Just got this update from Trevor Atwood with exciting news of what God is doing in City Church, one of our recent church plants in Murfreesboro, TN. Check it out!
“All of you took a calculated risk and called your people to make a sacrificial investment in the gospel, in City Church, and by extension, in me. I do not, and pray never will, take that for granted. I never want the checks written to City Church to be given without a vision for what God is doing among us, so I joyfully share some of these things with you. Your faithful investments in City Church have helped in a tremendous way to make this last year happen.
In 2011:
–Twenty-five people moved to Murfreesboro from our home church (the Summit Church in Durham, North Carolina) as well as from Texas, Virginia, and a few places in Tennessee specifically to plant City Church.
– Sixteen others already living in Murfreesboro committed to planting City Church with us.
– God provided 13 jobs for those that moved. That represents jobs for every person that asked for one. No one went for more than 2.5 months without employment.
– God provided a recording studio/event space for us to meet less than 2 miles from MTSU’s Campus, in the center of town, with all the chairs, lighting, and sound equipment included. We asked God for the proximity to campus and the location in town–He threw in the other stuff as a bonus!
In the 4 months since we have been meeting publicly:
–Twelve people have joined City Church as covenant members, 10 of whom did not have a church home in Murfreesboro.
– Six of those new members are college students. We specifically prayed for male college students to join to help us reach MTSU, and all six of these new college members are men!
– Six people have been baptized.
– Four people have moved from death to life by trusting in Jesus Christ. All four are co-workers or neighbors of our team members.
– 70+ people on average attend our gathering every Sunday night.
– Five Community Groups have been started in the city since October, with an average attendance of more than 50 people each week.
– These groups have served the community by hosting international students, partnering with a local ministry to the homeless and poor, mentoring kids, throwing a baby shower for a Muslim couple new to America, having neighbors over for dinner, just to name a few.
With Money:
– At the current rate of giving, our people are projected to give enough to cover 2/3 of our budget for the 2011-2012 fiscal year.
– We set a goal of $10,000 for our Christmas Mission Offering. That offering will go to current and new church plants, church planting networks, sending agencies with whom we are involved, and ministries in our city that are ministering to people physically and spiritually (with the gospel). Our people gave $8,600 toward our $10,000 goal. While we didn’t reach the goal, we blew out our original goal of $6,000. Our people were cheering when we told them what they had given.
– In our Christmas Generosity Experiment, we gave away $720 to the people who attended our gathering on Dec 18th with the challenge for them to take the money, add to it, and use it for the glory of God in our city. Then, they were to report on our blog about what they got, what they added, and what they did…anonymously. So far, $385 has been reported , and more than $400 has been added to that. Check out the blog linked above for the stories.
For 2012:
– I’ll be gathering some of the men in our church once a month for leadership training.
– We hope to double our community groups.
– We are currently praying about a potential public launch in August.
– We are planning on commissioning Jeremy Young as an elder in January and beginning another elder candidacy with another covenant member.
– We are asking God to use us at MTSU through the students he has given us to be a part of a gospel movement there.
– We are asking for more neighbors and co-workers–with whom we have been sharing life–to come to trust Christ.
– We hope to serve our city this year through an event that will be a catalyst to ongoing relational service in our city.
None of this is possible without the grace of God, your prayers, and your investment in the mission of our Savior–to seek and save the lost. I cannot express adequately my gratitude, on behalf of all of the people of City Church, for your generosity and faithful prayers for our part of this mission.
Go and tell what God has done, and ask him for more!
In Christ,
Trevor”
