2022 Recap

Family and friends,

We can hardly believe that the year 2022 is almost over! This year, Emily and I celebrated our fifth anniversary of living in Boston and our church celebrated its third anniversary since planting in 2019.

Here is a small glimpse of a few amazing things that have happened in our ministry this past year:

1. We found a new meeting space in Brighton! As many of you may remember, our church was displaced from its original meeting location and had to temporarily move to a neighboring area called Newton due to COVID. We were working hard to find a new location in our target neighborhood of Brighton and finally found a spot and moved in at the end of August. It is a great location that allows for lots of growth, a CoaH Kids space, is right off of the T with ease of access for public transportation, is right next door to Boston College, and has been a huge blessing to our congregation!

2. We affirmed 9 new members this year and have at least 3 more of our regular attenders planning to attend our next Weekender (our membership course) in February. We currently have 41 members at our church! We also baptized 2 people this year and have at least 1 other person interested in baptism for the new year.

3. We have over 100 people that call our church “home” with an average attendance each Sunday of approximately 70 people.

4. Since moving to our new location in Brighton on August 21, 2022, we have had 62 NEW guests attend our church, several of them getting plugged into our weekly Community Groups and worship gatherings.

5. Two of our Community Groups are large enough to multiply. Pray with us as we maneuver next steps to best make that happen as we grow!

6. Our church gave almost $2,000 worth of gift cards to students without homes at our local high school and is giving away 10% of all tithes/offerings in the month of December to The Foster Box, a local nonprofit organization that helps foster families in the Greater Boston area to get all the supplies they need for placements. Through the generous partnership of SendRelief, our church also gave hundreds of winter coats, shoes, and socks to Catie’s Closet at Brighton High School (a place where students that lack essential resources like food and clothing can “shop” for themselves and their families while at school).

7. We hosted 5 movie nights this summer and, over the course of those 5 movie nights, had approximately 1,000 people attend who all heard the gospel shared during our movie night introduction. At the movie nights, we also had over 80 people express interest in having a spiritual conversation via our raffle card.

8. We hosted a GenSend team this summer, who supported the different ministries of the church including our newest ministry outreach, Upward Brighton! Upward Brighton was a 4-week basketball camp that we hosted for the children in our neighborhood and was a great success. We had the opportunity to speak to many children and their families about the good news of Jesus and look forward to making Upward Brighton a regular part of our summer outreach.

Below are ministry pictures from this past year:

Specific ways you can pray for us in 2023:

1. New Pastoral Development Track

   Aaron will be bringing two men through a pastoral development track starting in January 2023. As our church has grown so has the need for additional pastors at our church. Brandon helped plant CoaH Brighton and he and his family have been faithful members since our launch in 2019. Kyle and his wife, Alex, moved from Hickory Grove to Boston in order for Kyle to become the church’s Ministry Associate starting in August 2021 and they have been invaluable since moving here.

   Please pray for Brandon and Kyle as they enter this pastoral development track, which will be an intensive time of study, testing, and equipping to make sure these men are prepared, equipped, and the right fit to be pastors one day at CoaH Brighton. Pray for our church to receive additional godly leadership well, for Brandon and Kyle to be well equipped through this track, and for Aaron as he pours hours of investment into these men for the health and betterment of CoaH Brighton’s future.

2. Summer Outreach

   Summer seems far off but, for us, the planning has already begun! Pray for us as we plan the many details that go into the following outreaches:

   -GenSend: A mission team of college students that will serve CoaH Brighton for a portion of their summer

   -Upward Brighton: A basketball camp for local children that teaches fundamentals of basketball but also allows us to talk about the gospel and some key character traits we learn from Jesus

   -Community Nights: These nights are for our church family to gather at a local park to spend time together and invite unbelieving friends, neighbors, and co-workers (many unbelievers in our area are unwilling to attend a church gathering on a Sunday morning but would attend a park gathering with the church)

   -Movie Nights: We will have 4 movie nights each Friday in July and 1 in September (during The Big Move — see below). Movie nights have been a great way for us to grow our reputation in the neighborhood, to share the gospel on a big scale with those in our area, and to engage with the families in our community.

   -Kids Summer Adventure: Our version of Vacation Bible School! This past year we had approximately 50 kids learn about Jesus for an entire week through crafts, songs, Bible lessons, and much more.

   -The Big Move: Each year, 30% of Boston turns over. We live in a very transient city! The vast majority of rental leases for apartments begin on September 1 every year so there are a lot people that need help moving on that date, which our church provides for free to those we come across in Brighton.

3. Community Group Multiplication

   Our church family meets weekly in Community Groups that gather throughout Brighton on different nights of the week. These Community Groups dive deeper into the passage of Scripture preached on Sunday mornings and live on intentional mission together for a particular pocket of people in the neighborhood (for example: a local non-profit or a nearby low-income housing authority — seeking to find ways to love, support, care, and share the gospel with the pocket of people each Community Group chooses to focus on). Two of our Community Groups are getting to be too big, which is a great problem to have! We are almost ready to multiply those groups so please pray for more leaders to be raised up, for each group to continue thriving and growing, and for the multiplication process to go smoothly.

4. Personal Family Update

   As a quick update regarding our family, we are busy but doing well! Our oldest daughter, Kiana, is attending Kindergarten at a university model school (part private Christian school and part homeschool), which has been an immeasurable blessing to our family. Emily teaches Kiana during the home days and allows us to have additional family time since weeknights and weekends can be filled with counseling meetings, Community Group coaching times, and sermon preparation for Aaron. We are also about to celebrate Shacerra’s 4th birthday right before Christmas!

   We have the privilege of going on a one-month sabbatical soon, which will allow us additional uninterrupted time with our girls and lots of rest after a busy 5 years. The City on a Hill Church Network has been great to set up policies for lead planters and their families to take a one-month break after the third year of planting and our family is greatly looking forward to the time away. Please pray for rest, rejuvenation, and for lots of family time during our one-month sabbatical.

   We also ask that you pray for us as we consider what it looks like to continue expanding our family through foster care and adoption. Pray for best next steps and an abundance of wisdom as we work with our social worker about the possibility of fostering another kiddo in the fall or winter of next year.

As always, we are deeply grateful for each of you, for your prayer, care, and financial support. We know that you are interceding on our behalf and on behalf of our church and those prayers are needed and very felt. If you’d like to give a one-time gift to support our ministry in Boston, you can click the button provided below (and choose the Aaron Peters Church Planting Fund in the dropdown menu).

Thank you again!

-The Peters Family

2021 Recap

Hi family and friends,

2021 continued to be an unconventional year for ministry but we saw God move in some miraculous ways!

Salvations

In the past year, we saw 4 people come to faith in Jesus through the direct ministry of City on a Hill (CoaH) Brighton!

-T, our property manager that Emily and I have personally known since we moved over four years ago
-B & C, a couple from our Community Group and close neighbors (they live on the street parallel to ours
-J, a close friend and regular attender of CoaH Brighton that got connected through a member of our church 

Prayer request for 2022: We are praying for 5 more salvations this year through the ministry of our church and its people.

Baptisms

In the past year, we baptized 4 people, our first baptisms as a church! After many conversations concerning the gospel and the symbol of baptism, we were excited to experience our first baptisms as a church. 

            -B&C, the married couple mentioned above in our list of recent salvations

            -J, a young believer that came to faith in Jesus in college

            -J, a young believer that came to faith in Jesus a few years ago

Each baptism was a time to celebrate each believer’s step of obedience and gave us the opportunity to pray over these believers and commit to walking alongside of them in their pursuit of Jesus in the coming years.  To see the full baptism of J, click here to view his testimony, baptism, and prayer time via our church Facebook page!

Prayer request for 2022: We are praying to baptize 5 more people this year. Pray also for J, J, B and C to be strengthened in their faith, encouraged to read the Bible daily, and striving for holiness through the community found in our church.

Kyle & Alexandra Tucker

We had the privilege of welcoming Kyle and Alexandra to our church family in the summer of 2021. Kyle was hired this past summer as a part-time Ministry Associate at our church. Kyle has been a great help in establishing leadership pipelines, coming alongside of us in providing care to our church congregation, and serving in a multitude of capacities, like our Kids ministry and our Community Groups ministry. Alex has been invaluable in getting to know the other women in our church, continually being hospitable with her time and her home, serving the Boston area through her full-time job in social work, and much more! We have been greatly blessed by the friendship and leadership Kyle and Alex have brought to Boston and, more specifically, to CoaH Brighton. 

Prayer request for 2022: Pray for Kyle and Alex’s endurance in ministry here in the city. The work in Boston can be slow and feel very draining at times. Pray they would be protected from ministry burn-out, that Emily and I would uniquely care for them as friends, and that they would continue to make Boston home. Also, pray for Kyle as he takes on more hours as a part of our church staff moving into a more full-time position as our Ministry Associate.

