Before leaving for college I attended a quiet Catholic church with a priest that I adored. Though I still held onto my faith when entering college, I wasn’t very invested in it, and I didn’t attend church except for the weekends that I was home. This past semester some amazing people introduced me to a place that revolutionized my faith.

My friend Mary had told me about CityChurch, and I was reticent at first. Though I liked Church well enough, I wasn’t sure I wanted to make that commitment again. I finally agreed to go with a group of fellow UNH students and fell in love.

When I first walked into College Street Music Hall I stared in awe at the musicians on stage and the quantity of people that filled the room. I couldn’t believe that this was church. The traditional side of me questioned whether or not this really counted as practicing my faith.

There’s something about music that reaches deep into your soul. No Church had ever put me so close to God with simple lyrics and chords, but with everyone in the room singing along, it was hard not to get swept up in the excitement. When Justin Kendrick, the preacher, came out on stage and taught the scripture I had never before understood it as much as I did then. He catered his sermons to his audience, broke it down so that everyone could understand, and then related it back to each of our individual lives. It was absolutely incredible.

Throughout the service he encouraged us to interact with our neighbors, whether it was giving out high-fives, hugs, or simple words of encouragement. CityChurch had created a community, and being able to be a part of it brought me closer to God than I have ever been. Because of this I went and found out more about the journey they took to make CityChurch into what it is today.

Ketlie Guerrin, CityKids Director, was eager to tell me more about CityChurch. It was founded by Justin and Chrisy Kendrick in 2011 with a team of 6 people. The Kendricks had traveled around the world doing music ministry, but they rarely stayed long enough to see God’s work affect the people that they had touched. They wanted to have a local church impact a community, and that inspired them to create CityChurch.

“At CityChurch, three core behavioral values shape the way we make decisions and practice our faith.” The first is that Jesus is the centerpiece of human history and that his life, death, and resurrection changes and affects all of our stories. The second is an intentional community and the belief that Christians were intended to become more like Jesus together. The third is city mission, which includes seeking out opportunities to help those in need in the community.

They certainly have impacted the community, because their attendance has grown from 25 at its inception to an average of 750 in 2016. They have also been able to expand into different Connecticut cities, having services in Bridgeport, Middletown, and soon Hartford. They thrive due to the generosity of the community, and managed to donate 16% of their offerings, totaling $185,941 last year!

Besides the Sunday services, CityChurch also has several ministries that cater to different groups in the community. CityKids and CityStudents focus on supplementing the religious education provided by their guardians and interacting with the gospel. There are men and women’s ministries that work on relationally connecting with people as well as focusing on service. They also have an outreach program that partners with organizations like Loaves and Fishes, and after school mentoring programs that allows the congregation to get involved in servicing the community.

When I asked Ketlie what one of her favorite parts about CityChurch is, she responded she loved “the way that the gospel infiltrates everything we do,” and that she had never heard the gospel in a way that made her want to change. I think that what she described aligns with how I feel about my experience with CityChurch. The people of CityChurch have done a lot to help the New Haven community and beyond, and will continue to grow in the years to come.

If you don’t have a strong relationship with religion, or perhaps wish to rekindle what you used to hold onto as a child, I strongly recommend giving CityChurch a try. It’s never too late to find something that makes you want to believe again, even if what you end up believing in is yourself.

If you want to learn more, check out their website! http://ourcitychurch.org/