Fried Chicken and Egypt
It’s shocking how many Kentucky Fried Chicken’s there are in the world. To be honest I haven’t thought much about KFC in awhile. Have you? It’s not that I dislike the commonwealth of Kentucky, or fried chicken (cause who doesn’t love fried chicken) or don’t support the troops (colonel joke) – I just haven’t thought…
Read MoreGeorge Started with Prayer
“Could God use me in the lives of others at the YMCA? I thought it was just a ‘gym and swim’?” This is the mindset of many. But if we look at the history of the Y, we see that it was started in order to help people know Jesus. When we’re talking about helping…
Read MoreTrain & Send – Our Church Planting Strategy
To further our efforts to plant more churches in the YMCA, we believe the next steps to take are training and sending Pastors to plant and lead churches in the YMCA. Therefore, we’ve established our residency program called, “Train and Send”. “Train and Send” is the CITY Movement’s deliberate strategy to train resident Pastors for two years…
Read MoreThree Ways To Love Your YMCA Around The Holidays
Looking for ways to love and serve your YMCA around the holidays? If you are a CITY Movement church or are meeting in a YMCA or community center currently, you have an incredible opportunity to reach out to your community this time of year. While you might be tempted to worry about end of the…
Read MoreSilver Bay 2024 Highlight
“A few weeks ago I had the privilege to attend the YMCA Christian Mission Conference at Silver Bay with about 70 other YMCA leaders, pastors and chaplains. At this point in my life, I’ve attended lots of practical conferences and spiritual retreats but I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this one. Would it be heavy on…
Read MoreSomething Special Happened
Have you ever had the sense that you were a part of something special? I remember having this sense in 2013. I was a freshman at Samford University in Birmingham Alabama. Though I was enrolled at Samford, I loved Auburn; in particular the football team. I fell in love with Auburn football since my sister…
Read MoreTaking A Risk – Our VBS Story
“Is this what your church is like on Sunday mornings?” Sarah*, a YMCA Child Development Center teacher asked me. “I’d love to come check it out.” “Yes! Well… yes and no,” I responded. Our church is full of lively people worshiping the Father and listening to Biblical instruction, so yes! But our church is not…
Read MoreDevoted to Prayer?
If I asked your family, church, and friends what you are devoted to, what would they say? I’m sure many would say that I’m devoted to Christ, my wife, my kids, my church, and rooting for Texas A&M, for better or worse (usually worse). But I’m not sure many would describe me as devoted to…
Read MoreWhat I love about being a CITY Pastor
I love being a CITY Pastor. I’m not talking about being a pastor in a “city” per se, as opposed to a rural community. When I say “C.I.T.Y.”, I mean “Church in the YMCA”. I am a Pastor of a church in the YMCA, and here’s what I love about God’s calling on my life:…
Read MoreThe Pillars Of A YMCA Church
Recently, I attended a conference in Nashville centered around making disciples of today’s young people, ages 0-18. The main thrust of the conference was that today’s churches are using ‘old maps’ of child discipleship in an era where ‘new maps’ might be required. A modern-day explorer would not use a map from the 1500s. Are…
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