PARISH MEETING OUR FIRST YEAR MAY 2015 - MAY 2016
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OUR FIRST YEAR
LAUNCH TEAM
FIRST MONTHLY SERVICE
In February of 2015 we began to gather our Launch Team for prayer and planning.
On Sunday night, June 28 we held our very first worship service at Warehouse Church.
GRAND OPENING SERVICE
CHRISTMAS EVE
On October 18, we celebrated the Grand Opening of weekly services at Hill.
We celebrated Jesus’ moving into the neighborhood by inviting our neighbors.
BLOCK PARTY
SENDING SERVICE
On Labor Day, we hosted a family block party in the Hill Elementary neighborhood.
In September, we were blessed and sent out by Church of the Resurrection in Wheaton.
FIRST BAPTISM
EASTER SUNDAY
We experienced our new home in God’s family by welcoming our first baptism.
Our first journey through Holy Week culminated in worship and invitation on Easter!
LOOK WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE!
PARISH LETTER
The church planting journey of City of Light began in July of 2013 with a season of prayer and discernment. By Holy Week of 2014, the Lord had confirmed his call to begin this church through a group of pastors in Aurora, the pastors at Church of the Resurrection, and in the hearts of Bonnie and me.
The launch team began to gather and find purpose in Jesus’ call for us to be a City of Light. Together we watched the Lord gathering us to launch monthly and then weekly services in 2015. At this time last year, this church was a prophetic call from the Lord. This year, we look around and see that the Lord has begun to fulfill the prophecy that he gave.
LAUNCHED BUT STILL BEING PLANTED He has begun his work in us as a church, but we continue to press into his call. We have launched, but we are still being planted. We want to see more people find a new day in Jesus, a new home in his church, and a new heart for their neighbors as we mature in the Lord into a sustaining church, a growing church, and a reproducing church. As we walk through the next two years of our church planting process, here are some mile markers for the journey.
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LOCAL LEADERSHIP——We are currently overseen by the leadership of our sending church, Church of the Resurrection in Wheaton. We are so grateful for them and will always be a part of our Midwest Anglican Diocese. As we grow we will develop a local leadership team here in Aurora.
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SUSTAINABLE MINISTRY TEAMS——We have dozens serving each Sunday at City of Light. In particular, our Sunday City Kids ministry and our Tech ministry need more trained team members serving to allow for a sustainable pace.
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SUSTAINABLE GIVING——We have been blessed by many partners outside of City of Light who believe in what God is doing here and are partnering with us financially to support this work over the next two years. In that time, our local giving will need to continue to grow to support us.
PARTNER TOGETHER By God’s blessing and others’ prayers, we are growing in each of these areas. As we continue into this summer and fall, I invite you to partner in the call the Lord has given us to be a City of Light in several ways. 1
GATHER—Invite others, especially those far from God, into friendships and into the life of our church. Help our church continue to be a safe, welcoming place for newcomers.
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SERVE ON A TEAM—Get involved on Sunday morning. If you’re on a team, think about becoming an apprentice leader on that team.
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GIVE—If this is your home church, give financially for the first time or become a regular, intentional giver.
Where there was nothing last year, this year there is a church meeting in Hill Elementary, called together by the Word and the Table and the Water of Baptism and being sent out to love our neighbors. The Lord has done it, and it is marvelous in our sight!
PEACE, FR. TREVOR & BONNIE
Parish Meeting Report copyright 2016, City of Light Anglican Church Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday photos by Stephen Signa, www.signaphotography.com. Photo of Sending Service, pg. 3, by Michael Johnson, www.occasionalmomentsofbrilliance.com.
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BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE N AME OF THE LORD
HOSANN A IN THE HIGHES T.
S .
.
GATHERING Average Sunday Attendance
Since we began weekly services last October, we have seen slow and steady growth.