New Members & Member Party

In the last year alone, we affirmed 7 new members to become a part of the CoaH Brighton family! We were able to celebrate our growing membership through a member Christmas party to close out the year of 2021 together. Our members used this time to reflect on God’s goodness and faithfulness through our personal lives and in the life of our church. What a great testimony to God’s hand at work in this church and its people!

Prayer request for 2022: We have 12 more people already interested in becoming members of our church! We are extremely excited to walk through the membership process with individuals. Pray that our church and its members specifically would be beacons of the gospel in our city, quick to provide care and support to others, and uniquely gifted in living out our church’s core values: Gospel, Community, and Mission.

Shacerra’s Adoption

Our family is excited to announce that we had the privilege of adopting our youngest daughter, Shacerra, on November 19, 2021! Even though we met Shacerra on November 4, 2019, she did not move into our home as our foster daughter until November 25, 2020. We are beyond thankful that she will be a part of our family forever as Shacerra Lee Gabriella Peters. Thank you for your continued prayers for our growing family!

Prayer request for 2022: Pray for the gospel seeds we are planting in Kiana and Shacerra to grow into a deep faith in Jesus. Also, while we don’t yet know what is next for our family, we are trusting God as He continues to show His faithfulness and good plans through our sweet girls. 

As always, thank you for your support! We would not be able to do ministry and see such gospel transformation without your encouragement, prayers, and financial support!

June 2021

Family and friends,

Happy summer! We are excited for the warmer weather, an increase in ministry as COVID restrictions lift in our state, and for continued answered prayer within our church and community. Read the update below for exciting updates and prayer requests.

1.     Weekly Gathering Location

Our biggest prayer request right now is that we would receive approval to meet weekly once again at Brighton High School. Even though restrictions have lifted in our state, many organizations are still slow to open their doors. Please pray along with us that Boston Public Schools would allow external organizations like our church to rent our usual meeting location. We are praying this request will be answered by September. Would you pray along with us?

2.     In-Person Gathering and After Party Meal

Our next in-person gathering is this Sunday, June 6 and we have almost 70 people planning to attend! We are excited to continue our Doctrine and Devotion series and study the doctrine of the church at the upcoming gathering. Not only do we get to gather with one another for our Sunday service, but we also get to gather together for a meal afterwards. Before the pandemic, we found that having a monthly meal with our church allowed new people to more easily get plugged in, developed a warmer and more welcoming atmosphere, and opened an opportunity for deeper gospel conversations to happen based on the service of that day. However, due to the pandemic, we haven’t been able to have these monthly meals.

As of last month, due to restrictions lifting in our state, we were able to host our first monthly meal as a church family in over a year. This is a huge praise! Many of our church family have felt not only physically distant from their community but have had trouble connecting emotionally and spiritually. Please pray for our gathering to go smoothly, for healthy attendees, and a deep worship of Jesus through song, preaching, and communion. Also, pray for intentional conversations, deeper relationships, and an atmosphere of welcome and gospel community to be developed and portrayed during these monthly meals.

3.     Baptisms

Baptism class over Zoom!

We have the privilege of baptizing three people this Sunday! This is very exciting for us especially because these are our first baptisms as a church. We will be baptizing B & C who are our neighbors that recently came to faith in Christ. We will also be baptizing J who is a believer that is taking this next step of obedience in his faith journey. All three are them are also pursuing membership with our church after their baptism and we are so excited to come alongside of them in their walks with Jesus. 

Please pray for B, C, & J as they take this step of obedience, share their testimony on Sunday, and seek Jesus daily as faithful followers of Him. Also pray for our church as a whole, our Community Groups Leaders, as well as Emily and me to walk well alongside these believers in holiness, accountability, love, and fellowship.

4.     Community Leader Care

Our church has 11 Community Group Leaders that faithfully serve each week to lead our church’s Community Groups. Our Community Group Leaders have faithfully served with very few breaks over the past almost two years due to the pandemic. Our Leaders don’t just facilitate discussion on a weekly basis for their groups, but they serve, care, check in, love, invest, speak the gospel, and continually pour out their lives by pointing those in their group back to Jesus. After serving so intentionally, we are grateful to offer our Community Group Leaders a break from leading their Community Groups formally this summer and to be poured into themselves. Emily and I will be leading a Community Group specifically to care for, develop, and support the leaders starting the week of June 13.

Please pray for rest and refreshment for our Community Group Leaders and for Emily and I to serve our leaders well by providing them the care and support they need, especially over this summer. Also pray for our Community Groups health and growth as they continue to meet informally for cookouts and other get togethers over the next couple of months.

March 2021

Family and friends,

While ministry looks different during these pandemic times, Emily and I are abundantly grateful to continue seeing God work in and through your prayers for our church and the ministry here in Boston. Read below for several prayer requests we have for this month, including one specifically for our own family.

Please excuse the lack of pictures. Due to the pandemic, we are not able to gather in-person with others as much as we would like.

Prayer requests:

Our Next Indoor In-Person Gathering This Sunday

With Boston Public Schools remaining closed to outside organizations, our usual meeting space is still unavailable to us for weekly gatherings. The Lord has been extremely good to us in providing another temporary rental location to gather in once a month (based on the location’s calendar and availability). However, we have all experienced the difficulty that comes from being unable to gather with others, and especially our church community, due to the pandemic. Our in-person gathering times, therefore, are especially sweet and necessary.

Would you please pray that nothing would prevent us from meeting this month? Unforeseen weather and higher COVID cases in Boston led to our church being unable to meet in the months of January and February, so we are eager to safely gather once again this Sunday. We have approximately 40 people coming to our service this week, allowing for all of the necessary safety protocols to be followed while also making it possible to see, worship, and encourage one another. This Sunday, we will continue our sermon series called “Letters to the Church” on the book of Revelation and will focus specifically on “The Church of Thyatira: The Wayward Church”.

Would you please pray for:
- Hearts to be gripped by the passage of Scripture we will study on Sunday and that we would be drawn to repentance for areas of sin in our own lives
- Continued resilience and spiritual health of our church
- Our congregation to remain healthy so that we can continue to gather once a month

Bylaws and Membership

CoaH Brighton is in the process of finalizing its own bylaws to become a fully autonomous congregation. The bylaws are a foundational document that will set the tone and vision for our church for years to come and will legally protect and guard our church. This document allows our church’s doctrine to remain steady and sure in an ever-changing culture.

Once these important documents are finalized and approved, we will be able to move forward with many other necessary items, such as Articles of Corporation, 501c3 status, and official membership. We are excited to take these big next steps for the health and stability of City on a Hill Church Brighton. Please pray that the bylaws would be approved by our current set of members, that hearts would be softened and affirming of the biblical doctrines clearly explained in the document, and that the bylaws would establish a healthy and holy church. We are praying for the bylaws to receive approval by the end of next week!

Then, please pray for the membership process that we will pursue as a church, including baptism classes, membership interviews, accountability for members, and more. I am continually humbled that God is entrusting me to lead and shepherd His flock here in Brighton. Please pray for the upcoming leadership steps I will take to continue serving and loving our church well.

Personal Prayer Request (from Emily):

Hi friends and family! You all have walked on this journey of foster care and adoption with us and have fervently prayed alongside of us with this call that God has given. We are so appreciative! Our next prayer request as regards to foster care and adoption is for our second daughter’s (S) case, which is being heard in court next week (March 8-10). These next court hearings are CRUCIAL as they are scheduled to determine next steps towards adoption. Would you please pray about the potential of an open adoption agreement between us and biological mother and for the court hearings next week to go smoothly and as planned? Aaron and I have very clearly experienced God’s hand in our family as evidenced by our two girls and we pray that S will be able to join our forever family one day soon.

February 2021

Prayer partners,

Thank you for your prayers and support over the holiday season and into the new year! Our family certainly felt and needed that encouragement particularly over the last two months. Read below to hear more about recent celebrations, prayer requests, and family updates.

Please excuse the lack of pictures. Due to the pandemic, we are not able to gather in-person as much as we would like.

Celebrations:

A New Believer in Christ!

Just last week a friend of ours within the church came to faith in Jesus! “B” and his wife have been a part of our church from our very first Sunday because of a flier they received in the mail from us (we sent mailers to each home right before launch Sunday). He has faithfully attended Sunday gatherings, been a regular part of a Community Group, and continually sought answers through reading Scripture and talking with myself and other leaders in the church. After many gospel conversations and much prayer over his salvation, we are overjoyed to call B a brother in Christ now. Pray for B’s continued growth in the faith, for reassurance of his new life in Christ, and for next steps towards baptism and membership.

DNA Groups Have Started!

