A Note from Pastor Roger

February 15th, 2024
by Jason Bergstrom

Dear Church Family,

We live in a day and time in which every organization and individual should be thinking about their safety. When we see the news reports that a shooter has entered a school or church, our hearts get heavy. When it's in our city and just up the road, the weight intensifies.

As you may have heard in the news, this past Sunday at Lakewood Church, a person began to open fire. Fortunately, they were prepared and were able to minimize casualties and subdue the shooter. Please lift Lakewood up in your prayers as they recover while being thankful that more damage was not done.

They were prepared, and it made all the difference.

We at CityRise work to be prepared, too. Our Safety Team trains, prepares, and implements policies and procedures to keep our campuses safe. Our uniformed officers, in concert with our campuses’ Safety Teams, communicate in real time with one another to proactively handle situations as they arise.

Here are a few things that we ask you to consider:

Please don’t bring backpacks to church if possible. We understand that many young families bring diaper bags, but we ask that backpacks not be on campus during our worship gatherings. Please note that all bags are subject to search.

If you see something, please say something. Our security officers and staff are here to serve you. Please don’t hesitate to indicate a concern where you see one. We would rather be safe than sorry.

Please pray for the safety of our church as we gather in our various locations across the city. We know that the work we are doing is significant, and we want to be covered in prayer.

Thank you for your continued involvement and support of CityRise across our city. God is at work, and we trust His leading and protection.

Lastly, if you have a story of sharing your faith during this focused season of our study of the Great Commission, we would love to hear it. You can easily send us an email at pastorsoffice@cityrise.org.

We will see you Sunday for our next installment of Great: 40 Days of Commission. If you are unable to join us in person, you’re welcome to be with us online at one of our livestreamed services through the app, on our livestreams page, or at youtube.com/cityriseorg.

Don't forget to visit the CityRise Hub Weekly for upcoming events across all our campuses.

Stay Expectant,
Pastor Roger