Dear Church Family,
 
This past Sunday was a special day for our CityRise family as our CityRise Missouri City and CityRise Missouri City Español congregations celebrated New Beginnings Sunday.

After four years of perseverance, it was wonderful to see so many people return to the renovated building for worship, dedication, fellowship, and lunch together!

The renovation gave us much to celebrate, but the greater joy was seeing our church family gathered together in this moment. Families worshiping, friends reconnecting, volunteers serving, and two congregations celebrating together gave us a beautiful picture of something Scripture reminds us again and again: we need one another.
 
It is easy in both quiet and busy seasons to become increasingly independent. Work can have demands, school and extracurricular schedules fill up, and we move quickly from one responsibility to the next. Before long, we can begin living parallel lives, even with people we see every week.
 
But God did not design us to follow Jesus alone.
 
Paul describes the church in Romans 12 as one body with many members, adding that “each member belongs to all the others.” I love that language because it reminds us that following Jesus was never meant to be an isolated pursuit. God places us in a church family where we can know and encourage one another, carry burdens together, celebrate what He is doing, and remind each other of His faithfulness.
 
And other people need that from us too.

That's why Community Groups, Bible studies, ministry teams, and the relationships we build throughout the church matter so much. They give us opportunities to move beyond recognizing faces and begin truly knowing and being known.
 
As the fall settles into its regular rhythm, I encourage you to ask: Who really knows me, and who am I intentionally getting to know?
 
If you have found meaningful community at CityRise, invest in it. Show up, reach out, notice when someone is missing, and make room for someone new. If you have not found that kind of connection yet, take a step toward it.

We need one another, and I am grateful God has given us a church family in which we can walk through life together. Have a great weekend, Church Family!
 
 
Expecting Greater,
Pastor Roger