The City Worship Experience
Welcome to The City! We are a people, a place, and a movement helping each other to live like Jesus and impact the city of Columbia. Our vision is to form community, uncover purpose, and create heaven on earth.
Welcome to The City!!!!
Where the spirit of the lord is there is freedom. You are welcome to worship freely in this space however you feel led. Stand up sit down kneel. Whatever is meaningful to you - you’re free to do it. You’re also welcome to try something new you’ve never done before.
In The City, we see the teaching time is communal. It’s not one person's time to shine but ours together with the Holy Spirit.
So two things you need to know.
The first is that in The City, there are no rhetorical questions. If a question is asked, you will be given time to think about it or answer it either in the teaching itself or later in a reflection time. You can record your thoughts however you'd like - sticky notes, the YouVersion app, your phone memo, a journal, post your thoughts on social media - but don’t let questions go unattended. Even if partially, we want you to answer them.
The second thing you need to know is YOU matter in this time of worship. When asked what makes The City different from other churches in Columbia,our belief is that we’re not in competition with other churches, we’re all on the same team. But there is one thing that is different and the difference is YOU. When you are here you make this experience richer, more textured. You bring your light and energy and questions and very heart to this space and that creates atmosphere and community for the short hour or so we’re together.
We’re honored and grateful that you are here to worship God and to worship God with us today.
Children at The City
Children are welcome in worship. We value their presence. For all children (big and small) we have metal baskets on the tables with fun stuff in them.
Children can also attend Children’s Worship. If you’re interested in that, a First Impressions Team member will meet you in the back and escort you and your child to the Children’s Worship area.
Stay Connected!
We've established a handful of ways for you to stay connected with The City Worship Movement throughout the week.
First: Head over to www.ComoCreatesHeaven.com and join our email list! You'll receive updates on all news and events happening within The City.
Second: While there, click on Sundays (or this link: https://comocreatesheaven.com/sundays/) to connect with us via an electronic connection card!
Second: Like us on Facebook to stay plugged into the ongoing conversation. https://www.facebook.com/TheCityMVMT/
Third: Check in, share posts, or tag us (#TheCityMVMT) on Facebook.
Fourth: Add @TheCityMVMT on Instagram for active updates on all City happenings! https://www.instagram.com/thecitymvmt/
Christmas Conspiracy at The City
This is not really a message series, but rather an invitation and a challenge for us to do Christmas differently this year.
In the last few weeks together, we’ve focused on how to worship fully and freely. We’ve also focused on how to spend less, and we talked about our need to de-couple our lives from the hyper-consumerism that plagues our culture.
You’re invited to conspire with us in this movement. We’re committing to four things: Worship Fully. Spend Less. Give More. Love All.
Give Presence.
Think of three Christmas presents you got last year.
Gifts are aren't bad, just a poor currency of love and meaning.
There just has to be a more significant and a more powerful currency to communicate love and meaning.
John 3:16-17 NKJV
John 3:16 MSG
For Us
Why did Jesus come?
Incarnation means “en-fleshment." It refers to the unbelievable - that God came to us and took on our flesh and blood; entered the stark reality of our human experience. We believe the heavenly kingdom, was ushered in the earthly sphere through a body - physically Jesus
Believing the incarnation is not something easy to believe or understand - if it’s even understandable. The incarnation is unbelievable and illogical.
Here at the The City our first mindset or practice is to question. We believe it is sacred to question, doubt, have suspicions. And we hope the questions draw us closer in community rather than apart.
How do we approach the incarnation?
1) Top down - God, in Jesus, comes down to be with us.
2) Bottom up - Humanity possess the presence of God.
The Incarnation is all about presence. It’s about God, in Jesus, personally coming to be with us and among us.
Why?
So that we experience eternal life. As soon as we say 'eternal,' people think after we’re gone from this world. But eternity is more of a continuum - it is now and later; it is here and there; it is now and not yet.
Now
We make Christ present in the city through our thoughts, words, and deeds. To experience eternity now is to connect with the presence of God in you and each other. It is that, like Jesus, we’d give more of ourselves. It is to be in relationship with people through it all - not sometimes or during fairweather - but to link up in community and weather storms together.
The City’s mission which is to help each other live like Jesus from the inside out.
Give more Prayers
Ever have somebody say I’ll pray for you?
Have you ever said that? Maybe you did…. And maybe you forgot…
Consider giving more of your prayers by saying "right now."
If you feel called to pray for someone, say “may I pray for you right now?
Give more Presence
This season can be hard. There are expectations to be happy and joyful but some people grieve, mourn, struggle with depression. There’s just not a lot of light outside and that impacts people.
To whom can you offer your presence this season. – knee to knee, face to face, hold a hand, be with them?
Give more Gifts
Plan to contribute to the Christmas Eve offering.
This Christmas Eve 100% of our offering will bless four local agencies. Voluntary Action Center, Love Inc., True North, and Wilkes Blvd UMC.
Give more Service
Hands-on help. As we bless these organizations with money, we’re also looking in 2019 to bless them with hands on service.
We’re even praying about people, like you, to help coordinate this kind of local missions. Feel free to indicate on your connect card if you’d like to consider that.
Give more Witness
Tell somebody about today. Bring someone with you next week. People say yes to invitations more often than not.
Who will you invite this share Christmas with you this season?
Invite them to come to the Christmas Eve worship and brunch together.
Offering & Faith in Action
We believe the offering is holistic and includes our prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness.
Please complete the connect card - either physically on the clipboards or virtually at: https://comocreatesheaven.com/sundays/. This is your way to stay connected, if you so choose.
If you choose to complete the physical car, please place it in the offering as it comes around.
Group Benediction
You are blessed in The City.
You are blessed in the fields.
You are blessed when you come and when you go.
Go in love and peace.