Church of the City New York

This Sunday, Pastor Jon kicked off our new series on the "I Am" statements in the Gospel of John with three words that help us make sense of history and our own lives: Messiah, Church, and Kingdom. Jesus is the Messiah, the relationship we were made for. In the midst of our shame, weariness, and brokenness, He invites us to find true rest in Him. Jesus forms the Church, a counter-cultural community that embodies humility, gentleness, and love. And Jesus invites us into the Kingdom, a cause worth giving our lives to, restoring what is broken and giving dignity to the overlooked. Like the woman at the well, our response is to invite others: "Come and see." Over the next eight weeks, this series will equip us to share this hope with the people around us and our city.

What happens when God's presence comes into a city?
In this conversation, Pastor Jon and Pastor Sam close out our "God Comes Where He's Wanted" series by teaching on the altar of the region. After exploring the altars of the heart, church, and family, we now address what can seem most daunting, moving from personal peace to embracing God's heart for an entire region. 
Only when we are heartbroken over our city and places will we begin to prayerfully build the altar of our region. We have to keep contending for our region in faith, declaring that we want Him here until He comes.

A special podcast episode featuring a conversation between Pastor Jon and his dad on multigenerational faithfulness and prayer.

This Sunday, Pastor Jon continued our God Comes Where He's Wanted series with a teaching on the altar of the church, teaching from Acts 6:1–7. He reminded us that the church is meant to be the place where God dwells, yet we often miss His presence not through rejection, but through neglect. When we fill our lives, hunger for God can quietly fade. Drawing from Scripture, Pastor Jon highlighted prayer and the Word as the foundations that sustain God's presence among His people. Prayer restores our identity, sharpens discernment, and releases freedom, while the Word is living and active, releasing promises and shaping the future God has prepared for us. This teaching calls us back to devotion, inviting us to open our hearts again and allow God to rekindle what may have grown cold.

This Sunday, Pastor Keithen Schwahn continued our sermon series, God Comes Where He's Wanted, with a teaching on the altar of the home, drawing from the story of Gideon in Judges 6 and the words of Jesus in Matthew 18. We need to confront the brokenness of the altar of the home in our culture and take responsibility for the next generation. In Judges 6, we see the great danger of generational drift when vision is not matched with action, reminding us that renewal begins with tearing down the idols that compete for our devotion. As God restores Gideon's identity and calls him into partnership, we are urged to pursue fully integrated lives marked by obedience and faithfulness to remove idols. In Matthew 18, we are reminded of Jesus' deep care for children, and we are all invited to fight for the future of the church by blessing young people, breaking generational cycles, and intentionally passing on faith.