Our church has started DNA Groups that meet every other week in conjunction with our Community Groups! A DNA Group is a small group of 3-5 people of the same gender from a Community Group that meets at least every other week to study the Scriptures and care for one another. A DNA Group is meant to be a more substantial and intentional time every other week to provide a structure for those in our church to care deeply for one another and to foster growth as disciples of Jesus. The goal of a DNA Group is to foster discipleship relationships that help each person grow to become more like Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, the goal is to live out the "one anothers" of Scripture together and to continually apply and be encouraged by the gospel in daily life. We have now established 11 DNA Groups!

Please continue to pray for these 11 groups to grow in deep discipleship by finding gospel implications for daily life from studying the Word together and challenging one another in their walk with Jesus.

Prayer request:

Our Next Indoor In-Person Gathering This Sunday

This Sunday we will gather for our third indoor gathering at 4pm. Due to the higher COVID cases in our area over the holidays, we were unable to gather in-person in January so we are greatly looking forward to our gathering on Sunday! We have approximately 50 people coming to our service, which allows for social distancing and other necessary safety protocols. We will begin a new sermon series called “Letters to the Church” on the book of Revelation this week and greatly look forward to seeing the faces of our congregation again! We pray that the gathering and the Word preached will both encourage and challenge us!

Would you please pray for:
- Our congregation to remain healthy
- Self-examination in our congregation to recognize and fight against sin and complacency
- Hearts to be rejuvenated by the gathering of the church and for the gospel to impact our daily lives

Family update (from Emily):

Over the past two months, we have experienced some health issues that prevented us from being able to send out a January prayer update. Aaron began experiencing very severe vertigo and migraine symptoms in mid-December that got to a point where I had to take him to the hospital since things were escalating to a serious degree. After an overnight stay in the Emergency Room, the doctors diagnosed Aaron with a unique kind of migraine called a vestibular migraine. Unfortunately, the migraine greatly affected Aaron’s vision, balance/stability, and made it difficult to work or even walk for several weeks. While he is much better now, he is still recovering and experiencing double vision and dizziness consistently every day. We have had several follow-ups with a neurologist and he will be meeting with a vestibular migraine rehab specialist soon. Please pray for a full recovery, clear direction on next steps, and quick relief from the lingering symptoms that Aaron is still experiencing and affecting him daily.

December 2020

Family and friends,

You are on our hearts and minds during this holiday season. We are abundantly grateful for the friendship, encouragement, and prayers that you have provided my family and I over the years!

Celebrations:

The Peters Family is Growing Through Foster Care!

As many of you may know, we had the privilege to welcome a little girl, “S”, into our home for long-term foster care the day before Thanksgiving. “S” will turn two the week of Christmas. November was a whirlwind month for the Peters family as we prepared her room, spent several days a week with her to allow for a smooth transition, and continued lots of conversations about our growing family with Kiana. “S” has been with us full-time for over a week now and the adjustment for both her and Kiana is going very well! We praise God for allowing us the opportunity to love “S” and we pray this leads to permanency in our home through adoption. Please pray along with us over future trial dates to determine the best future for “S” and for her comfort level to grow daily as she makes our house her home.

Our First Indoor In-Person Gathering

After eight months of either meeting on Zoom, Facebook Live, or outdoors, we found a location to hold an indoor gathering on November 1! A huge praise is that we found a reasonably priced rental location for once a month on the first Sunday evening of every month for the next six months. Our prayers were answered! Our first indoor gathering saw almost 60 of us socially distanced inside a large indoor worship area, wisely able to follow necessary safety protocols. It was a beautiful, joy-filled time together as we praised God for His continued provision for our church plant and joined with the saints to study, sing, and pray the Word of God. We are grateful to say that we were able to gather in a healthy and safe way and we look forward to coming together again soon!

See in our “Prayer Requests” section of how you can pray for our second indoor in-person gathering which takes places this Sunday, December 6!

Prayer request:

Our Second Indoor In-Person Gathering This Sunday

This Sunday we will gather for our second indoor gathering at 4pm. We have approximately 50 people coming to our service, which allows for social distancing and other necessary safety protocols. We will continue our study in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:7-11 this week and greatly look forward to seeing the faces of our congregation again! We pray that the gathering will be refreshing to those that are stagnant, peace-filled for those battling anxiety, rejuvenating for the ones that are weary, encouraging to those needing gospel motivation, and life-changing for each one of us as we take the Word of God and apply it to our lives daily.

Would you please pray for:
- Our congregation to remain healthy
- Continued smooth partnership with the rental church location
- Hearts to be revitalized by the gathering of the church and for gospel impact in the daily lives of those who attend

October 2020

Family and friends,

Thank you for your continual support, whether through praying or giving, of our church during this time. Read below to hear how our church is growing, celebrating, and praying over the month of October!

Celebration: One Year Anniversary Gathering

Our last outdoor gathering in September to celebrate the church’s one year anniversary was a great success! With about 70 people between two different services and social distancing protocols, it was life-giving to be able to see our church gather, sing together, and even take the Lord’s Supper. We had been unable to gather all together since March (six full months!) due to COVID-19 precautions closing our rental location and being unable to find an alternative space to meet. Our church is abundantly grateful that we finally got city approval for an outdoor permit to meet at a local park. We received such positive feedback from our congregation on our first outdoor gathering that we will be meeting again outdoors this Sunday! As one person said on our feedback form,

“[It was most encouraging] to see with my eyes in person the faithfulness of the Lord to take so little and make so much of it, and to celebrate the work that God has done in COAH Brighton WITH COAH Brighton. It's humbling.”

Challenge: Indoor Rental Location

While the lack of a permanent building can be a blessing, but it can also be a big challenge in unprecedented times like right now. Many other churches or community rental spaces are currently hesitant to allow other external organizations use their space due to COVID-19. We are actively reaching out for alternative solutions, especially once our outdoor options are limited due to the cold weather that is quickly approaching. Our church staff has found viable options for future indoor gatherings so please pray for our church as we look and plan for the winter.

Meeting indoors is something we are greatly looking forward to when the time comes, but it is also a lot to plan through as we consider rental prices, transportation access, available resources, technical needs, childcare restrictions, sanitation policies, effective communication, and so much more. Please pray for our church staff specifically as we consider the logistics of meeting together indoors and that we would continue to experience open doors for an indoor meeting location.

Prayer requests: Another Outdoor Gathering & Church Growth!

1. We received such positive feedback from our congregation about our first outdoor gathering that we will be meeting again outdoors this Sunday! One person in our congregation even wrote some feedback about our first outdoor gathering saying,

“Worshiping and taking communion together was really encouraging to my spirit, as well as just seeing each other's faces in person.”

Would you please pray for:

- Good weather
- Our congregation to remain healthy
- Our church would continue to receive favorable responses from the city for necessary permit approvals
- Attendees, and even neighbors in the local park where we will be gathering outdoors, to hear the gospel clearly and come to faith in Jesus

2. City on a Hill Church Brighton is growing! Our church has been fortunate in having several guests join us at our online services, whether through Facebook Live or Zoom. God is continuing to work powerfully in this city and, even in the midst of a pandemic and barriers to gathering in person, is still bringing new people to our church. Please pray for our guests to get plugged into the life of our church through Community Groups, which are small groups that meet online or socially distanced in-person throughout the week. Many of our new guests are even coming to our outdoor gathering this Sunday and have connected with a Community Group Leader or tried out a group. Pray specifically for CY, MT, LV, AO, MS, M, & R and for our church to minister well to them in this time.

September 2020

Family and friends,

We can’t say thank you enough for your continued support of our church and our family during this unique time. We appreciate you more than words can say and have seen the fruit of answered prayers in the past several months. Please continue to lift our church in prayer as we determine best next steps for the church as a whole. Read below for details on celebrations we are excited for, some challenges we are facing, and even a personal update on Kiana’s adoption.

Celebration: One Year Anniversary and Outdoor Gathering

This Sunday, we celebrate City on a Hill Church Brighton’s ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY! Can you believe that we are already a year in? We praise God for His faithfulness over the last year in bringing many people to become a regular part of our church and for the numerous gospel-sharing opportunities we’ve had in our community. Our church is home to approximately 100 people with 30 of those as members and many others looking to become members once we begin membership classes after COVID. Our average attendance on a usual Sunday morning is between 75-80 people and we have almost 20 children in our congregation!

Due to COVID, we have been unable to meet in our usual location at Brighton High School’s auditorium and have had a difficult time finding a location willing to open their doors to an external organization during this time. However, we were given city approval to meet outdoors at a park in our area and will meet this Sunday in-person outdoors for the first time in six months! We can’t wait to gather with our church again and will use the time together to sing songs, take the Lord’s Supper, hear God’s Word preached, and more, all while following necessary social distancing protocols. Our church is looking forward to being with one another again, so much so that we have to have two services to accommodate the city’s limitations on outdoor gatherings! We are beyond grateful to celebrate the church’s one year anniversary this Sunday and to see the Lord’s continued goodness in the year to come. Please continue to pray for fruitful and effective ministry in the months to come.

