Guy Mason - October 2012

02 Oct 2012

Five years on ...

City on a Hill heads to the Athenaeum Theatre to celebrate five wonderful years!

Over the past few weeks my wife and I have been scouting to find a school for our eldest daughter.  Her name is Summer; she is five years old and only months away from entering the big world of primary school.  

It’s an exciting time for our family that has come much quicker than I thought.  The old cliche is right - they grow up so fast!

Like all milestones, turning five and heading to school is filled with thankfulness for the past, excitement in the present and hope for the future.  I am thankful for the ways in which she has matured into an adorable little lady.  Her bright eyes, cheeky smile and nurturing nature make her one pint-sized princess.  

I am also excited by the present.  Each day with her presents new opportunities, new challenges, new adventures and new memories to make.  And then of course is the future. I am so hopeful in what she will learn, the experiences she will have and the person she will become.  

It is at this same time, that our once little church called City on a Hill turns five.  Like my daughter, we have grown up and are now ready to go to school!  There is a past to be thankful for, a present to be excited in and a future to be hopeful about.

In 2012, we started a new Sunday morning service at Hoyts Melbourne Central to create more space for our growing community.  We now run three Sunday services in two different locations all for one awesome God.  By God’s grace our community – which was once just a small group, meeting in a Docklands apartment – is now around 800 people, having grown about 40 per cent in the last year.

A real highlight for me personally was Easter Sunday where we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus and baptised a bunch of men and women who had given their lives to him.  There is nothing more exciting than seeing lives changed by the power of the gospel.  

This year also saw the launch of a number of new youth initiatives which included mid-week school programs for Melbourne’s teenagers in local high schools.  In addition, we are seeing continued work with Melbourne’s homeless at Many Rooms.  

Every Saturday volunteers meet to offer meals and friendship to upwards of 70 people. We’ve run courses for couples getting married, parenting classes, officiated at weddings, hosted courses about the Christian faith, welcomed new-borns, participated in sporting events, run conferences and enjoyed a plethora of other initiatives to help serve Melbourne.  

To celebrate what has been a big year and to look forward to the road ahead we will be hosting one special event on October 28.  We will be all be coming together for one combined service at the Atheneum Theatre on Collin St – and you’re invited!    

Doors will be opening at 10am for one of the most important services in our church’s history.  We will be meeting people whose lives have been changed by the gospel, plus a bunch more who will get baptised.  We will be releasing our first album and unveiling a new website.

We will also be launching “City Steps” a three-year vision strategy for our church, outlining some big, bold and audacious goals for the future.  These plans are to help us do the best job we can in serving Melbourne for the glory of God.  

Above all, this day will give us an opportunity to gather as one church, to celebrate as one community in thanks and praise before our great God.

On behalf of my wife and family, pastors and leaders at City on a Hill I want to thank Docklands News and this great community for being part of our journey.  We love this city, love the people and indeed love our God.

cityonahill.com.au

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