Friends and family,
What a week! There is so much we can praise God for just over this past week and weekend. September is like the start of a new year here in Boston with apartment leases ending/beginning and college classes starting again. God has already paved the way for new relationships to be formed and for His name to be made known throughout this city. Read below to see how:
1. The Big Move
Thousands of people move every September 1st in Boston, the day that most apartment leases begin in the city and its surrounding neighborhoods. Many of these people have very limited help moving their belongings. Last Saturday, our City on a Hill Community Groups had the opportunity to give back to our community and serve the neighbors around us. The Big Move is a practical way to love and serve our neighbors and to show our community what the church about – glorifying God while serving others. We spent all day Saturday helping neighbors move into their apartments throughout Brighton and built several relationships with those in our community.
Pray for:
-E & K newly arrived from Iraq seeking an education here (only been in the US for six days now)
-M, D, & E live down the street from us and have lived in Boston for several years pursuing PhD’s at Harvard
-M, M, J & A are new neighbors within our apartment complex
2. Colborne Cookout
One day after The Big Move, Emily and I hosted an apartment-wide cookout and invited several of our new neighbors on surrounding streets as well. The goal of our apartment events is to turn neighbors into friends and friends into family. The only way to bridge the gap between turning neighbors into friends is to spend dedicated time with one another, learning each other’s stories. Many of these conversations are the start of deeper dialogue about spiritual backgrounds and beliefs. Please pray for A, E, & B as we continue to have conversations with them about the good news of Jesus and its daily implications. Pray for their hearts to be softened towards Jesus as they explore the faith.
How You Can Pray for Us This Month:
1. Movie in the Park TODAY!
City on a Hill Brighton, the church Emily and I will start in September 2019, is hosting a free community movie in the park tonight! This event is meant to draw new and current residents of Brighton together to foster a culture of community in our neighborhood. A movie night in the park is a great opportunity to get new neighbors plugged into Brighton in a fun and easy way. These nights also give us the chance to speak in front of a large group of people so that they better know our church, that we are in the city for the city.
2. Community Groups start next week
City on a Hill’s Community Groups are meant to be more than just a once a week gathering of a small group of people. Community Groups are designed to be a small group of people living intentionally with one another to be a part of the patterns and rhythms of life together throughout the city. These groups are one way in which we live out the good news of Jesus. Not only do we desire to live out the good news of Jesus, but we also strive to share the good news of Jesus with one another through discussing the Bible and praying with each other. Each weekly meeting focuses on the sermon text from the previous Sunday and how it applies to our daily lives. Ultimately, Community Groups are a small reflection of the family that God invites us into through His Son, Jesus Christ. Emily and I are genuinely looking forward to starting our Community Group again after taking a break over the summer while college students went back home. Pray for our leadership to be solely guided by God’s Word, our group to be solidified in its understanding and mission of the good news of Jesus, that we would see those far from Christ come to faith in Him, and for our group to be a true picture of the family of God in our daily rhythms.
3. Cornerstone vision trip
Next Friday, Cornerstone Church of Greensboro, NC will be coming to Boston for a vision trip with the hopes of coordinating with City on a Hill Brighton for future events and a potential partnership. Please pray for Cornerstone to continue flourishing in the gospel and for a healthy partnership to result from a fruitful vision trip. We will have all next weekend to share the statistics of this amazing but far from God city. As one of the least Bible-minded and one of the most unchurched areas in the nation, Boston has a deep need for the good news of Jesus. And with 5.8 million people and less than 3% evangelical Christian, we know that the hope of Jesus is needed here. There is nothing in Emily and I that saves a person, only the simple truth of Jesus’ perfect life for us, His sacrificial and atoning death on our behalf, and His victorious resurrection over sin and death. Praise God for a powerful gospel! Pray for the gospel to become rampant in this city that desperately needs a Savior.
4. College ministry update
September is a great month to reach out to and build relationships with college students. Many of the colleges and universities in the area wait to start classes until after Labor Day so there is always an influx of students in September. To best serve and love these students, City on a Hill hosts free college lunches for the entire month. Not only that, but we also have the privilege of hosting a party for college students on September 22. Each of these lunches or get togethers allow Emily and I to connect with students personally to learn how to better pray for them and come alongside of them through busy school semesters. We know that living a Christian life on campus is not an easy task. We pray that each of our students feels refreshed and supported by their church and energized by the good news of Jesus as they go out in the college campuses in faith and on mission.