Challenge:

With winter approaching quickly (as it always seems to do in New England), we are eager to find an indoor meeting location for our church. As mentioned above, though, this has been a difficult time to find a new rental location that would allow our church to meet indoors. Please continue to fervently pray that an indoor location would become available to us for a reasonable price. This has been a difficult season for our church to be meeting largely online for so many months and we hope to incorporate safe in-person gatherings soon for the spiritual health of our congregation. Pray for our church as we seek to cautiously and wisely take steps forward towards safe in-person gatherings in our community.

Personal Update:

We wanted to thank each and every one of you for your continued encouragement, support, and prayers throughout our adoption process. Emily and I are beyond overjoyed to share that we finalized Kiana’s adoption on Emily’s 30th birthday, July 16. We’d like to officially introduce you to our daughter, Kiana Grace Ysabella Peters! Thank you for celebrating along with us in this wonderful news and pray for our family as we continue being Massachusetts foster/pre-adoptive parents for any future children God chooses to bring to our family.

July 2020

Prayer partners,

Our church, City on a Hill – Brighton, is doing well in this season of uncertainty and waiting. We so appreciate your prayers and hope you’ll read through the requests below, including a personal update regarding K’s adoption date!

1.       Church Meeting Space

Our church regularly rents out our local high school’s auditorium and classrooms for our Sunday morning gatherings. However, since COVID-19, we have been meeting virtually. The Massachusetts governor has recently reopened the possibility of churches gathering, but our current meeting space at Brighton High School is still unavailable. Many of Boston’s public schools, including Brighton High School, are greatly limiting the amount of people that enter their doors as a precaution to the upcoming school year and the safety standards they will have to uphold then. Because of that, our church is still looking for a place to meet soon. Our congregation is slowly moving towards in-person Community Groups and hopes to gather on a Sunday morning soon. Please pray for the following:
-That our church will find a local meeting space that fits our needs and is feasible for our congregation (ex. Presentation School)
-Our congregation would continue to feel loved and cared for, even though we aren’t yet meeting in-person
-The ministries of the church would remain strong  

2.       Kids Summer Adventure

Every year, the City on a Hill Church network hosts Kids Summer Adventure (similar to a Vacation Bible School) as an outreach to the children in our area. Even though COVID-19 changed many of our summer plans drastically, we will still be hosting Kids Summer Adventure as an at-home virtual event this year. From July 20-24, children will watch and participate in lessons, videos, crafts, and other fun and engaging ways to tell kiddos about Jesus. Please specifically pray for the below:

-The Lord would use the curriculum to speak to the kids participating
-The Gospel will be proclaimed in all the households for parents, grandparents, and others to hear
-The kids participating will hear the truth and love about Jesus and apply it to their hearts

3.       Personal Update: K’s Adoption Day!

Our family has great news! K’s adoption date has finally been scheduled and we couldn’t be more thrilled. We have known K since the fall of 2017, shortly after we moved to Boston, and have been her foster parents for over two years. To say we are ready for her adoption to be finalized is a huge understatement. We will have the adoption ceremony virtually since courthouses are still not open. Please pray that there will be no adjustments, changes, or delays to her adoption date this month. We have two more weeks to wait and we are all eager to have K legally be a Peters. Please pray along with us!

June 2020

CoaH Brighton and the Coronavirus

Family and friends,

Thank you so much for your continued support and prayers! We certainly need them during this time. Since Boston has the third highest number of Coronavirus cases in the nation, our state has been a little slower in reopening. We are currently in Phase 1 of reopening as our city and state move cautiously forward. Because of this slower reopening, our church has been unable to physically gather for three months. We certainly miss our corporate worship time and look forward to wisely and cautiously taking steps towards meeting again!

Here are some ways you can continue to pray:

1.       Weekly Live Stream Services

City on a Hill Church Brighton continues to meet weekly via livestream services on Facebook Live at 10am! We are reminded in this time that though the church may not be able to physically meet, God is still working greatly throughout Boston. Our live stream services are reaching those that would not have otherwise walked through our usual church meeting place. One CoaH Brighton family in particular has been able to invite at least five of their non-Christian neighbors to join them in an outdoor common space to watch our live stream together (while also social distancing safely). The gospel is still spreading in our city even now!

A major prayer request for CoaH Brighton right now is an available meeting space. Our state governor has allowed for churches to meet publicly again and, while we will need to move forward cautiously for the sake of our community and the comfort level of those in our church, our current worship space is still unavailable. Our church usually rents our local high school’s auditorium to meet, however, the Boston Public School system is currently not opening their buildings to any outside use. We, therefore, are on the search for a temporary (or possibly more long-term) meeting place in the midst of this reopening. We have reached out to a dozen or more places and are praying that one of these locations will work for our church when the time comes to meet again.

Pray for:

·       C, J, JM, A, and the many others who are joining us weekly for our online services and don’t yet know Jesus.

·       CoaH Brighton as we continue through our study of Philippians in a series entitled, “Joy in the Journey”.

2.       Twice a Week Missional Communities

CoaH Brighton has six Community Groups that still meet on a weekly basis via Zoom. Our groups meet on Sundays immediately after the sermon to discuss the morning’s Scripture and have their usual mid-week gathering to work through an additional passage of Scripture. Without the physical gathering for both Sunday mornings and CGs, we found it was important to create these two specific connection/care points within our church at this time. Currently, our Community Groups are battling some heavy topics such as racial reconciliation, the character of God, depression, and financial strain.

On the other hand, the reach of our Community Groups is spanning time zones and states across the nation as some from our congregation have traveled home or are visiting family. Our groups are also still seeking to serve in our community, whether through food distribution sites within our area or by providing means to others in need. My own Community Group has had the unique opportunity to engage with two non-Christians, one from Hong Kong and another from Germany, that would have otherwise not attended our Community Group in person but are able to join us on Zoom. They each have heard the gospel a dozen times at least and are faithful to gather with my Community Group two times every week.

Pray for:

·       Our Community Group Leaders as they invest hours into caring, loving, and supporting each person in their respective groups.

·       Spiritual development and depth of relationships to continue growing

·       Wisdom and discernment on how to move towards meeting for in-person small groups

3.       Weekday Prayer Gatherings

Every weekday our church hosts an online hangout and prayer gathering for those connected to our community and church. These daily gatherings have been an amazing opportunity to check in and pray with one another. Prayer has been a beautiful avenue, especially during COVID-19, to dive deeper into God’s goodness amidst difficulty, how to mourn with those who mourn, to actively seek joy in the mundane, and so much more.

Pray for:

·       K, who is battling depression and anxiety

·       S, who is struggling with God’s trustworthiness

·       J, a non-Christian seeking to understand the claims of Jesus and its life implications

4.       Weekly CoaH Course on Systematic Theology

Zoom has created a unique opportunity for our church network to teach a variety of courses to our congregations. The CoaH Network as a whole will be leading three CoaH courses throughout the summer: Systematic Theology, Applying the Gospel, and Christianity & Anti-Racism. Over the next two months, I will personally be teaching the CoaH Course on Systematic Theology, a course focused on the foundational doctrines found in Scripture about the Christian faith, including doctrines concerning heaven/hell, who God is, and Bible trustworthiness. Our Systematic Theology CoaH Course has over 30 people registered and attending, including some non-Christians. This Sunday we will be focusing on the doctrines of prayer and angels/demons.

Pray for:

·       A, who seeks to understand and determine the claims of the inerrancy of Scripture

·       The salvation of J, a non-Christian desiring to understand the doctrines of the Christian faith

·       Humility and grace in the teaching and learning of these core doctrines

A Note from Emily:

Hello prayer partners! I wanted to take a moment to also include a special prayer request for this month. Would you pray specifically for Aaron as he pastors, shepherds, and leads during this unique time? Aaron is handling a great deal of pastoral care calls, theological questions that are plaguing some of our attendees right now, preaching every week, leading a course on Systematic Theology, and all while still creating the processes and systems to grow our church in holiness, effectiveness, and sustainability. It is a lot on one person’s plate! While he greatly excels at his job, please specifically pray for encouragement, stamina, and clarity in leading CoaH Brighton. God certainly gave our church the right man to lead CoaH. Thank you for praying over my husband as he pours out everyday for the name of Jesus to be made known in Boston and beyond.

