The 29th Street Community Center is looking for interested volunteers to be trained to assist with and lead an early childhood program called Mother Goose on the Loose. The 29th Street Community Center staff would provide the scheduling and organizational side of things, but they are looking for volunteers who are interested in stepping into a higher responsibility volunteer position on a weekly basis.
Guest blogger here, Alissa!
This past week my evenings were filled with games, singing, crafts and learning about the Bible! We had City Kids Evening Camp and it was a blast! Our nights went something like this...
FOCUS has been in Baltimore for over 35 years, providing independent school students a way to address important questions about life with mentors and peers. FOCUS sponsors activities and events for independent school students in the area with the intention of sharing the Gospel in a way that is relevant and exciting. Staff and volunteers also meet regularly with students on their campuses.
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes is a sports ministry with the vision of "seeing the world impacted for Jesus Christ through the influence of coaches and athletes.” The FCA Lacrosse ministry focuses specifically on those in the lacrosse community through teams, camps, clinics and discipleship. Through these mediums, FCA Lacrosse seeks to build relationships with coaches, athletes and families while leading them in to a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Life Counseling Center offers biblical counseling that is grounded in the foundational truth that because of the Gospel, lasting change is possible. Life Counseling Center holds to the principle that hope is never lost, no matter how difficult the situations in which we find ourselves may be. Many people travel long distances to meet with counselors at Life Counseling Center, and this new partnership will make it easier for Baltimore residents to benefit from their solid Biblical counseling.
Get to know the counselors!
Young Life Capernaum is a nonprofit outreach that helps high school students with disabilities experience the Gospel in a relevant and engaging way. Like every other high school student, those with disabilities are thirsty to discover their identity, the meaning of their lives and where they fit in. Often, they are running to the wrong places to find answers to those questions. Young Life Capernaum hopes to teach students with disabilities that they are created by a God who desires and deeply loves them.
Christ’s words to the Church in Laodicea speak directly to our cultural moment. We live in one of the wealthiest, busiest places in the entire world. It is often our self-sufficiency and security, not suffering or poverty, that prevents us from fully experiencing God’s blessings.
Kate Goehringer works for Young Life Capernaum, Young Life’s ministry to teens with disabilities. She has agreed to share about this ministry and some ways we can pray and get involved.
Several weeks ago we got the great opportunity to hear from Matt Emerson, Lacrosse Ministry Representative with Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). He wrote the following blog article so that we might have a better picture of how this organization reaches students with the Gospel and how we can get involved.
Ephesians 6:18 tells us that we are to pray on all occasions. James 5:16 tells us that, as believers made righteous through Christ, our prayers are powerful and effective. We are often quick to voice opinions and interpretations of the painful, complex situations going on in our world and our communities, but do we consistently approach the throne of God in the same manner? These past few days have been some of Baltimore’s darkest. Here are five ways to lift up our City to the one who gave His own life to reconcile man’s relationship with God and with one another.
We face all kinds of suffering. We suffer on a daily basis due to the nature of our fallen world. We are affected by disease, poverty, natural disaster. We also suffer as a result of our own sin and foolishness. But there is one kind of suffering that is a distinctive mark of what it really means to be a church, and that is suffering due to persecution of our faith.
On Sunday we heard about Jesus leading His disciples to a region called the Gerasenes and restoring a demon-possessed man (Luke 8:26-39). It’s a story that can startle us, especially if we tend to gravitate towards stories that display Jesus’ power over nature. This miracle, however, reminds us of Jesus’ power over death, sin and the enemy. It’s a story that points directly to what He would later do on the cross.
Last Sunday we got the opportunity to hear from Tim Foster, Area Director of FOCUS in Baltimore. This is a Christian ministry committed to exploring "with independent school students a life of faith that is real, adventurous, intellectually sound, and eminently practical.”
