Dear City on a Hill,

I am so very excited to invite you to participate in the second phase of our generosity endeavor, aptly named, First Light - Phase 2.

If you have joined our church since 2020, here’s some backstory. In 2020, our church launched First Light Phase 1, a two-year generosity endeavor focused on raising funds for three main goals we had as a church. 

Preach

We were a church looking for a permanent home, a place to preach the Good News of the gospel from for as long as the Lord would allow us to. We saw through the generosity of you, the people of God, this amazing building we now inhabit renovated and restored to a functional church with a mortgage payment of $7,000 less per month than what we paid in rent at our last long-term facility. 

Plant

We have a desire to be a church planting church. We believe the proclamation of the hope of the world is found in healthy, gospel-preaching, Jesus-loving local churches, and would love to see more churches like City on a Hill planted in Albuquerque. To that end we have put away over $50,000 that will be the beginning of resourcing what we hope is a family of inter-dependent churches called the City on a Hill Family of Churches.

People

We also want to be a church that takes seriously the responsibility to disciple people into the image of Christ. And as a result of First Light Phase 1, we have welcomed Pastor Dan Miller onto staff as our Discipleship Pastor to facilitate and grow a culture of discipleship at City on a Hill.

Now, on to Phase 2.

From November 2024 through June 2025, we are asking you to commit to giving over and above your normal giving to City on a Hill. Any giving that is received over and above our monthly budget will be allocated toward First Light Phase 2.

First Light Phase 2 will not be as ambitious as Phase 1, but will still follow the same three goals as it’s earlier version with the funds received for it allocated to the following updated goals.

Preach

We are seeking to finish the renovations of the basement of our building which contains nearly 11,000 sq ft of space. This space will be primarily used for City Kids and City Youth ministry. Overall, the basement renovation will leave us with classrooms and an auditorium for teaching, preaching, and training up children, youth, and adults alike in the good ways of Christ. This space will be fitted and furnished with all that we need to run Sunday ministries, midweek classes, and the occasional seminar. The current classrooms upstairs will be used for staff offices.

Plant

To effectively plant a church, we desire to begin a Pastoral Residency program. This program would see a man who feels called to plant a church in the Albuquerque area come onto full-time staff with City on a Hill for a period of two years. During this time the candidate would be given training, support, and opportunity to develop the skills required for pastoral ministry and church planting. During the second year of the program the candidate would begin in earnest to develop a core team, and prepare to plant. Funds that come in for First Light Phase 2 will go toward both funding the resident position and also helping us to fund what would become the first local church plant out of City on a Hill.

People

The capacity given to us by having a completed building will enable us to launch different ministry work to continue to develop and equip people in the good work of Treasuring the Gospel. It is not just small children and teenagers who will be equipped downstairs, but also adults who participate in the ministry programs we will offer there. Your giving will help to fund these programs and fit out the spaces they occupy.

So, what we are asking you to do is threefold:

Practice – It is our desire that all who call City on a Hill home would be a part of this second phase, but for that to happen we all need to pray. Seek the Lord for his will for you and your family’s participation in this endeavor. Maybe it is small, maybe it is large, the size of your participation isn’t what matters, just being a part of what we are doing as a church body is.

Pick Up -  My invitation to you is to “pick up” the torch and take responsibility for how you are going to be involved in seeing the goals of our endeavor filled. More than just financial giving, maybe it is by serving in a kids classroom on a Sunday, serving at City Youth, or talking to Pastor Dan about discipleship opportunities. All of us have something to offer the body of Christ at City on a Hill, and participating in First Light Phase 2 can help you figure out what that something is.

Partake – All of us can find ways to be more involved, serve others in a greater way, take on more responsibility, and give more generously. Please partake alongside your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ at City on a Hill in this great undertaking.

So, What’s Next?

All of this will culminate in a commitment that we ask you to make on December 1st 2024. You can make this commitment however you would like. It can be between the Lord and yourself, you can drop a commitment card in the give boxes at church, or you can make your commitment online HERE. If you make a commitment please seek to honor it as your circumstances allow.

The Gritty Details

By the grace of God through the generosity of God’s people here at City on a Hill we have the funding to finish the basement construction. Construction doesn’t include fittings, furnishing, or Audio Visual needs, or even the 12 smoke machines for the youth room (kidding). This is why we want to run First Light Phase 2, so every single one of us can participate in this great work that God is doing. 

First Light Phase 2 will loosely follow the same timeframe as the basement construction. While the construction is going on in the lower level, over the same 8-month period we are hoping to raise $200,000 over and above our projected and budgeted giving of $740,000. 

This simply means that between November 2024 and June 2025, City on a Hill is praying for the Lord to provide generously through his people $940,000 of total giving, with every dollar given over our regular budget going to the goals of Preach, Plant, and People outlined above.

Thank you for your participation in the life of City on a Hill and I look forward to seeing how the Lord will work in us and through us as we walk through First Light Phase 2 and beyond.

In Christ,
Pastor Ryan