February 2020

Friends and family,

City on a Hill Church (CoaH) in Brighton is almost five months old and we are excited for all that is to come for the year 2020! Below are some ways you can pray for us in the coming month:

1. Community Group Leader Sync

Each week we have nine Community Groups that meet on different days throughout Brighton. And with approximately 90 people on any given Sunday, many of our Community Groups are very full! It is important for Emily and I to continually check in with our Community Group leaders to see how they are personally growing in their walk with the Lord, ways we can pray for them and those in their group, to celebrate praises and encouraging steps happening in their groups, and to address any challenges or concerns they may be experiencing. We do all of this through Community Group Leader Syncs. While we try to meet with all of our Community Group leaders face to face once a month and speak to them over the phone once a week, a CG Leader Sync is a great way for our leaders to be in one room together to remind each other of the gospel, celebrate together, and discuss vision for the future. Here are the names of our CG leaders so you can pray for them by name: Aaron and Emily, Mandy, Matt and Jordan, Dan and Kelly, Brian and Chelsea, & Haley and Bradley.

Please pray for our leaders to:

-Be encouraged in the work they are doing every week by loving those in their group and feeding them the Word of God

-Have an overwhelming amount of grace, truth, love, and endurance to care for each person that attends their weekly gathering

-Remember the gospel for their own hearts as well as the hearts of those that attend their Community Group

-Train and equip those in their group to reach our city with the good news of Jesus

2. Monthly Church-wide Family Meal

We had over 75 people at our last church-wide family meal with almost 100% of our congregation staying after service to spend an extended lunch with one another! What an unexpected but great ministry these church-wide family lunches have become each month. It can be easy for attendees to stay within their circle of friends developed by Community Groups but these lunches remind us of the greater family found within the body of Christ as the church and allow us the opportunity to spend time with one another as a whole. Guests are also using these lunches to get plugged in, to meet others within the church, and to learn more about who CoaH Brighton is.

Please pray for:

-Continued funds to host church-wide lunches each month ($400-$500 for every meal)

-Deeper relationships to grow within our entire church, especially between all of the different Community Groups

-Guests to feel included and welcomed into our church family

3. Hickory Grove Volunteer Team

Emily and I are excited to have another Hickory Grove volunteer team of college students join us at the very end of February! Volunteer teams are vital to any church plant for a multitude of reasons:

1. Their presence reminds us that we are supported, loved, and cared for by other churches, that we have not be forgotten! They are a physical reminder that others believe in the work we are doing here in Boston.

2. Volunteers provide much needed help to accomplish projects we would otherwise not be able to do due to lack of time and hands.

3. Their willingness to serve provides a short break for our Community Groups in weekly tasks like setting up for church every Sunday.

4. They help us build goodwill and a reputation of service, dedication, and love in the community.

This past Friday, Emily and I had the opportunity to meet with the new Director of Brighton Main Streets, a local non-profit organization that seeks the good of the community, to discuss continuing our partnership with them in 2020. Each volunteer team of 2020 will help us grow this partnership as we continue to share the good news of Jesus both in our personal interactions with those in our community as well as through seeking the prosperity of the area we live in (Jeremiah 29:7). Pray that we would seek the welfare of the city and that each volunteer that comes to Boston leaves changed and with a renewed understanding of the need for Jesus to be made known wherever they are.

January 2020

Friends and family,

Happy New Year! City on a Hill Church in Brighton is excited for the year ahead. We pray that 2020 will be a fruitful year of ministry where we see those in community come to know Jesus, experience our first baptisms as a church, introduce new members to our congregation, and grow in our missional efforts to share the name of Jesus in our area. Thank you for praying alongside of us!

Below are some additional ways you can pray:

1.  Monthly Reading Plans

This year our church will be doing a series of monthly reading plans to encourage consistent time in the Bible for our congregation. Within our church plant we have many non-Christians and young believers who don’t have a regular exposure to the Bible, so a yearly plan doesn’t always seem attainable or realistic for those getting started with regular quiet times. We pray these monthly reading plans will develop healthy habits of reading God’s Word in our church and will be spur our members to be challenged in their walk with the Lord. As a church, we will be reading through the book of Luke this month.

Pray for our members and attendees to have a daily intake of God’s Word through these monthly reading plans. Also pray for a deep desire for Scripture, and therefore a greater worship of God, to grow in each person attending City on a Hill - Brighton.

2.  Aaron Preaching at Student Conference

Next weekend I have the great honor and privilege of being the speaker for Uprising Weekend (similar to a Disciple Now) for the students of First Baptist Church in Fort Mill, SC. Emily and I are extremely thankful for great partners and friends like Derek Kiser and Taylor Braswell who invite us to be a part of their church and its students discipleship. Uprising Weekend will focus on the great exchange from 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Pray for students’ hearts to be softened to the good news of Jesus and for life transformation to happen within the student ministry at FBC-Fort Mill. Specifically pray that the great exchange of the gospel would clearly speak to every student, both believers and unbelievers, on how their daily lives can be changed by the righteousness provided by Christ. Please also pray for me as I continue to prepare my messages for next weekend as well as for clarity and boldness in preaching the truth of God’s Word!

3.  Church-wide Family Meal

Our church-wide family meals have been such a success that we are going to continue them into the new year starting on Sunday, January 26! We have received great feedback about these family lunches right after church and are excited to see new relationships formed and deeper friendships grown each month.

These lunches have grown to be more than just a simple meal shared after our worship gathering once a month. We are seeing our congregation take the time to stay after service, sit by someone they don’t know very well, and engage in conversation over a family meal. These monthly meals have encouraged the family atmosphere of our church and has helped our seven individual Community Groups to interact with one another. Our monthly get togethers serve as a great reminder of who we are as a church: a family of missionary servants.

Pray specifically for “A” who is a new attendee of our church and hopes to get plugged in through one of our Community Groups as well as for “C” who is looking to make more connections with our church members after visiting our services three times.

December 2019

1. Advent Sermon Series

Last Sunday, City on a Hill Church in Brighton began our Advent: Promises from the Prophets sermon series. Each week through the month of December we will emphasize a particular aspect of Advent: hope, love, joy, peace, and humility. This past Sunday we saw how to have hope in hard times from Isaiah 9:1-7 by looking forward to the hope of heaven, backwards at God’s record of faithfulness, and upwards to Jesus as the ultimate hope.

This is a unique time for those in our church to see why we anticipate this season as one of hope and joy. We have many in our church who are very young in their faith and need to be reminded how the gospel applies to everyday life and not simply salvation. This Advent season we are praying for the hope, love, joy, peace, and humility of Jesus to be markers of transformation in each person within our church.

Pray that J, F, N, L, and the many other unbelievers in our regular weekly services would clearly understand the good news of Jesus coming down to us and come to faith in Him!

2. Church-wide Family Meal

On a usual Sunday, City on a Hill Church in Brighton regularly sees between approximately 70 people between our Sunday morning gathering and our kids ministry. We are at just the right size where we can all know one another, even though we may be in different Community Groups or live in different areas of town. Our church-wide family meals allow every person at CoaH Brighton to spend time with those they otherwise may not see or have a deep conversation with.

Our monthly family meals as a church help us to live out our core values of gospel, community, and mission, including within our own church setting. We have several unbelievers that attend each week and come to family meals like these. These monthly get togethers are a picture of the family of God and what it looks like to be a part of it. These meals also invite believers into a deeper understanding of how the church should act as a community, a family and how we can invite others into this family.

Our next family meal will be on December 15 directly following our Sunday morning worship gathering. Each time we encourage everyone to sit with someone they don’t know very well, and we’ve seen this small action develop new friendships and a familiarity within the church that would otherwise not be present.

Pray for:

-Believers to have a fresh initiative to invite those in our community to be a part of God’s family by sharing the gospel clearly

-Those far from Jesus to be open and ask questions during this lunch with those they meet and get to know

-Our church would understand the significance as more than just sharing a meal but of showing Brighton and our own church community the love and good news of Jesus in everyday actions

3. Christmas Eve Service

On December 24, CoaH Brighton will have its first Christmas as an established church! Our congregation will join with other City on a Hill network churches (Brookline, Somerville, and the future Forest Hills church) in celebrating the birth of Jesus together.

As with many churches, Christmas Eve is a once-a-year opportunity for our church to reach the neighborhood with a clear explanation of the good news of Jesus.

Pray for:

-A bold preaching of God’s Word and Jesus’ coming

-Many people would come to faith in Jesus during this service

-City on a Hill Church can be a light in each community by displaying, declaring, and personally delighting in the gospel

November 2019

Friends and family,

City on a Hill (CoaH) Church in Brighton is off to a great start with approximately 75 people (or more) regularly attending our worship gatherings each week! We have a wide variety of college students, graduate students, singles, young marrieds, and several families with kids that attend our church on a regular basis. We also have had many non-Christians in our church services every single week, hearing the good news of Jesus week in and week out. Please continue to pray for our church through the requests provided below.