When Jesus fed the five thousand (John 6:1-15), His intent was not only to display the miraculous power of God in turning a meager lunch into a tumultuous feast. He was also revealing to us, as He does throughout Scripture, that He alone is the Bread of Life.
Beginning Sunday, January 4, City Church will be gathering for worship at 9:00 AM in the Knott Auditorium on the campus of the Notre Dame of Maryland University. The Knott Auditorium is located on the first floor of the Knott Science Center. This will be our new time and location for the foreseeable future. It is a great space that allows for growth in our worship offerings, kid's program offerings, and adult education offerings. So, join us on Sunday, January 4 as we break in our new space. Allow some extra time to find us on your first visit.
Are you interested in becoming an integral part of what God is doing at City Church? Currently, we are looking to fill two part-time positions.
Click on the links below to view the position descriptions and contact us with any questions.
CITY KIDS DIRECTOR POSITION: Position Description
MERCY & CARE DIRECTOR: Position Description
Homeland Life, one of our neighborhood newsletters, did a spotlight article on City Church this month. You can read the article here: City Church Spotlight Thanks to all the folks at Homeland Life for a great article.
Often there are a lot of footnotes, quotes, links, and illustrations that go into worship and a message on Sunday mornings. Some of those make it, others don't. The cutting room floor includes a little bit of everything. Here is a sampling of this past week's sermon from Acts 2:42-47 called "The Devoted Themselves".
You can download the sermon here: City Church iTunes Podcast.
Here is a link to Baltimore Magazine's article about photographer Ben Marcin's recent work called Last House Standing: Remnants of Things Past.
"The Celtic Way of Evangelism: How Christianity Can Reach the West... Again" by George Hunter is a great little book about St. Patrick and his establishment of Christian communities. It is a great history lesson with practical implications for how practice community today.
Here a two quotes from Sunday:
"As the New Testament speaks of it, fellowship is deep, virile, and costly; too often today it is cheap and superficial. The higher we value our personal privacy and freedom from commitments, the shallower our grasp of fellowship will be - reduced to moments of idle chitchat over steaming coffee before or after a worship service." - Dennis Johnson
"If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Often there a lot of footnotes, quotes, links, and illustrations that go into worship and a message on Sunday mornings. Some of those items make it, other's don't. The cutting room floor includes a little bit of everything. Here is a sampling from Easter Weekend:
Good Friday: "The Forsaken God" from Psalm 22
You can download the sermon here: City Church iTunes Podcast.
Here is a link to Trent Bell's photo gallery entitled REFLECT: Trent Bell Reflect. It shows the images of 12 convicts superimposed on letters they wrote to their younger selves. Here is link to a video produced about his art: REFLECT Video. Here is a piece the Huffington Post did on the project: Convicts Pose With Heartbreaking Letters to Their Younger Selves.
CNN posted a photo documentary on the execution of an Iranian man named Balal. You can see the powerful photos of his forgiveness here: Iranian Execution Halted
Easter Sunday: "God Raised Him Up" from Acts 2:14-41
You can download the sermon here: City Church iTunes Podcast.
Here is a link to the Lincoln Memorial Interactive.
"The good news, the great news, of Jesus is that with his resurrection it becomes clear not only that he is Messiah and Lord, but that in death he has dealt evil itself a blow from which, though it still retains some power, will never overcome." - NT Wright
"Join this movement, allow the death and resurrection of Jesus to become the badge you wear, the sign of your identity, with you and your children sharing in the new life of the baptized community..." - NT Wright
One of the core values of City Church is a passion to care for family and children. We believe church should be the highlight of every kid's weekend, not just because it is fun, but because it connects them with the Good News of Jesus Christ. Our hope is that every child who attends City Church feels valued and loved by our church community and ultimately, by Jesus. Do you share our passion for family and children? If so, consider joining our team. City Church is searching for a part-time City Kid's Director. It is our hope to develop this position into a full time position down the road. Check out the attached description: City Kids Director.