Community and Generosity

Jarrod and Stephanie Whitfield’s journey to finding a church home was defined by a simple, yet profound goal: they didn't just want to show up on Sundays; they wanted a community where they could plant deep roots and live out life with fellow believers.

Their first visit to CityRise Church | Bellaire in 2019 confirmed they had found it. Walking into the nursery, they were immediately greeted by two families who invited them to check out a Community Group. While Stephanie admits her usual instinct when visiting a church for the first time is to decline invitations to groups, something prompted her to say yes. Stephanie remembers, "We said yes that first day, and we went up to the [class], and we just knew right away that we had found the place for us.”

The Power of Authentic Family
What started as a spontaneous visit quickly transformed their lives. The people in both that Community Group and at Bellaire have become like extended family. With their Community Group, they’ve lived out the idea of authentic community by walking through life’s peaks and valley. Even when their small group shrank to four members during Covid, they committed to staying open, and today they regularly host forty people—a flourishing that has been phenomenal.

Generosity: A Contagious Act of Obedience
The Whitfields see this deep community as the foundation for true Christian generosity, which Jarrod describes as "contagious." They witness members stretching their time, even when they have little to spare, and giving financial resources "to a point where it's painful.” These public acts of generosity have inspired them and many others to take on similar attitudes toward giving. Jarrod notes that "seeing it and liking the idea of it is different than doing it.” The Whitfields and their Community Group are taking steps to live out generosity because their church family inspires them to do so.

Stephanie highlights that generosity is ultimately an act of obedience, especially when God calls them to do something "big and difficult.” When they feel they lack the money or capacity to obey, God reminds them of one truth: "He's not asking us to have all of the answers or all of the resources.” He’s just asking them to obey. That obedience for the Whitfields is rewarded because God is listening and responding in real time, often by "acting through the people around us and through the people at CityRise.”

For anyone on the fence about giving, Jarrod offers a simple, powerful challenge. "Trust and see if you can out give God. Start small even if you're very skeptical.” His and Stephanie’s faith is rooted in their belief that our church will "pull off something beautiful for generations to be able to enjoy" when we come together in obedience to God’s leadership.