1.       “Ask Anything”

Over the past two months, our church has established a special Community Group, called Life Explored, designed to focus on Christianity’s foundational beliefs in a way that engages and helps seekers and skeptics. This group has had approximately 20 people regularly involved throughout the course! This is a huge answer to prayer as there are several in that Community Group that are continually asking more questions and are very interested in learning more about Jesus. Specifically pray for “J”, who has a unique thirst to understand the good news of Jesus but still has questions about the faith.

Life Explored has been so fruitful that the participants asked to increase the number of meetings. The group continues to meet each week addressing specific questions the attendees wanted to cover, such as “How do we know the Bible is the Word of God?” or “How can there only be one way (aren’t all religions basically the same)?”. Please be in prayer for the following:

-Community Group leaders to answer any and all questions with truth and grace

-That J, F, and many others would come to faith in Jesus as they grow in understanding of Jesus

2.  Indoor Movie Night

Over the past two years, City on a Hill Church in Brighton has hosted free outdoor movie nights for our community throughout each summer. Now, on November 15, we will have our very first free community indoor movie night! We will be showing Toy Story 4 at 7pm in Brighton High School's auditorium (where we worship each Sunday). These free movie nights are a great way to engage our community, serve those around us, meet our neighbors, and show our neighborhood the love of Jesus. For many in our area, these movie nights are as close as they will get to interacting with a church.

City on a Hill Church was able to advertise this movie night to approximately 2,000 people at our local trick or treat event on Halloween (a huge success! See the pictures below.). At that event, we hosted two tables, increasing our opportunities to pass out our church’s information and invite people to visit while also inviting those in our area to join us for the movie night. Be praying for this movie night as we hope it will be an easy gateway for seekers and skeptics to visit CoaH Brighton since the movie night is held in the exact place we worship every Sunday! Pray that the Spirit would strongly urge our community to visit our church and ask questions about their faith following the movie night.

3.  Friendsgiving

Holiday celebrations are a great way to further friendships and develop new relationships with our neighbors in our Boston context. For the past two years Emily and I have hosted a Friendsgiving for our apartment complex, which has around 75 people in it. This year, the Daniels (a couple from Hickory Grove North Campus that moved to Boston as a part of our core team last year) will be hosting since they are now tenants of our same complex! We are excited to have friends so nearby but also to have another couple seeking to share the good news of Jesus with our friends and neighbors.

Please pray for:

-New faces/neighbors to attend that we haven’t yet met; that we will have good conversations that can lead to friendships and even discussions about Jesus

-Deeper friendships and continued spiritual conversations with recurring attendees (neighbors we do know and have come to our monthly events before)

-Create a welcoming and warm environment of hospitality and love as we display, declare, and delight in the good news of Jesus

4.  CoaH Brighton Family Meal

The core values of our church are gospel, community, and mission. We believe that part of community at CoaH Brighton is to be more than just a Sunday morning gathering. We believe that in and through Jesus we have been made a family! And just as families eat with one another on a regular basis, we also desire to build a family culture within our church by occasionally providing church-wide meals.

On November 17 directly following our Sunday morning worship gathering, CoaH Brighton will be having our third family meal together as a church since we launched in September. We established these family meals to better display the good news of Jesus to our neighborhood. These meals are a great way for new attendees to become better acquainted with the church in an informal setting. Also, eating together as a church family grows in us a deeper understanding of community that we find in God’s Word and develops a greater love for His church and those in it. At each family meal we have had amazing opportunities for deep spiritual conversations with the spiritually interested attending our church (but do not yet know Jesus). Please pray for continued conversations and even for new relationships to be established at this family meal.

October 2019

Friends and Family,

WOW! We can’t begin to express the amazing things God has done this past month. City on a Hill Church in Brighton had our grand opening on Sunday, September 8th with over 120 people in attendance! While several of those came to support us from out of town (thank you to those of you who made the special trip!), many guests also came from the community and many non-Christians attended our service and have returned since that first worship gathering.

Our new church has begun to settle into a healthy rhythm of church life and regularly have between 70-80 people each week now that all of our out of town visitors have returned home. Attendance numbers are not the metric of success for us, but we can use them to praise the ways God has brought many to our church. We are very excited that many of our new guests are looking towards church membership as well as getting plugged into our Community Groups.

As we continue to grow in health and stability as a church, please be sure to pray for the below:

1. Community Group Connection and Growth

City on a Hill Church in Brighton currently has seven Community Groups (we have grown from one to seven in the last few months!) with approximately 8-12 people in each group. These groups study the Bible, care for one another as a family, and are sent out on mission to a particular group of people in our specific neighborhood. This Sunday, we will begin connecting our guests that are interested in being a regular part of CoaH Brighton to our current Community Groups.

Pray that each group would:

-Welcome any newcomers well

-Display and declare the good news of Jesus clearly at each Community Group

-Be led with truth and grace from God’s Word by our awesome leaders

2. “I Am” Sermon Series

Our church began with a short series on our three core values: Gospel, Community, and Mission. We are now in an 8-week series going through the “I Am” statements of Jesus as found in the book of John. We are regularly having around 75 people each Sunday, many of them guests and non-believers! Pray for the good news of Jesus to create life change in those that do not know Him and for the Christians to be continually transformed by the truth found in God’s Word. This week I will be preaching from John 8 on Jesus saying, “I am the light of the world”.

3. CoaH Network Retreat

City on a Hill's annual retreat will be from October 18-20 this year at Camp Spofford in Spofford, NH. Donald Whitney, a prominent Christian author on spiritual disciplines and more, will lead our church network specifically in the topic of praying the Bible. Our church will learn about praying through the Bible, asking why should God answer our prayers, and looking at the motives needed for answered prayers. There will be devoted time for individual and guided prayer as well as testimonies and Q&A. Pray for each person to better understand the Bible, prayer, and the character of God after this weekend away together. Also, please pray for strong relationships to be built for all those who attend, whether a long-time member or someone who is brand new.

4. Business Trick or Treat

Each Halloween our neighborhood of Boston hosts a business trick or treat where families take their kids down Brighton Center to trick or treat at all of the locally owned businesses and shops. This event is a great opportunity to serve over 1,000 families that show up from our area as well as to support the local businesses around us. We will be hosting two separate tables at Business Trick or Treat this year to pass out candy, share church information, and to engage with our neighbors personally.

Pray for:

-Our relationships with the local non-profit organization for our neighborhood and our local YMCA to grow in health and depth

-Many opportunities to share Jesus with the neighbors we meet

-Continued goodwill from our neighborhood towards our church

August 2019

Prayer partners,

You have supported and loved us so well over the past two years since Emily and I moved to Boston to see our friends and neighbors find and follow Jesus. Thank you for believing in us and for more importantly, believing in the work God has called us to do here in this city. The work has just begun, and we look forward to the many years of ministry ahead!

What to Pray for This Month:

1.  Final Preview Service TOMORROW

Tomorrow will be our final preview service before City on a Hill Brighton’s grand opening on September 8. These preview services have been very helpful as “test runs” for our future Sunday morning gatherings. We now have a smooth set-up and tear-down process, purchased any necessary Sunday morning items, and developed an order of service that is gospel-centered and Bible-focused. Because our preview services are meant to work out any kinks before opening to the community, these services have not been advertised to the public yet. Even still, we have had several unbelievers come to each preview service! Be in prayer for the unbelievers that may attend tomorrow: an agnostic Chinese student, a future city councilman, a family of Boston natives, and others.

Pray for:

-Any unbelievers that attend would come to know Jesus!

-Final details to come together as we prepare for our grand opening next month

2.  The Big Move on September 1

Boston is a very transient city with approximately 30% of the city turning over each year. That entire city transition almost exclusively happens the weekend of September 1 due to rental agreements ending/starting at that time. Thousands of people move into the city on September 1, which is why it is called “The Big Move”. City on a Hill Church has found that weekend to be a vital time in serving our neighbors and making connections with those in our area. We equip teams of church members and volunteers to go out into the community and move our neighbors into their new apartments. Through The Big Move, many people become aware of our church, get plugged into our Community Groups, and hear about Jesus for the first time.

Ways you can pray for September 1:

-The love of Jesus to be displayed and declared clearly while we serve the community

-Individuals to be plugged into the life of the church, especially Community Groups, from new relationships built during move-in time

-Safety for our teams as we move in hundreds of people up/down flights of stairs and sometimes in small spaces

3.  Movie Night Follow-Up

By the end of this summer City on a Hill Church in Brighton will have hosted five movie nights! These movie nights are a very effective way to build goodwill in the community, meet our neighbors, and allow individuals to learn more about our church and express interest in additional spiritual conversations. Each movie night has between 200-300 people or more that attend, which means we have a great opportunity in sharing and showing the love of Jesus. From our movie nights this summer, we have had more than 30 people express interest in more conversations about Jesus. We have also had a family of believers get plugged into our church and have had a family of unbelievers become regular attenders of our Community Group. Just last night we had approximately 200 people attend!

