Fall 2015 Vision Lunch Recap

City Church – I had a fantastic time with you on Sept. 13 looking at our three points of emphasis for 2015-16. God is at work in our midst, and I look forward so seeing how these points of emphasis develop over the coming year. Please take a moment to review what we discussed, particularly if you were unable to make the lunch. We’ll revisit these points regularly throughout the year, so it’s important that all of us are familiar with them. I’ve outlined them below, and be sure to the check out the audio recording of the presentation.

Share – Influence – Pursue (SIP)

SHARE our space (thus the “open hand” graphic) 

• Our new space is a means, not the goal.
• As much as possible, we want our space to be a “community hub” that can be put to use by people in the downtown community for meetings, special events, etc.
• We also want to use our space to participate in events that already happen downtown (e.g. The Artwalk). We referred to these events during the lunch as “neighbor events” and expressed a desire to participate in 3-5 of these events this year.
• Please help us think of ways to use our space for the glory of God and the good of downtown Gainesville. Your brainstorming will help us a lot! Send me your ideas.

INFLUENCE the body (thus the “light bulb” graphic as we influence one another)

• We discussed the importance of 1 on 1 mentoring in the City Church community.
  Every Christian needs accountability, encouragement, and guidance, and 1 on 1 mentoring is an effective tool toward that end.
• I encouraged the 35+ crowd as City Church to prayerfully consider investing in a younger person of the same gender – an investment that would ideally include getting together at least once per month for accountability, biblical reflection, Scripture memory, and prayer. I encouraged the under 35 crowd to approach people in the congregation for this kind of mentoring.
  It is also helpful for people of similar ages or life stages to consider meeting regularly, especially if it is difficult to find someone older for mentoring. We can still “mentor each other” so to speak.
• Will you prayerfully consider this investment and pursue it? Ryan and I are also available at anytime to help train you to “mentor” if you feel like you need some input.

PURSUE revival (thus the “microphone” graphic as we tell people about Jesus)

• Let’s tell people about Jesus this year! Let’s pursue conversations with friends, neighbors, co-workers, even if the conversations are difficult and even awkward.
• Don’t know how to share your faith? Bring this to the attention of your Community Group leader or the City Church staff! We would love to sit down and discuss this with you.
• We discussed the importance of filling out a “Top 5” prayer card that includes the names of five people you are praying might follow Jesus. I encouraged you to build relationships with people “not like you” (different ethnicity, age, vocation, etc.) so that at least one person in your “Top 5” might be someone not like you. We prayerfully desire for City Church to be a church that represents the diversity we see in the city of Gainesville.
• We announced the beginning of a “Christianity Explored” class that will cover the basics of Christianity and be a helpful resource for people who are investigating Christianity. Stay tuned for more information on this (coming soon!)