BECAUSE HE’S WORTH IT.
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“We have left everything to follow you.” (Mark 10:28)

Why did the disciples give it all up? Because they knew Jesus was worth it.

When Peter said, “We have left everything to follow you!” he knew that true joy and abiding satisfaction would be found in Christ alone—and so he willingly gave all to gain Christ. Will we? If we believe he’s worth it, we’ll count the cost too. We will give ourselves fully to his mission, leaving behind comfortable, consumeristic, cultural Christianity, and sacrifice like never before for the sake of our church, our community, and the world. Because he’s worth it, we’ll leave everything for the sake of mission. Because he’s worth it, we’ll count the cost of making disciples who magnify Christ. Because he’s worth it, we’ll give our all to gain our everything—Christ himself.

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In order to accomplish this vision, we will pursue three strategies:

Forming Community

 1.  Forming Community

We want to connect people to authentic, vital Christian community. Most people today need a place to belong — to explore, to ask honest questions and interact with honest answers —before they really decide to follow Christ. Are we the sort of loving, welcoming community that gives people a safe space to ask questions and investigate Christ’s claims? But more than that, we want the community we form to be the sort of community that forms us in turn. We want to be “made to magnify.” As part of our renovation, we need to maximize the space we have for the work God has given us to do in Explore Hour, Journey Groups, and all the rest.

Pam’s Story

Building Family

2. Building Family

Given the demographics of the community God has placed us in—the community he has called us to reach with the gospel—we have seen the most significant increase in attendance among young families, a trend we expect will continue. To keep meeting the needs of these families, we must expand the footprint of Kids’ City urgently. Building out a new nursery and creating a new checkpoint will address issues of space, security, and flow, so we can continue to equip parents, reach children, and connect everyone to God’s big family.

Dave’s Story

Expanding Mission

3. Expanding Mission

Really, this is the heartbeat of the vision. We want to keep making disciples who magnify Christ so we can send them out to serve others. The entire renovation has guests, seekers and skeptics, in mind. From the open, inviting glass exterior to the warmth of the lobby, from the accessibility the elevator offers to the better flow it all creates, we want our church to be as welcoming as possible. At the same time, we know we need to expand our missional focus too. People aren’t going to beat down the doors of the church because we put some glass on the front. How can we step up and step out in faith? Part of the CityNew vision is strategic evangelistic efforts, such as supporting local church-planting, compassionate outreach to those saddled with debt, and developing a greater partnership with other outreach organizations so that we can reach as many as possible as effectively as possible.

Kerry’s Story

The Design

To view the conceptual design for the building renovation, which includes some brief explanation as to how the various components relate to the CityNew vision, click here.

Frequently asked questions

What is the financial goal of this initiative?
Our goal is $3 million, and raising this amount of money will require 100% participation from those who call Cityview home. This goal is nearly three times as much as Cityview has raised in the last two years, but we trust a God who is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine.

Why are we doing this now?
While our church is growing, and we’re seeing a lot of fruit, we never want to settle for the status quo. We want to have a maximal kingdom impact as we pursue what God has in store for us at Cityview. We believe God has given us health and momentum for such a time as this, especially as the building continues to decay. The longer we defer needed maintenance and improvements, the larger the project becomes— and we don’t want to saddle future generations with it.

When will this initiative begin and end?
The CityNew initiative will begin in May 2021 and continue through May 2023.

Are my gifts “over and above” my normal tithes and other offerings?
We are taking a “One Fund” approach to the CityNew initiative. That means all giving is rolled into one budget (as opposed to a traditional building campaign, where ministry and projects are kept separate). With campaigns people typically give to one and/or the other, whereas with this One Fund initiative, everyone is giving to support the mission and vision of the church.

When will we be asked to make our commitment?
Commitment Sunday is May 9, 2021.

What will take place on Commitment Sunday?
On Commitment Sunday we will worship, celebrate, and pray over what God has planned for the coming years at Cityview. We will ask our entire church—100%—to participate by committing to give financially to the CityNew initiative. We ask that everyone submit their CityNew Commitment Card on this day at the end of our worship gathering.

Can my gift involve stocks or other assets in addition to cash?
Absolutely. If this is the case, please email cheryl@cityviewcc.net for further assistance.

Will financial commitments be made public?
We will make public and celebrate the total two-year commitment given by the entire church. Personal financial commitments will not be made public or shared in any way.

Can financial commitments be changed if necessary?
Absolutely. We understand that life circumstances can alter our ability to give generously in negative and positive ways. If you need to change your commitment, please email cheryl@cityviewcc.net.