EMMAUS CITY CHURCH IN WORCESTER, MA – LOVING AND SERVING OTHERS THROUGHOUT OUR CITY
We aim to be humble and hopeful learners in how we go with Jesus to be a blessing to our city. We intentionally do this through City Groups. A City Group (CG) is a group of 10+ people – children, women, and men included – who are befriending, serving, and loving a community in Jesus' name in Worcester.
Each CG has a specific flavor as each is in community with different
people in different places. For example, a CG focused on exploited women will be different than a CG geared towards immigrant and refugee families, or a CG
emerging in a community working through addiction and homelessness. The same could be said for a CG in the Main South, Tatnuck Square, or Knight Square neighborhoods in Worcester.
CGs are small enough that people can know you and value you, but large enough to make an impact in communities throughout Worcester. Each CG gets together throughout a month (i.e. meals, times of prayer or learning from the Bible, acts of service, parties, etc.) to be with people and to seek to make Worcester a city that showcases His love and compassion to all. As Jesus' teachings in the Bible, prayer, service to others, and commitment to each other becomes a rhythm of life, we become more like Jesus together. Our hope is that every person we befriend may have a real encounter with Jesus, hear and see His Good News for them in word and deed, and experience His renewal and restoration in their lives.
This can happen because City Groups, in all their messiness and craziness filled with imperfect people, point to their need of Jesus, our perfect Savior, who brings people together to share and show His Good News of justice, righteousness, and peace. And people who are cautious or curious to hear and see what it means to believe in Jesus are just as welcome as those who believe Jesus is who He says He is in the Bible.
We want each person to have the opportunity grow in faith and obedience as we grow in following Jesus and serving Him and our city, so that every person in Worcester has the opportunity to hear and see the good news of Jesus and His Kingdom, and feel the impact of what it's like when groups of people follow Him through their words and actions.
The video "City Life" captures a glimpse of what we envision God doing in Worcester – one person, one family, one neighborhood, and one community at a time. We want our primary focus to be praying for and working towards starting and growing City Groups (i.e. missional communities) of Jesus seekers and followers, inviting people to walk with Jesus together as we read and listen to His words, walk in step with His Spirit, and embody His life through faith and obedience in every area of our lives.
Emmaus: The vision for Emmaus City Church is to become a network of City Groups (CGs) who become a network of churches that love and support each other, engage our neighbors, serve the spiritually and economically poor in our city, and celebrate Jesus’ resurrection life over sin and death for the purpose of seeing more people hear, discover, and believe the good news about Jesus. We want to do this as we walk with others, much like Jesus did with the two on the road to Emmaus.
City: We want to send new CGs into neighborhoods, workplaces, and city areas throughout Worcester so that new churches will be started in each of the seven hills. We believe Emmaus City should give life to our city, not take life from our city. Our prayer and hope is to become a city renewing church that exists to renew Worcester socially, spiritually, and culturally with the gospel of Jesus because only He can resurrect and change people, and changed people impact and change a city. It will be messy and it will be imperfect, but our hope is that we will all cling to our perfect Savior, Jesus.
Church: City Groups will come together as a whole as churches on Sabbath days each month for teaching from the Scriptures and enjoying the Lord's Supper together. These times of celebration together will fuel passion and focus to walk with Jesus in every day life by being the family of God to the people He has specifically sent us to. Our aim is to be the gathered church during Sabbath services of worship, but with a compassionate focus and purpose to be the scattered church throughout Worcester and wherever He sends us during the week, following Jesus with joy, confidence, and humility.
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CGs are small enough that people can know you and value you, but large enough to make an impact in communities throughout Worcester. Each CG gets together throughout a month (i.e. meals, times of prayer or learning from the Bible, acts of service, parties, etc.) to be with people and to seek to make Worcester a city that showcases His love and compassion to all. As Jesus' teachings in the Bible, prayer, service to others, and commitment to each other becomes a rhythm of life, we become more like Jesus together. Our hope is that every person we befriend may have a real encounter with Jesus, hear and see His Good News for them in word and deed, and experience His renewal and restoration in their lives.
This can happen because City Groups, in all their messiness and craziness filled with imperfect people, point to their need of Jesus, our perfect Savior, who brings people together to share and show His Good News of justice, righteousness, and peace. And people who are cautious or curious to hear and see what it means to believe in Jesus are just as welcome as those who believe Jesus is who He says He is in the Bible.
We want each person to have the opportunity grow in faith and obedience as we grow in following Jesus and serving Him and our city, so that every person in Worcester has the opportunity to hear and see the good news of Jesus and His Kingdom, and feel the impact of what it's like when groups of people follow Him through their words and actions.
Long-Term Vision for Multiplying City Groups and Starting New Churches throughout Worcester
The video "City Life" captures a glimpse of what we envision God doing in Worcester – one person, one family, one neighborhood, and one community at a time. We want our primary focus to be praying for and working towards starting and growing City Groups (i.e. missional communities) of Jesus seekers and followers, inviting people to walk with Jesus together as we read and listen to His words, walk in step with His Spirit, and embody His life through faith and obedience in every area of our lives.
Emmaus: The vision for Emmaus City Church is to become a network of City Groups (CGs) who become a network of churches that love and support each other, engage our neighbors, serve the spiritually and economically poor in our city, and celebrate Jesus’ resurrection life over sin and death for the purpose of seeing more people hear, discover, and believe the good news about Jesus. We want to do this as we walk with others, much like Jesus did with the two on the road to Emmaus.
City: We want to send new CGs into neighborhoods, workplaces, and city areas throughout Worcester so that new churches will be started in each of the seven hills. We believe Emmaus City should give life to our city, not take life from our city. Our prayer and hope is to become a city renewing church that exists to renew Worcester socially, spiritually, and culturally with the gospel of Jesus because only He can resurrect and change people, and changed people impact and change a city. It will be messy and it will be imperfect, but our hope is that we will all cling to our perfect Savior, Jesus.
Church: City Groups will come together as a whole as churches on Sabbath days each month for teaching from the Scriptures and enjoying the Lord's Supper together. These times of celebration together will fuel passion and focus to walk with Jesus in every day life by being the family of God to the people He has specifically sent us to. Our aim is to be the gathered church during Sabbath services of worship, but with a compassionate focus and purpose to be the scattered church throughout Worcester and wherever He sends us during the week, following Jesus with joy, confidence, and humility.
Learn more at Emmaus City Church's website jesuslovesworcester.com
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