2017 was a great year for the Worship, Tech and Creative Arts team.  Brad and Rebecca Bigler continue to lead the team in the interim while we wait for God to supply a permanent leader. This past year continued a trend of increased team health.  We added another 17 members, going from 41 to 58 people.

The Creative Arts side of the team achieved a major breakthrough in set design. In all, their hard work and creative efforts resulted in four different sets that provided a welcoming backdrop for services. The Tech Team, working under Jonathan Davis, has trained numerous individuals and implemented enhancements in the visual arts and lighting department.

Our worship team has hosted songwriting and technical workshops which facilitated talent development and resulted in additional individuals developing their congregational worship leading abilities. However, these things pale in comparison to the work God has done in the last year. Our members were involved in several outreach ministries to other churches and at several conferences, reaching literally thousands of people. We believe that as we follow Him, God will continue to restore and grow the relevance and impact of the City Church worship team outside the four walls of the church. God has also been doing a wonderful internal work. Many members are personally experiencing God’s power to repair broken hearts and heal relationships as we seek Him in community.

This coming year our theme is Healthy Growth. God has blessed us with incredibly talented people.  We know that God wants us to invest our talents for our own individual growth and the growth of his Kingdom.  We trust as we seek Him, that He will demonstrate his faithfulness to complete the work he is doing.  We are excited to see what 2018 will bring!

Life Groups

Life Groups provide an environment for spiritual growth through biblical learning, prayer, relationships and service.

Chet Seapy continued to oversee the Life Group system on an interim basis throughout 2017. Chet worked diligently along with the core team members (Jason and Kelly Baker, Eric and Robyn Hoyle, Del and Stella Sanders) to support the Life Group mission statement and lay the groundwork for the Life Group system at City Church.

Each Sunday there was a Life Group table in the foyer at the PAC.  This ongoing weekly presence has allowed many new people to connect and find a life group that suites them. The goal is to have 75% of the people who attend City Church participating in a Life Group.

There are 21 active Life Groups meeting regularly throughout the community. (Life Group Locations: 9 Central Charlottesville, 5 North, 1 East, 4 West and 2 South of town)

Life Group leader meetings have allowed leaders to connect with other leaders, learn how to lead their own groups and see the vision for Life Groups at City Church. Much of the training and support in the Life Group meetings focused on preparing for growth and new leaders.

The focus for Life Groups in 2017 was to identify Life Group apprentice leaders and hosts. The core team prayed for some specific areas to launch a group and in the fall God answered our prayers as over 90 expressed interest in joining a group and several new groups launched.

Near the end of 2017, City Church introduced Pastor Keith Rogers as our new Life Group and Assimilation Pastor. Keith began in January and the transition from Chet to Keith was seamless. The Life Group leaders are excited to see what God will do in 2018 under Keith’s leadership!

REACH – Building life-long followers of Christ through encouraging our students to:

Reach Up – In relationship to the Lord. 2nd Corinthians 3:17-18

Reach In – In fellowship and encouragement to other believers and their church family. Hebrews 10:19-25

Reach Out – In regards to sharing their faith and living a life of generosity and service. Hebrews 26:28-29

Our emphasis in 2017 was building disciples for Christ, who create disciples. Throughout the year our teaching series and our small groups were centered on building up students’ faith and experience so that they would be equipped to lead their peers to see Jesus. We took extensive looks at the major themes of Scripture ranging throughout both Testaments so that our students would have a functional understanding of what they believe so that they can better lead others to Christ. We highlighted this series with our fall retreat to Gore, VA. Our 15 students spent a weekend in October being challenged at the Potomac Youth Alive retreat where they were encouraged and equipped to bring the message of Jesus into their schools.

In-Depth is a monthly Bible study with the sole purpose of allowing our students to get into the “meat” of Scripture in order for them to have a fuller understanding of their faith. It is also a time for students to explore deeper times of prayer, worship, and to learn to live out their belief in practical application. It is a time of encouragement, exploration, and building up.

This year, we are following City Church’s theme of being healthy. We started the year with a series called Soul Detox which challenges students to live healthy by being able to identify and differentiate between what edifies their spirit (relationship with Jesus) and that which pollutes it.

We are looking forward to an amazing year at Reach in 2018. Already there have been multiple outings with our students including our annual Super Bowl party, the Rock and Worship Roadshow, and an All-Nighter.

As you can imagine, youth ministry takes many hands to be effective. We currently have over 100 teenagers on our REACH roster with 60 youth on an average Sunday morning.

REACH is in need of energetic people who can help lead students in the following key areas:

1. Parents and chaperones for activities and trips
2. Homes to be available for hosting small groups
3. Adult male leaders for our Sunday AM services and for our middle school guys’ small groups.

Kidspace provides a safe environment where children have a blast while learning about Jesus and growing in their faith.

