Building connections within the CityChurch Network

The sound of hammers and saws and cracking wood filled the air. A contractor and his team were in my parents’ (Randy and Carol Beckett) backyard, ripping up their deck in preparation for building a new one. A few things about this building crew were atypical. For one thing, they were letting a large number of church members help them out. For another, they were planning on living at my parents’ house for a week. In fact, this construction crew had come all the way from North Carolina. All of that sounds odd until you knew who they were – our CityChurch Network partners from Journey Church in Hickory, North Carolina.

The CityChurch Network is a group of churches across the country that holds the same convictions we do about what Jesus wants churches to be and to do. Journey Church has been a part of this network with us for ___ years. They meet in neighborhood churches, like we do. They experience the same ups and downs, the same joy and the same struggles. Like us, they are working hard to shape their churches according to the way of Christ and His Apostles. They hope to impact their city through good works and faithful living. They are actively partnered with BILD Network churches in Indonesia.

Because of the partnership and deep relationship they have with our church, five men crammed themselves into an oversized van and drove to Ames to rebuild my parents' deck. In addition to laying wood, driving nails, and trampling my mom’s peonies (if you’re reading this, Rodney, she’s still miffed about it), the team used the time to fellowship with our church--to be encouraged and to encourage us. Rodney Morris, who led the crew, joked, "We didn't come for the money!"

Because of weather – a cold, awful, rainy week - the team had to stay a little longer than expected. But at last they could pack up their tools, plus some accidental extras (if you’re reading this, Rodney, I hope you mailed back Don’s sawzall), and drive home to their waiting families. They left behind a beautiful new deck, and, more importantly, a church that had been heartened by the love and commitment shown to us, and by the encouraging updates from their churches.

It is such an empowering thing to know that our churches in Ames and Des Moines are not alone in their endeavors. To know that we are just one in a larger network, a huge work that God is doing in our country, freely sharing time and love, wisdom and resources.

(If you’re reading this, Journey Church, we cannot tell you how much this partnership means to us.)