Help Us Move Forward (HVAC needs!)

In January 16, 2011, our first CityLights campus was inaugurated. Few of us were there that day and many of us have been here since. Few sacrificed so that many would come to know Jesus and be shaped by the gospel. After four years, we are witnesses to God’s grace, love, discipline, and presence with us as a local church body.

We have given our time, talents, and treasures so that the body of Christ at CityLights Church is built up and matures into Christ. We have prayed together in corporate gatherings, prayer meetings and in living rooms. We have baptized over 150 people. We have aimed to make much of Jesus in our midst. God is clearly at work and for all of this, we are exceedingly grateful. 


In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. “

CityLights Church takes these words from Jesus seriously because he has been given all authority in heaven and in earth. Our purpose in this world is to obey this command. That is why we want to impact our city by making disciples here and radiate outwardly from with the message of the gospel to the ends of the earth. We see a broken people in our own backyards that are in desperate need of a Savior. This is our mission field.

God has graciously granted us the purchase of a 20,000 square foot building at the southwest corner of Grand and Nagle. We are situated in a great location with Riis Park and the Brickyard shopping center. God has been gracious as well in helping us through other local church bodies such as Midwest Bible Church as they have graciously donated to our Arise And Build campaign and have allowed us to use their property to gather corporately on Saturday nights while we remodel our building.

We trusted the Lord as He guided us to purchase this building and He answered by allowing our building to pass through the zoning process. As with the upgrading that most home purchases today require, we also have upgrades to make in this building. Because of your generosity, we have installed a new roof, a new parking lot and fence, demolished an aging concrete canopy at the entrance, and placed our sign on the façade. But many other interior upgrades are still pending. We are in great need to bring climate control to the building so it is well ventilated and safe for our congregation when we open. Most of the auditorium has been framed but we still need to install a new heating and cooling system, upgrade the restrooms to code and create a safe environment for our children’s ministry.

As you can see, the road has been difficult but not impossible. God has indeed been with us the whole way as we address the needs of upgrading a new building and the need of our city for a Savior. The cost for the most pressing need right now is $112,000.00 for a new heating and cooling system. With roughly $600,000 needed to renovate our building, we need to make renovations on our own raised money amounting to $300,000 in order to secure another $300,000 credit line that our lender has agreed to release provided that their loan will complete the work in our building.

This building is not the end to a means but a means to an end. Our mission is simple: Make disciples that touch their world with the love of Jesus. Our building is a means to make much of Christ in this city and fill it with his followers. Our goal is that this building be a hub not to confine the church to four walls but be a spring board, a training center for the church to launch out into the city to win the lost with the power of the gospel. This is certainly not the first obstacle in our way and it certainly won’t be the last. Simply put, we need God’s help and your help. Would you pray and ask God to guide you in how you can partner with us and donate for this cause? Finally, we encourage you to bask in the glory of the promise that as we make disciples through the use of this building, Christ will be with us until the end.