday we'll start a nine-week discussion about The Gospel, and how it must be the very center of everything in our lives. We will worship, take communion together, read and preach the Bible, and will celebrate what God is doing in us and through us.
I encourage you to join The City Church for this Sunday's All-Church Gathering. If nothing else, celebrate our launch with us. Get to know some faces, and have a great time as we celebrate this new branch of God's body taking shape in and around downtown Fort Worth.
Help us spread the word, and we'll look forward to seeing you Sunday!
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:: SUNDAY PARKING INFO - ARRIVE DOWNTOWN BY 5:45pm ::
Knowing that navigating downtown's one-way streets and busy parking lots can be confusing, here's some info for you as you make your way to our All-Church Gathering this Sunday night. Even if you feel like you know downtown, we encourage you to plan on arriving by 5:45pm this week, to help us get folks settled and begin on time. Here are some directions/parking ideas:
- The Four Day Weekend Theater is at 312 Houston St, between 2nd and 3rd St. The entrance is just north of The Reata.
- Park FOR FREE in the parking garage whose entrance is on 3rd St, between Taylor and Throckmorton.
- Depending on parking lot closures (which vary week to week), you might be able to park FOR FREE in the lot on between 4th & 5th St., between Houston & Main.
- OR, if you want to roll high-class, the Reata offers valet parking, curbside in front of Four Day Weekend!
- We recommend arriving no later than 15 minutes early in order to make sure you get parked and settled into Four Day Weekend on time
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:: SCATTERED WORSHIP & UPCOMING GATHERINGS ::
In an effort to make sure that Villages remain the centerpiece of life in The City Church, we are intentionally launching our church with Sunday Gatherings spaced out every other week. However, the second Gathering falls on Super Bowl Sunday, which is a God-given gift to us, as we build relationships with neighbors, co-workers, classmates, and friends.
So February 7, instead of gathering to worship, we're sending you out to love your neighbors and host them for the big game. 1 Cor 10:31 says "Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it to the glory of God." We believe that "whatever you do" includes watching the Super Bowl, so we're encouraging you to invite neighbors over, watch the game, throw a grand party, and worship in a very different-than-normal way. Love your neighbors. Get to know them, and show them Jesus' love and generosity. Worship well, friends. Contact your Village leader for details.
Then we'll continue the every-other-week schedule for All-Church Gatherings, talking about the Gospel and God's promises we see in them. Mark your calendars with the following dates; all Gatherings are 6pm, at Four Day Weekend Theater downtown:
- Feb 21, 2010 - God is Great
- Mar 7, 2010 - God is Glorious
- Mar 21, 2010 - God is Good
- Apr 4, 2010 - Easter: God is Gracious
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:: KidCity REQUEST FOR THIS SUNDAY ::
We actually have two requests for you, to help our KidCity ministry kick-off well:
First, fill out the "KidCity Info Packet": if you've been around The City Church, you know that one of our Identities is that the church is a family. Part of living out this Identity is that everyone committed to life in The City Church will be on a rotation to lead KidCity (birth-4-year-olds) during Sunday Gatherings. In order to do this well, and keep every child safe, we're asking everyone involved with The City Church to complete a background check. We posted the forms on our online network*, here: http://is.gd/6KFyy. Please download and read the policies, then print fill out the info on the last two pages, which will be kept confidential. We're asking that everyone bring the filled-out forms to this Sunday's Gathering. [*if you're not on the online network, or can't view the post, sign up here: http://is.gd/5URCJ, then under group search, search "KidCity" and request to join]
Second, we need infant and preschool toys and books! KidCity will be a safe, Jesus-centered, kid-friendly environment for our youngest kiddos, but to make that happen, we need your help stocking KidCity with PLASTIC infant/preschool toys (up to age 5), and children's books. If you have any of these, please bring them on Sunday. If you don't, please help us out by grabbing one or two from Target and bringing it on Sunday. Our kids will greatly appreciate it, and we certainly do too! Thanks.
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