Dear Church Family,

With the official end of summer about a month away, I am grateful for the opportunity to look back at the many ways God has allowed our church family to participate in His work around the world.

Since late April, CityRise has sent teams on 14 mission trips to 14 different countries. From Belize and Ireland to England, Germany, South Africa, Benin, Togo, Zambia, and beyond, our students, families, adults, ministry leaders, and medical professionals have served alongside local churches and ministry partners to share the gospel, encourage believers, meet practical needs, and strengthen the work God is already doing.

And the stories below from this summer are encouraging.

On CityRise’s first mission trip to Zambia, our team partnered with Judea Harvest for a two-day medical clinic and VBS. They provided medical care for 332 people—including one man who walked five hours to receive treatment—while 450 children attended VBS. Forty-two people made professions of faith, and three were baptized.

In Belize, we saw a different kind of fruit: children who attended VBS when CityRise first began serving there seven years ago are now helping lead worship in their own church. And in Benin and Togo, pastors and worship leaders received biblical training designed not simply to encourage them, but to equip them to train and strengthen others.

I also had the privilege of joining one of our family mission teams in London this summer. It was encouraging to see firsthand the value of coming alongside a local church—serving children and families, building relationships, and creating opportunities for conversations about Jesus that continue after our team comes home.

Our Global Outreach Pastor, Rynie Badenhorst, summarized the summer well:

“We are incredibly grateful for everyone who prays, gives, serves, and goes. Your generosity makes it possible for CityRise to send people across the world to serve others, share the Gospel, and build up the local church—while growing in their own faith and calling.”

Thank you for being part of that work.

And even as we give thanks for where God has sent us, we are already looking ahead. We are tentatively planning a Bible Land Trip to Israel in late April 2027. If you are interested in learning more, join us for an informational meeting on Sunday, September 20, at 7P in the Loft at CityRise Bellaire. Come hear about this exciting opportunity to experience the land of the Bible together.

There will also be many other opportunities to go and be deployed. Visit cityrise.org/missions to learn about upcoming mission trips and prayerfully consider where God may be calling you to serve.

May we continue to be a church that prays, gives, serves, and goes—joining God in His work here in Houston and among the nations.


Expecting Greater,
Pastor Roger

P.S. Thank you to everyone who joined us throughout August for The AI Revolution. Those four evenings gave us much to consider about technology, wisdom, faith, and following Jesus faithfully in a rapidly changing world. Dr. Jeff Frey will return Thursday, October 1, for our Lunch & Learn, AI + Human Intelligence: Working Smarter Without Becoming Less Human. Sign up now to receive details and a save-the-date reminder.