In 2017 a weekly average of 95 children were ministered to by an average 26 adult volunteers and 3 youth. The Kidspace team consists of 87 adult volunteers and 15 youth who serve voluntarily in this dynamic ministry in the areas of:

Room Volunteers (serving infants, walkers, 2’s and 3’s, 4’s – k and 1^st – 5^th graders)

Computer Set-up Crew

Check-in Crew (primarily greeters and communication hub)

Currently there are 88 families attending Kidspace regularly and of those families 67% serve in a ministry within City Church.

Leadership Team:

Chris Becker: Children’s Pastor
Darcy Becker: Kidspace Director
Kristen Schlegel – Overall Kidspace support role
Anna Brown – 1st-5th grade small group coordinator
Lisa Choi – Nursery Coordinator

Our prayer is for children to follow Jesus at an early age.

Congregational Care 2017 Annual Report

In line with City Church’s stated value of “Real Relationship” the ministries under Congregational Care – Stephen Ministries, Marriage Health, Women’s, Men’s, and Pastoral Care witnessed a full 2017.

Highlights from 2017

• Pastor Pete, Gabe and other leaders from City Church attended a Soul Care Training Conference for Pastors, with Dr. Rob Reimer, in Mechanicsburg, PA.
• Women’s Ministry began a 6-week study called, “Finding I Am” by Lysa TerKeurst.
• “Fight Night” Simulcast hosted by Drs. Les and Leslie Parrot.  More than 35 couples from City Church attended this fun and insightful event.
• Six couples from City Church attended Family Life’s Weekend to Remember event. The commitment to this two-night, three-day event was significant.  We joined hundreds of couples from several mid-Atlantic states; it was a powerful time.
• Our first foray into Soul Care where 45 ministry leaders from our church committed to the 9-week process of personal Soul Care using Dr. Rob Reimer’s book, DVD presentation, and workbook. Reimer joined us in our final weekend to lead the leaders through what we are calling, “Freedom Weekend.”
• Peter Schmidt, local Family and Marriage Therapist, gave a presentation on children and technology. He offered parents insights from his own research on this topic and its impact on child development.
• Women’s Retreat with Dr. Ingrid Davis in Charlottesville.
• Men’s Retreat with Pete Bullette at Crossroads Camp and Conference Center.
• Healthy Marriage Forum with Dr. Martin Sanders. More than 50 couples attended this two-hour session entitled, “Questions Couples Don’t Ask in Their Relationships.”
• Women’s Annual Christmas Brunch with Trish Moya as guest speaker.
• Six Men’s breakfasts with an average attendance of 46, in 2017.
• Pastoral Care/counseling provided to five couples; Gabe officiated one wedding and saw several individuals for Pastoral Counseling.
• Stephen Ministries: 10 Stephen Ministers assigned care receivers; Supervision occurred on the first and third Tuesdays each month.  September 30, along with Stephen Leaders, Chester Yuan and Gabe, four individuals attended an informational workshop in Petersburg, VA.

Looking Forward to 2018

• Soul Care: 90 participants total meeting on Mondays or Wednesdays
• Reinvigorated Men’s and Women’s ministries with fresh leadership and vision
• 10 more individuals interested in Stephen Minister training
• New support groups coming: Grief Share, Divorce Care, and Single Parents
• Health and Wellness seminars on Caring for the Aging, Questions and Answers about Dementia Diseases, Diet and exercise, Developing Your Emotional IQ, CPR training from Certified instructor(s), and more

Prayer 2017

The LORD is close to all who call on Him,

Yes, to all who call on Him in truth—Psalm 145.18 (NIV)

Andrew Murray, in his book entitled “Humility”, wrote: “We must begin to believe that God, in the mystery of prayer, has entrusted us with a force that can move the Heavenly world, and can bring its power down to earth.”

The members of the prayer team, led by Tina Webb, have been faithfully and steadily undergirding our church community with prayer and ministry.  These committed women and men are seen most often on Sunday mornings standing ready to pray and care for individuals responding to the invitation to receive ministry.

This team is committed to helping establish a culture of prayer at City Church through their faithful Sunday morning service. On many Sundays, team members met early to pray over all aspects of the Sunday service and the team has long played a prominent role on our Saturday evening worship and prayer events.

2018 is showing promise for a powerful move of God on our church community. As noted in the recent “Spiritual Assessment” survey, people are not regularly seeking out others to pray with them on Sunday or throughout the week. The introduction of prayer during worship has been greeted warmly and many individuals are taking advantage of this new opportunity to have their needs prayed over.

The purpose of the Guest Service team is to welcome guests and regular attendees by engaging, informing, and inviting each Sunday morning.

This team serves as the front line in facilitating our goal of being a relationally driven church. The 20 members who serve on this team greet everyone, hand out newsfeeds, distribute communion, collect the offering, provide security, and set out café treats for all our guests.

