CityChurch Blog, Chapter Two

How did somebody who describes herself as an “in-print person,” who didn’t even like blogs, wind up writing a blog? I put this question to Laura Rendall, who started the Ames/Des Moines CityChurch blog in 2015. “My original idea was for a CityChurch magazine-type newsletter in printed form,” she said. “I had the idea probably a year after we first deconstructed into smaller churches [in 2010].”

Laura’s vision was to provide a way for the neighborhood churches of our network to get to know each other, and to know what the various churches were up to. “I felt that we needed something to connect us, that each church needed to be aware of what was going on with the others,” Laura said. Although the initial idea was to create a print newsletter that could be distributed to the neighborhood churches, Nate Haila suggested that a blog would be a better medium for her vision. Laura’s first story was published on the blog in June of 2015.

Over the course of the next year and a half, Laura wrote articles covering the activities of the churches of the network—everything from the use of music, to teaching The Story on Sunday evenings, to stories of the transformation of individual families. “I love creating partnerships with people from our churches, who have something really exciting and important to share with the rest of us, and helping them to share it,” Laura said.

During the first year of the CityChurch blog, Laura’s articles provided the CityChurch of Ames/Des Moines with stories about the activity of the network in a way that enhanced network identity. “The most common response from people within our network is just that it is so nice to know what is going on with the other churches and encouraging to hear about what the other churches are doing,” Laura said. From June of 2015 to February of this year, Laura wrote nearly twenty articles telling the story of the our local church network.

After a five-month hiatus, I am excited to announce the return of the Ames/Des Moines CityChurch Blog! This blog takes its place in a broader set of initiatives intended to communicate our story both within our local environment and beyond. We have added new personnel to the blog team, so you’ll be hearing new voices in this space. But our goal remains true to Laura’s original vision: to tell the story of the neighborhood churches of the Ames/Des Moines CityChurch network.

Our core team in accomplishing this task is anchored by Laura, the creator of this blog, who brings a year-and-a-half’s experience to the task. In addition, Mark and Anna Bland will contribute articles, and Anna will also act as a copy editor for the team, making sure that we don’t mangle the English language too badly! I will write the occasional article as well, but my function will be mainly editorial in nature, ensuring that we are accomplishing our goal of telling our story, and helping to shape the overall direction and quality of the blog.

We are excited to embark on chapter two of this blog! We can’t wait to communicate the stories of our churches with you, to draw us together as a network. Check back regularly for updates, and don’t hesitate to contact one of us if you think you’ve got a story worth telling on the blog!