OCT - DEC
63
JAN - MARCH APRIL - MAY
80 93
Other Services and Events Christmas Eve Candlelight Service Ash Wednesday Service Valentine’s Parent’s Night Out Easter Afterschool Craft Maundy Thursday at Resurrection Stations of the Cross Service Good Friday Service
Baptisms
63 64 25 80 29 49 68
We’ve celebrated 4 baptism so far this year on three different Sundays: The Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord, the First Sunday of Eastertide, and Pentecost Sunday!
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TEAMS Serving on Teams
Dozens of team members serve each Sunday in our three ministry areas.
CITY KIDS
12 27
WELCOME WORSHIP
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Team Leaders
We have an incredible group of staff and team leaders.
Bonnie McMaken STAFF—WORSHIP
Rachel Wassink STAFF—WELCOME
Brandon Burdette STAFF
Grace Kircher SUMMER STAFF—KIDS
Michelle Peterson PRAYER TEAM
Rachel Greene TECH TEAM
Casey Solgos USHERS TEAM
Mark & Amy Peterson COMMUNION
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GIVING 2016 Giving Summary
January 1 through April 30, 2016.
External Giving* Internal Giving Given through April 30 Goal through April 30 Total 2016 Budget Goal
$33,472 $55,420 $88,892 $70,000 $210,000
* There are 52 external giving units (families, individuals, or churches) and 25 internal giving units.
Internal and External Giving Goals 2015-2017
Over the course of three years, our internal giving moves toward being self sustaining. 2015 ACTUALS
Internal $46,432
External $88,768
Total Income: $135,200 Total Expenditures: $117,355
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2016 GOALS
Internal: $115,000
External: $95,000
Total Budget: $210,000
2017 GOALS
External: $45,000
Internal: $200,000
Total Budget: $245,000
GIVING External Giving Commitments 2015-2017
THANK YOU! Individuals Church of the Resurrection Other Churches Midwest Anglican Diocese Other Anglican Churches
$125,000 $59,000 $10,000 $10,000 $3,000
Total Gifts and Commitments: $207,000 Total Gifts and Commitments Goal: $228,768
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CHRIST THE SUN O
S C AT T E R T H E DA R K N E S S F
OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
F R O M B E F O R E Y O U R PA T H .
LOVING OUR CITY KIDS Early on in our church planting process, Bonnie and I felt the Lord calling us to serve the children of Aurora. In the last months the Lord has repeatedly blessed even our smallest efforts to serve kids, whether on Sunday mornings in City Kids, at a neighborhood block party, a Valentine’s Weekend Parent’s Night Out, the afterschool Easter Craft Event, or our feast day services like Christmas Eve, Ash Wednesday, and Holy Week that we intentionally plan to be engaging for families. As a brand new church plant, I continue to be amazed at how many children the Lord has brought us and how we’re able to minister to them. This is a grace from the Lord, a gift from our sending church, and part of God’s calling on us to love children. We want to continue to invest where we see the Lord moving. This year, we’ll have a couple exciting new ways to love kids in our city.
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MENTORING AT HILL
Having an adult mentor outside of their home can be a game-changer for a child. We’ve partnered with Kids Hope USA, an organization that connects schools and churches to provide mentors, with the hope of beginning mentoring at Hill Elementary this fall. Children with a Kids Hope Mentor have 65% improved educational success, 79% improved in socio/emotional competency and improved 56% in attitude toward risky behavior. Contact Cory Whitehead if you’re interested in spending 1 hour a week during the school year as a mentor: corywhitehead@gmail.com.
MISSION AURORA BACKYARD KIDS’ CAMP
During Mission Aurora, a multi-church partnership to serve Aurora during the week of July 3-11, we’ll be hosting multiple Backyard Kids’ Camps in the Hill Elementary neighborhood. During the camps, kids will spend time playing, building relationships, learning the Bible, and experiencing the love of Jesus for them. Contact Grace Kircher if you’re interested in joining the team or being a host home: grace@cityoflightanglican.org.
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www.cityoflightanglican.org 16