As we follow-up with those who attended our movie nights, please pray for:

-Individuals who expressed interest in attending a Life Explored course this fall (a discussion-based program that explores the foundational truths of the Christian faith)

-Continued open doors in the community to more explicitly share the good news of Jesus

-Growth in the community’s trust of us as we serve like Jesus has served us

Stay tuned for more updates about our grand opening on September 8!

July 2019

Prayer partners,

Thank you for your faithful praying over Emily and I, our family, and our new church over these last two years. We can’t believe it has been almost a full two years since we moved from Charlotte, NC to Boston, MA. We look forward to the many years ahead!

See how your prayers were answered from last month!

1. Second Preview Service

Our new church is hosting one preview service each month this summer to allow time for us to learn set-up, tear-down, and logistics of a worship service at our future meeting space, Brighton High School. We had almost 60 people at our last preview service, including a few volunteers visiting from Georgia, members from our launch team, and some of our non-Christian friends and neighbors. This summer’s preview services are focusing on our church’s core values of gospel, community, and mission. We are greatly looking forward to City on a Hill Church’s launch in Brighton in just two short months!

      2.  Many Preaching Opportunities

Over the last month I have had three preaching opportunities at our City on a Hill network churches in Somerville and in Brookline (with more opportunities coming up). I had the opportunity to preach Ruth 4, Ruth 5, and then Psalm 51 in accordance with the series each church is currently going through. I am extremely thankful for a residency church that allows me the honor of preaching at each of their congregations and serving their pastors and members in the preaching of God’s Word. Pray for my continued growth in sermon preparation and delivery as well as for me to be constantly shaped by the Word personally as I preach it corporately.

There are many ways you can pray for us this month!

1. Community Group Multiplication

These last few months have seen a lot of growth for our church, City on a Hill (CoaH) Brighton. So much so that we are having to multiply our Community Groups to accommodate the larger numbers and to spread the good news of Jesus throughout our neighborhood. Each Community Group chooses a pocket of people that they will intentionally and actively share the gospel with as a group. The multiplication of our Community Groups is a huge answer to prayer as we desire to continually share the good news of Jesus to each person within our area. Our three Community Groups will multiply into EIGHT different groups starting in the next few weeks. Pray that the mission of Jesus would stay a top priority within our groups and that we would be intentional in how we reach others in our community and how we care for one another in the church.

2. Cornerstone Volunteer Team

We are so thankful for partner churches! Cornerstone Church from Greensboro, NC holds a special place in my heart because it is one of the churches where I grew up throughout my high school years. Emily and I are greatly looking forward to having a volunteer team from Cornerstone to Boston next week from July 9 through July 14. This particular volunteer team will help us with all of the prayer requests listed below, including free community events and our third preview service. Pray for their endurance and stamina as they serve here in Boston.

3. Family Fun Nights

In our neighborhood, there are six low-income housing developments, each housing a couple hundred families. In an effort to begin building relationships with the families at one of our local housing developments called Faneuil Gardens, CoaH Brighton will host two Family Fun Nights at a nearby park. We pray these Family Fun Nights will allow us to build a permanent partnership with Faneuil Gardens, including its staff and tenants. Please pray for many families to come to these free community nights so that we can begin building relationships with them and that we would have many opportunities to share the good news of Jesus.

4. Movie Night in the Park

CoaH Brighton will host another free movie night in the park for our community next Saturday, July 13! Our last movie night was canceled due to rain so we are eager to see our neighbors at this next showing. While we have always had a great attendance rate for every movie night we have hosted (between 200-300 people show up every time), we have seen a big increase in those interested in exploring more about spiritual things since we started. Each movie night we host a raffle and the raffle tickets also operate as a survey, with options to show interest in more City on a Hill community events and/or to show interest in ways to explore the Christian faith. At our first movie night, we didn’t have any people express interest in exploring their faith. However, at our last movie night, we had 15 people express a desire to have a spiritual conversation! Pray for these individuals as we personally follow up with them and invite them to a course called “Alpha” in the fall, which introduces the basics of the Christian faith through talks and discussions.

5. Third Preview Service 

We are quickly approaching the official launch (or Grand Opening) of City on a Hill (CoaH) Church in Brighton. We couldn’t be more excited! Our church has another upcoming preview service on July 14, which allows us to learn how to set-up the space we are in at Brighton High School, determine what needs we have, and how to adjust accordingly to make the worship service as smooth as possible so that there are minimal distractions in hearing the good news of Jesus. A preview service is a full worship service that serves as a practice run once a month before we begin hosting weekly services starting September 8. Because of that, we have had non-Christian friends and neighbors at our last two preview services and expect those that are new to church to come again next Sunday. Please pray for their hearts to be softened to the good news of Jesus and for our church members to care for one another and our non-Christian friends and neighbors well.

June 2019

Friends and family,

The summer season has begun, and we are excited about the community engagement that will happen over the next few months! Below is an update based on last month’s prayer requests as well as specific ways you can pray for us this month:

1.   First Preview Service Last Month

City on a Hill Brighton had its very first preview service on May 5. We had 57 people attend, including kids, co-workers, and a few people from the community! From this preview service, I was able to have a follow-up gospel conversation with someone who made a profession of faith. Emily and I are so excited by the trajectory of the church as we continue to grow and take steps towards beginning weekly services in September.

2.   Cross Pointe Volunteer Team

Cross Pointe is a valuable partner church from Georgia and brought their first volunteer team to Boston this week. These seven volunteers helped with promotion for our community events, setup/teardown our movie night in the park, setup for our second preview service, engagement in the community with gospel conversations and a lot more. Volunteer teams accomplish tasks and goals that we would otherwise be unable to complete. For example, our Cross Pointe volunteers organized what will become our church’s storage space in a local high school’s auditorium (where our church gathers). This project was essential to being prepared for future services. We are so thankful for each of our volunteer teams and the personal encouragement they are to me and Emily!

3.  Movie Night in the Park Yesterday

We started off our summer season with our first movie night of the year last night. Even with school still being in session for the year, we had almost 200 people from our community gathered together! At each movie night we have a church information table where people can give us their information and let us know if they are interested in more of our events or even if they are interested in events specifically focused on exploring their faith. We had 10 people express an interest in exploring their faith! We will follow up with each of these individuals to pursue these gospel conversations. City on a Hill Brighton will host five of these movie nights throughout the summer (once per month) and we look forward to seeing the fruit from these events.

Ways to Pray:

1.   Preview Service TOMORROW

Our church’s second preview service is TOMORROW. We will meet at 10am in the auditorium of a local school, Brighton High, which is well-known and easily accessible to our community.

Pray for:

-A culture of hospitality and gospel intentionality to grow within our members even now

-A smooth morning with minimal issues or obstacles

-Those far from Jesus to come to faith in Him through the teaching of His Word and a clear explanation of the gospel

2.  Movie Night in the Park June 21

Movie nights in the park are a great week to engage with the community as a whole, build personal relationships with those that attend, bless our neighbors in a tangible way, and serve the community with no expectation of anything in return. From each large event like this at least one family becomes a regular part of the life of our church, including Community Groups, Sunday morning services, and more. Please pray that life change would happen for multiple families through community events like these. Also pray that we would have many more individuals express interest in exploring their faith when they visit our church information table.

3.   Aaron Preaches June 30

Many churches in the metro Boston area lack a large staff to rely on for preaching help. Instead, church plants in Boston and surrounding areas have created a solid network of camaraderie and friendship to use other pastors to preach. Through this brotherhood of church planters, I have had the opportunity to preach multiple times to a wide variety of churches, including an Indian church, a church in the metro area of Boston, and a church in downtown. On June 30, I will be preaching at City on a Hill Church Somerville (20 minutes north of where our church plant will be located in Brighton).

Pray for:

-Rest for these pastors that take a small break from preaching.

-Smooth sermon preparation and faithful teaching of the Word

-The Spirit to move mightily in the hearts of those that hear the good news of Jesus

May 2019

Hi prayer partners,

This is a big weekend for us all! Our church plant, City on a Hill Church in Boston’s most northwestern neighborhood, Brighton, will have its very first preview service on Sunday morning. Read below for updates from last month’s prayer requests as well as more ways to pray for this month.

Updates from Last Month:

1.  Easter Egg Outreach

What a day! Even with a torrential downpour during the middle of the morning, we had over 250 families come by the Easter Egg Outreach. Brighton Main Streets did a great job putting on their event and we were honored to be asked to be a part of it. Our face painting booth was a huge hit and we got to pass out over 200 gift bags. Each gift bag included a clear explanation of the gospel and why celebrating Easter and Jesus’ resurrection is so important. We had at least 40 families express interest in exploring their faith and learning more about spiritual things. Me, Emily, and our awesome church planting team are excited to follow up with these individuals!

