(Even though all the events below are cancelled or under review until further notice, if you are new to City Life, you might enjoy reading through them to learn more about who we are by seeing what we enjoy doing!)
Throughout the year, there are ample opportunities to gather in meaningful settings to build deeper friendships and impact our city. And as we gather, not only will your friendships grow deeper but I trust you will also be inspired in your faith, be encouraged in our journey, and be challenged in your devotion to Christ! As we endeavor together to build the church Jesus envisioned, to love the world He died to save, let’s never forget the work always begins with the Holy Spirit building the character of Christ in us…while we are in community together!
For events that require registration, there are links below that will take you to a registration page where you can both sign up and pay. All the information you need about each of those events can be found on the registration page. Your registration will be sent to the leaders directing the event and if you have any questions, there will be contact information on the registration page for your convenience.
See you there!
JANUARY
-Winter Life Groups are here! They began this week and each group’s duration varies. Find one near you today!
-Anniversary Service…14 years to celebrate! Both our Newport News and Suffolk Campuses will be celebrating 14 years of life, ministry, impact, relationships, and vision this Saturday! Come early and stay late…2020 is going to be another epic year!
FEBRUARY
-Annual Business Meeting (Sunday 2/23)…will be from 4:00-6:00pm at the Newport News Campus. Afterwards we enjoy our favorite tradition of Pasta for PA where the youth raise money for summer camp and we all get a delicious spaghetti meal with everyone’s best homemade sauce! The Business Meeting is one of the most meaningful gatherings we have all year as we celebrate God’s faithfulness, recognize your generosity, and share the financial plan for this year. We believe in open books so questions are welcomed and the floor is open during the meeting. See you there!
–Missions Emphasis Month…February is the month every year where we talk extensively about all the local and foreign missions people and groups we support. This is also the time of year where you make your monthly missions commitment which determines how many of those groups we will support monthly. We challenge everyone to make a Faith Promise too. You pray for a dollar amount, God gives you one, you believe by faith He will provide it and then promise to give it to missions when He does. This is in addition to your monthly commitment. Over $40k comes in every year through monthly giving AND Faith Promises and ALL of that money goes right back out the door!
MARCH
–Devoted Women’s Conference (Thursday 3/5 – Saturday 3/7) is a registered event that has become one of the most anticipated experiences for the ladies of City Life all year! Close to 100 women from City Life converge on the Wave Conference in VA Beach for a time of inspiration, relaxation, and deepening meaningful relationships. City Life doesn’t have to be your home church to join us. But tickets sell out EVERY year so make sure you register today!
-Encounter Night (Wednesday 3/18)…Every few months we find a night to linger in worship and bask in God’s presence! Wednesday night from 7:00-9:00pm on March 18th here at the Newport News Campus both campuses come together with guests from the community to join Heaven in the worship of our Father who loves us so deeply, heals us so completely, and commissions us so boldly! There is a nursery provided for littles and school aged children are encouraged to be with their families in worship.
– Joint Men’s Breakfast & Workday (March 28th) – Please join us for a joint Men’s Breakfast and Workday on Saturday, March 28th with Catalyst Church (our Sunday morning partner church at the NN campus) beginning at 8am. This will be a time of great food, fellowship and spiritual encouragement followed by a meaningful workday as we partner together in stewarding our NN campus property! The breakfast is free (donations accepted). Please bring work clothes (paint, landscaping, etc) to be able to fully participate in the workday portion of this event which will finish around 1pm. Please click on the link to sign up so we can have an accurate headcount! We hope to see you there!
APRIL
-Easter Service (Saturday 4/11)…will be another amazing celebration this year of the life of Jesus and His promise of eternal life to us! There is an Easter Egg Hunt for the kids while the adults are in service. They are well supervised and of course full of sugar by the time you come to get them after service! This year both the Newport News Campus and the Suffolk Campus will launch a new series that Saturday which will be accompanied by life groups the following weeks that coincide with he weekly messages. Pastor Fred and Pastor Justin will be working together to lead the entire church through the same sermon series. This is going to be an incredible time of deepening our sense of collective calling that God has given us to build the church Jesus envisioned, to love the world He died to save!
–Spring Life Groups (start the week of 4/12)…are great reminder of Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:10 where he challenges all churches to be united in thought and purpose. The leaders at both campuses felt the life groups this spring (starting the week of April 12th) should be an exercise in deepening the unity Paul envisioned. So both campuses will have life groups meeting near you that will follow the same study and also coincide with the weekly Saturday sermons. The link to these life groups will be available as we get closer to April, until then…find a life group meeting now near you!
MAY – cancelled
-Mother’s Day Service (Saturday 5/9)…for City Life at both campuses is a special Saturday because all the men volunteer to serve in the various kids ministries so all the ladies have the opportunity to be in the worship service together to be encouraged, inspired, and celebrated! Both campuses have one of City Life’s own ladies bring a message that will be sure to minister to your hearts so plan to bring a friend who can expect to feel like family for the first hello! There will be some fun giveaways and always a flower for every lady!