In October, Tim Longo (former Charlottesville Chief of Police) gave directions on security and evacuation procedures for in the auditorium. Following the announcement, the team supported the congregation in a practice evacuation of the church.

Dianne Ewing serves as a team captain to ensure that all team members are in place and all is running smoothly. Pastor Keith Rogers will oversee the guest service team in 2018.

Creating environments weekly for the adult worship service, Kidspace and volunteers.

As a mobile church, City Church prepares Charlottesville High School for Sunday services. Through the efforts of a committed team of 40 individuals, they serve to literally build (and “unbuild”) the church on a weekly basis. The team is diversified in how they serve: trailer hauling, setting up, tearing down and rolling cases. The main qualification for this team is a strong back.

Many church guests are in awe of the transformation that occurs on a weekly basis.

There is no hiding that this is a lot of work, but many church members and guests are in awe of what is created every week! The process is efficient and effective with a purpose for everything that is set up and when it all comes together around 9AM, it is beautiful to begin seeing the areas filled with individuals and families desiring to worship God.

As the church continues efforts to obtain a permanent location, our prayer for this team is for additional members to serve as many hands lighten the load. When the team schedule is prepared each month, volunteers sign up for the Sundays they are available, allowing them to work when it’s convenient for them.

City Church is committed to serving Charlottesville and its surrounding counties in the name of Christ. Whether acting on our own initiative or partnering with local agencies, City Church is always looking for ways to live out the great commandment:

“Love your neighbor as yourself.”  Mark 12:31a

PACEM: People and Congregations Engaged in Ministry

PACEM is an administrative organization that coordinates local churches to provide evening shelter and food for homeless men and women around the Charlottesville community during the cold weather months. From the end of October through March, churches provide overnight shelter for the guests of PACEM for one or two weeks at a time.

In 2017, City Church hosted 2 weeks of PACEM at City Church. The host churches are rotated throughout the Charlottesville community and City Church is just one of many churches who participate. PACEM has been a wonderful way to serve our neighbors in need. Due to your support, many meals, entertainment, activities and games were available for the guests who came each evening. City Church will continue to be involved with PACEM in 2018.

Loaves and Fishes

Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry exists to provide food assistance to families and individuals in need in Charlottesville and surrounding communities. Loaves & Fishes provides groceries once per month to help low-income families stretch their food budgets further as they try to get on their feet financially. Their new facility near Albemarle High School provides them with ample parking, an expanded waiting area, larger warehouse, more cold storage facilities, and office space. City Church has helped to purchase food for these families in need through our “Big Give” project at the end of the year. In addition to financial support, City Church volunteered throughout the year. We have become a “Partner Church” with Loaves and Fishes in 2018 and want to expand our relationship with Loaves and Fishes by offering more service days in 2018.

Advancing Native Missions (ANM)  

ANM is a US-based agency called to seek out, evaluate, and equip native (or indigenous) mission groups throughout the world in order to hasten global evangelization. As they partner with these native missionaries through advocacy, encouragement, and support, they help them to serve, love, and reach people in their surrounding regions with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, all for the glory of God. City Church sent  youth volunteers to help load a shipping container full of supplies to nation in need.

Day Haven

The Day Haven at First & Market is a dynamic, multi-purpose community space that features resources for the hungry, disadvantaged and homeless. It enhances our community by providing a centralized place for meeting the needs of this population. It also includes a community kitchen and serves as a day haven for the homeless.

Operation Christmas Child  

In November, City Church participated in filling shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child which delivers gifts and the Good News of Jesus to children in need around the world. One hundred and forty three children smiled as they opened a shoe box made for them by someone in our church.

 “The Big Give” and The Giving Tree

In December, City Church had an opportunity to give financially in our December Giveaway to local and world ministries. For this special focus, church members gave $35,542 and the church added and additional $33,458 for a total of  $69,000 to support the following ministries: Loaves and Fishes, Habitat for Humanity, Advancing Native Missions: Philippines Medical Support, King’s Palace Kids’ Ministry in El Salvador, Bibles for Disciples, Teen Challenge: Beauty for Ashes (moms with additions). The annual “Giving Tree” provided 150 Christmas gifts to local organizations (The Bridge, The Haven, Laurels Nursing Home and Teen Challenge) and to local families in need this past year.

Special Offerings

City Church collects donations to assist with specific needs throughout the year. Through a special offering, we supported Hope Builders International’s efforts to provide Bibles and training to new pastors and churches in Africa. Additionally, we participated in Back to School Blast, a local outreach to give underprivileged students in C’ville a backpack and supplies at the start of the school year. In response to the devastating hurricanes in 2017, the church gave $18,000 to Convoy of Hope for those affected in the storms.

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Matthew 6:3

This list does not include all of the ways City Church reaches out to love our community. Many of our small groups, ministries and individuals love and serve in unseen ways.