2.  Good Friday/Easter Services at CoaH Brookline

Easter weekend was jam-packed but amazing between Good Friday service to the Easter Egg Hunt to Easter morning services and brunch with the church as a whole. We had over 100 additional guests at Easter services that were either out of town visitors or guests from the community. Each person heard the gospel clearly through the entire service from the songs, communion, and the sermon. We pray that some guests were even from Brighton, brought to the service through our personal invitation included in the gift bags we passed out at the Easter community event the day before.

3.  International Justice Mission Prayer Gathering

Outreach events are great for meeting new people in the neighborhood that don’t know about Jesus, but it is also an awesome way to connect with other people serving in our area. While at the Easter Egg Outreach, Emily and I had the opportunity to meet with a woman involved in a global Christian organization called International Justice Mission (IJM). Through our conversation, I was asked to lead a prayer session in their annual Boston gathering the following week. These prayer gatherings specifically focus on the 40 million slaves that are around the world today. My portion of the prayer gathering was centered on the church and its role in ending slavery locally, nationally, and globally. Please be praying for the continued health of this organization and for God to move mightily through the prayers of his people from this event and many others like it.

What to Pray For:

1.   Preview Service THIS SUNDAY!

City on a Hill Church (CoaH) in Brighton will have its very first preview service this weekend on Sunday at 10am. Our preview services will simply act as practice runs before our launch on September 8th. We will do everything we would normally do, but these services give us a chance to plan for all the big and little details that go into launching a worship gathering. These services also give us a chance to see what we can do better.

What this weekend looks like for us…

Friday (today): Moved chairs, pipe and drape, and miscellaneous supplies from 8am-10am to Brighton High School.

Saturday: Move items from our home (which has acted a little like a storage unit lately!) to Brighton High School and then set-up from 9am-12pm for Sunday morning’s service.

Sunday: Arrive at Brighton High School at 8am to make sure all details are covered for service, which starts at 10am. Have our very first service as CoaH Brighton (!!!) and then tear down all chairs/equipment so that everything is ready for the high school and its upcoming school week.

As you can tell, it’s a busy weekend! Please pray for:

1.  Smooth set-up and easy transition as we get everything settled at Brighton High

2.  Endurance and perseverance to handle any and all details that may arise this weekend

3.  Most importantly, many to come to know Jesus in our community through CoaH Brighton

Emily and I are beyond excited to be at this point and we wouldn’t be here without your prayers and support. We are eternally grateful!

2.  Speaking at Men’s Retreat

Next weekend I have the privilege of being a part of and speaking at our church network’s Men’s Retreat. I will be speaking on Biblical manhood from 1 Corinthians 16. This weekend will be a helpful time to be intentional in building gospel-centered friendships with other men and leaders in the church. It also is an intensive time of refocusing ourselves on how the gospel speaks personally to us as men in leading ourselves, our families, and within the church. Please pray for fruitful conversations, vulnerability and transparency among the men about our areas of weakness and need for accountability, and that the good news of Jesus would pierce our hearts in a fresh way.

3.  Movie Night in the Park

CoaH Brighton will have at least one community event each month this summer and we are kicking our summer calendar off with a movie night in the park at the end of this month on May 31! We pray our movie nights become a welcome expectation within our neighborhood of almost 50,000 people. With 300 or more people coming to each of our movie nights last year, we plan these events with expectant hope of meeting more and more families in our area. These events allow us to have initial conversations that can then lead to future intentional conversations about themselves, their backgrounds, and what they believe about Jesus. Every time we have hosted one of these events, we have had the privilege of connecting with at least one family that has regularly plugged into our church. Our movie nights in the park are one of the best ways to meet a lot of people quickly, build a strong reputation in the community, serve those in our area, and tell people about our church and, more importantly, about Jesus. Pray for:

1.  Our volunteers to continue faithfully serving our community and sharing Jesus with those around us

2.  Families to get plugged into the life of our church from this event

3.  Many opportunities to share the good news of Jesus with the several hundred people that attend our movie nights

April 2019

Family and friends,

March and April have been busy months for us, both in ministry and personally! Below is an update on what’s been going on and some immediate ways you can pray for us and Boston. Thank you for taking the time to read this and pray.

What You Can Pray For:

1.  Community Easter Egg Hunt

Tomorrow, a local non-profit is hosting a community-wide Easter Egg Hunt for kids and families in our area. HUNDREDS of children show up to this event and is a great way to reach out to those in our community. Emily was asked by this local partner of ours if we would be willing to host a face-painting table and pass out information about our church. THIS IS BIG! We have asked you to pray for this particular partnership to grow and this is proof of the trust that has been built. Emily and I are extremely excited about this privilege. Not only is this a great opportunity to build relationships with others and grow a good reputation for our church, but we are praying for explicit opportunities to share Jesus at this Easter-based event. We want people to know the true meaning behind Easter is that Jesus is alive! On Wednesday, our Community Group put together 500 giftbags to pass out to the families and children that will attend this event. Each giftbag includes information about our church as well as a specific invitation to join us for Easter services and a card detailing the good news of Jesus within Easter.

Please pray:

1.  For good weather! This event happens rain or shine and, right now, the forecast is rain. A few people may still come out to the event, but the number will be drastically lower if the weather is not good.

2.  In the past we have had at least one family become a regular part of City on a Hill through events like these. Be praying for whoever that family may be!

3.   Many opportunities to share Jesus. We know this will be a great time to tell people that Easter is about how Jesus conquered sin and death and what that means for us!

 2.  Good Friday/Easter Services at CoaH Brookline

As for many of you, this weekend is packed full of great reminders of Jesus’ perfect life on our behalf, His sacrificial substitutionary death, and His powerful resurrection. And just like you we will be celebrating Good Friday tonight and Easter Sunday later this weekend together. As we celebrate Jesus’ amazing sacrifice on our behalf, though, Emily and I are heavily reminded that there are millions of people in Boston and its surrounding areas that do not know, care, or understand the beautiful gift of Jesus. Our hearts are broken for this city and the people that don’t yet know Jesus.

Pray that our friends and neighbors will come to these services and find and follow Jesus because they hear the good news clearly. Pray that the Spirit opens the eyes and hearts of those around us to hear and understand the truth of this Easter holiday, that Jesus is alive, powerful, and can save us from our sin. Also pray that these services will act as a fresh reminder to those that do believe of the sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf and that we will act with urgency to tell others the good news.

3.  Strategy Community Group

We are getting closer and closer to the start of our church, City on a Hill Church Brighton! To prepare, we are hosting a weekly strategy Community Group on Sunday nights that focuses on specific ways to share the gospel with those around us. These weekly meetings are more than just evangelism training, but also are times to equip and re-center our hearts on the mission of Jesus. We are answering questions such as, “How do I share my own gospel story? What pocket of people do I feel specifically called to reach? In what ways can I utilize the platforms and spheres of influence I am in for the advancement of Jesus’ name?” This specific Community Group of approximately 20 people will meet through the end of May and will then multiply into two separate groups so that we can better reach our neighborhood with the love of Jesus. Please pray for our church planting launch team to be equipped to faithfully share the gospel with friends, neighbors, and others in our community. Pray that many people would find and follow Jesus through future Community Groups of City on a Hill Brighton.

Timeline Overview:

May 5: Preview Service

June 2: Preview Service

July 14: Preview Service

August 11: Preview Service

September 8: Launch Weekly Services for City on a Hill Church Brighton!

Update on Last Month:

1.   Vision Nights

City on a Hill Church Brighton hosted two Vision Nights in the last several weeks. These Vision Nights were a once a month evening gathering for those committed to or highly interested in joining City on a Hill Church Brighton. We had approximately 50 people attend each of these Vision Nights! The gatherings included a time of prayer, worship, evangelism training, fellowship, and more. Each meeting was set up to build a family culture amongst our church planting team by sharing a meal together, working through evangelism training guides in small groups, spending time praying throughout our future church meeting space, and much more. Our Vision Nights were a great prelude to what comes next: monthly preview services!

2.  Hickory Grove Volunteer Team

Emily and I say this frequently, but we could NOT do what we do here in Boston without the support (financial, prayer, people, and many other resources) our church partners have graciously given us. Each volunteer that visits Boston, catches the vision of what God is doing here, and comes alongside of us to serve our neighborhood is crucial to getting us one step closer to starting our church here and sustaining it beyond our launch date. The team of volunteers from Hickory Grove helped create storage space for our church plant supplies at our future meeting space at Brighton High School. Their help with organization, moving, cleaning and more also strengthened our partnership with the school and its staff by serving them during a busy season of the year. Every volunteer team gives us additional hands to accomplish the projects we need done but wouldn’t be able to do without the extra help.