Much to Celebrate - New City turns 4!

New City Church turns 4

January 2008 - New City Church held its first weekly gathering at The Cox Capitol Theater... it seems like yesterday in so many ways.  Who would show up?  Would we receive enough in offerings to rent the facilities for another week?  Could our volunteers set up and tear down and man all of the stations, not just once but every week?  Could we really do this?  Those and a thousand similar questions.
Well, we did it - purely by God's great grace!
Over these 4 years we have seen some amazing fruit - marriages saved and families restored; homeless addicts healed; de-churched re-churched, unbelievers becoming believers, mended families, lots of new children (probably as many adopted as born!), and a great impact through us and The 567 on our downtown community... all by God's great grace.
Just over 4 years ago 40 people (including kids) believed that God wanted to do something through a new church in Macon - one of the most churched cities in the US.  Together we dreamed of seeing the gospel radically impact lives - we dreamed of transformed people, a transformed city, and beyond.  More than a Sunday gathering, we dreamed of true community - people doing life together - seeking, striving, growing, serving, loving - in true community.
Today those 40 have become well over 600 - today that 1 gathering has turned into 3 congregations in 3 cities - today the dream of community has turned into 15 Missional Communities with 5 about to plant and more in the planning stages - today our home base is a 12,000 sf building in the heart of downtown that we renovated - it serves as not only the home of New City Church but also as a true community center for downtown Macon... all by God's great grace.
Don't get the idea that it has all been easy and always beautiful, it hasn't.  Sadly over 4 years we have lost many of our core families and friends for various reasons - some destroyed by sin, others discontent with the difficulties of planting, and a few who realized they weren't dreaming the same dreams that we were.  Each has been painful. But God's great grace has been sufficient.
We have much to celebrate at New City Church - downtown, Milledgeville, and Warner Robins... we have much more in mind for 2012... and by God's great grace we will be celebrating even more in January 2013! Thank you God for your great grace - thank you New City volunteers and missionaries for dreaming, believing, and working to see the gospel transform everything within your reach.