JUNE – cancelled
-Father’s Day Service (Saturday 6/20)…every year challenges our men to be better fathers, husbands, leaders, and devoted followers of Jesus! Saturday June 20th will be a night of encouraging one another to push past mediocrity and reach for the excellence that should characterize Biblical manhood. Bring a friend, invite a neighbor, and grab dinner after service with a family you haven’t yet gotten to know! We always have some fun giveaways in this service so you might just leave with a gift card to Lowes!
-DR Missions Trip (Sunday 6/21 – Sunday 6/28)…Pastor David will be leading another team this year to our adopted village in the Dominican Republic as we continue our partnership with Food For The Hungry. We send a team every year to minister to the families there, assist in some practical service projects, and re-connect with families we have come to love through our many years of serving this precious community. If you are interested in learning more about this trip, we will be announcing informational meetings during our Saturday worship services as June approaches.
JULY – cancelled
-Encounter Night (Wednesday 7/15)…Every few months we find a night to linger in worship and to bask in God’s presence! Wednesday night from 7:00-9:00pm on the 15th here at the Newport News Campus both campuses come together with guests from the community to join Heaven in the worship of our Father whose loves us so deeply, heals us so completely, and commissions us so boldly! There is a nursery provided for littles and school aged children are encouraged to be with their families in worship.
-RC Summer Camp (Monday 7/20 – Friday 7/24)…RC stands for Revolution Church which is our middle and high school ministry here at City Life led by the best student ministries pastor on the planet – Pastor David Godwin and his amazing wife Hannah! Our youth are well supervised by amazing leaders and are well accommodated at a youth retreat center in the countryside of Pennsylvania. We partner with several other churches here in Virginia who are like minded in ministry and beliefs to give your kids an epic summer experience surrounded by other youth who are all there for one purpose – to meet with God about life and destiny! (As this event gets closer, there will be a link for registration.) If for any reason finances are your only reason for not going, please let us know. We never want money to keep any youth from an experience that promises to shape their lives today for a destiny tomorrow!
AUGUST – cancelled
-National Night Out (Tuesday 8/4)…is an annual event for our Suffolk Campus where we partner with other area churches and community service organizations to reduce crime, build community relationships, and serve our city!
-End of Summer Celebration (Saturday 8/29)…at the Newport News Campus is our way of celebrating all our children, youth, and teachers who are ramping up for another amazing year of learning and serving in the world of school!
SEPTEMBER – under review
-Fall Ladies Brunch (Saturday 9/19)…is one of the most anticipated ladies events all year! Here at the Newport News Campus both our ladies form Suffolk and Newport News gather to hear from some of City Life’s own women who share encouraging messages that are certain to leave you feeling inspired, encouraged, and challenged. This is a catered event that is ticked but is free to any guest you bring who does not attend City Life. As we get closer to the event, we will provide a link here for you to register. Remember, there is also an accessories swap so be thinking about what you will bring so you can leave with something new!
–Fall Life Groups (start the week of 9/20)…are such a valuable time for our church to grow both in learning and relationships! There is so much that happens on Saturday nights during our weekly worship service but there is also so much more that we need to be spiritually healthy. And putting ourselves in the right environment makes all the difference. When we are in smaller groups, we are able to share in more meaningful conversations with one another so that acquaintances can become friendships. Smaller groups are also great settings for learning because there is time for dialogue and questions. As we get closer to September, the life groups webpage will be populated with all the current groups!
OCTOBER – under review
-Annual Men’s Retreat (Friday 10/2-Saturday 10/3)…If you have been around church for any amount of time you know that calling events like this a “retreat” has fallen out of favor. People prefer to call it an “advance.” I appreciate the debate in the semantics but I will tell you, a retreat is actually what most people need and decades ago when organizations like churches started calling them retreats, they were right! The daily demands of life can be taxing and pulling back from those demands every year to reflect, to be encouraged, and to be challenged is exactly what men need. This is a ticketed event and you will find a registration link here as we get close to our…retreat!
-Octoberfest (Saturday 10/31)…We are excited this year to have a few area churches partnering with us at our Newport News Campus for a massive block party here at 311 Selden Road. We have already secured the permission of Riverside Elementary School for our festivities to spill over onto their property across the street. Our idea is too BIG for just 311 Selden Road! Our Suffolk Camps will also have their annual Octoberfest celebration with trunk or treats and an Easter Egg hunt for the kids which brings hundreds of people from he community each year! Because of the scale of the event in Newport News, we will not be holding our normal worship service that Saturday, but the Suffolk Campus worship service will be the same time as normal…staring at 5pm.
NOVEMBER – under review
-Revolution Church Origins (tbd)…Parents of teenagers, make sure you are taking to your middle and high school kids about going with the youth of City Life to Richmond for this annual mini-conference we attend every year. It is a ticketed event and once we know the dates and and registration is open, there will be more details about how to reserve your space. Parents, you kids will be well supervised the entire time and sure to have an amazing experience in both building deeper friendships but more importantly being inspired in their devotion as a follower of Jesus!
-Encounter Night (Wednesday 11/18)..Every few months we find a night to linger in worship and to bask in God’s presence! Wednesday night from 7:00-9:00pm on the 18th here at the Newport News Campus both campuses come together with guests from the community to join Heaven in the worship of our Father whose loves us so deeply, heals us so completely, and commissions us so boldly! There is a nursery provided for littles and school aged children are encouraged to be with their families in worship.