Posts by Chipper Flaniken

The sermon for this Sunday's online worship service is from Mark 9:42-50, and therefore deals with matters of sin and hell. There's never an easy time to consider these words from Jesus, but I've been particularly restless the past 72 hours as we've all seen the news about the killing of George Floyd. Lord, why this passage? And why this week?...

How we can love our neighbors during COVID-19...

March 15 services have been canceled...

An update on our 3/15 Sunday morning services....

An update concerning this Sunday's services (3/15) and opportunities to serve our city....

What do joy and love have to do with the Coronavirus? How might a crisis be an opportunity for sacrificial service rather than self-preservation and fear?...

Explore the resources our pastoral staff is currently reading, plus learn more about "The Unpardonable Sin". ...

Is Scripture reliable? Can we really trust the Bible we preach from on Sunday mornings and read devotionally throughout the week? Join us on June 4 at 8am to learn more!...

Interested in pursuing membership at City Church and want to learn more? Not even sure what church membership is? Check out this post to investigate!...

Join us tonight at 6:30 for our Good Friday Service. Childcare is provided. Read more for details....

Normally our Sunday services are at 10 AM. On Easter Sunday ONLY we will be having TWO services - 9 AM and 10:45 AM....

City Church family: what does faithful Christian living look like in a society infected with intense political polarization and disagreement? Consider these six guidelines....

City Church is planning to host a baptism celebration later in the spring. Interested in participating? Read this post to find out more!...

Join us for an all-church picnic on Jan. 15 at Depot Park! Check out this post for more details....

Join us on January 1st as we reflect as a church community on 2016 and pray together for 2017. ...

Join us at 10am on December 25 at City Church for our Christmas Day service. Check out this post for more details....

On the evening of Friday, December 9 at 7pm City Church is hosting a special Christmas event at our building in downtown Gainesville (19 SW 1st Street)....

Daily Advent readings are a wonderful way to grow in Christ during the Advent season. Check out this post for Advent reading guide recommendations for adults and children. ...

Here are three specific ways to partner with Haiti in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew. Read more to find out how you can be involved....

Please read and consider this important information about Hurricane Matthew...

Come pray with us each Tuesday morning at 6am! Check out this post for the details....

Interested in learning more about City Church and pursuing membership? Join us for our fall membership class on Sept. 23 & 24. Check out this post to learn more about it and RSVP!...

In the past couple of weeks, floods have devastated parts of Louisiana. Lives have been lost. Over 40,000 homes have been affected (most of them uninsured). Read more to find out how you can help....

This summer we are spending 12 weeks in the Book of Psalms as we look at look at the value and practice of various "spiritual disciplines". Read this post to find out more about the series and access some important resources....

Join us on Sunday, May 1 for a celebratory lunch right after our Sunday morning service. Check out this post for the details....

Join us on Saturday, April 16th from noon-3pm as we partner with Boulware Springs Charter School for an afternoon of games, activities, and a BBQ. Read this post to find out how you can volunteer!...

Join us on Friday, 3/25 at 6:30pm at City Church for a Good Friday service. Childcare is provided. Check out this post for more details....

Join us on Sunday, 3/27 at 10am for an Easter celebration (and come early for breakfast!). Read this post for more details....

Join us Friday, January 29 from 5-10pm for an Open House and Art Gallery! Delicious hors d'oeuvres will be served. Check out this post to find out more....

This past week I've spent significant time reflecting on the things God did among us in 2015. I'd like to share four of these reflections with you....

Join us for a special evening of music, singing, and excellent food (plus a really neat surprise!). Check out this post to find out more....

Join us on Sunday, Nov. 22 at 10am as we celebrate our first service in our new building (19 SW 1st Street)! ...

City Church is moving across the street to our OWN facility! Nov. 15 will be our last Sunday service at Jolie's. Join us as we celebrate what God has done these past two years at Jolie's!...

We had a HUGE turnout at the Boulware Fall Festival. Check out this post to learn more about it and find out who helped make this all possible....

At our Fall Vision Lunch we outlined our points of emphasis for the coming year. Read more to find out about "SIP"!...

This lunch will include a program that outlines City Church's vision for the fall of 2015 and spring of 2016. There will also be opportunities for casual conversation before and after the program. The purpose of the program is to reflect on the past year of City Church's journey and to look forward to the next stages of our journey. The lunch will include a City Church ove...

Are you new to the City Church community in the past few months? Our pastors will give a brief presentation about the City Church DNA! ...

Mark your calendars for a fun and relaxing day out on the water! On August 8th, join City Church as we float down the Ichetucknee River. ...

We will be joining the City of Gainesville Summer Downtown Clean-Up day on August 22, 2015 from 9am-12pm. ...

Interested in pursuing membership at City Church? Check out this post to learn more about this weekend's membership class....

Join us as we send "kids packs" to Nepal for distribution by local missionaries. Check out this post to find out more....

Did you know that City Church is moving across the street this fall to a 24/7 location? Check out this post to learn more!...

Check out this post to find out more about two important opportunities to serve our city on 4/11 and 4/18....

We have wonderful news about the Make Room Campaign! Check out this post to find out more....

City Church is raising funds to build out a new facility in downtown Gainesville. Check out this post to read an update about our progress....

Celebrate Easter with City Church at one of our two Easter services (9 and 11am). A free breakfast will be served at 10:15am....

Today is Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of the Lenten season (symbolically a 40-day season, or literally 46 days if you count from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday). Lent is traditionally a season of dedicated prayer, Scripture reading, and reflection as Christians prepare to celebrate the Passion Week events leading up to Easter Sunday....

Many people who live in Gainesville are only here for a short time. Why should they bother becoming members of a church? Read more to find out!...

We are excited to begin receiving members at City Church. Check out this post to discover some resources about what church membership is and why it's so important....

Join us on Monday, January 19 from 12-3pm for an MLK barbecue! The barbecue will take place at the home of Jay and Rachelle Hand and the event will happen rain or shine!...

City Church is making room for more! Read this point to learn about an important step in the life of City Church...

Hang around after our January 11 service for a huge announcement! Check out this post to learn more....

Check out this post for some helpful Advent readings (great for devotionals and family readings)....

Ride your bike to church on November 9! Why are we doing this? Read this post to find out more....

We will be having a Christmas service; it will include a unique, artistic aesthetic as well as Christmas music, Scripture readings, poetry readings, and an extended time after the service to enjoy Christmas refreshments. ...

City Church would love for you to join us this year at our Christmas Eve service! ...

Recently we focused our morning worship on "The Good Life as a Working Life." I promised to point all of you to some additional resources about faith and work - thus my motivation for this post. Check it out! ...

We're thrilled to introduce our 2014-15 Ministry Campaign! Unveiled at our Fall Vision Lunch, our Ministry Campaign includes three focus areas that will push us in healthy yet challenging ways as we press into an important year of ministry....

What is love? We use the term "love" in everyday conversation. Some of us use the term to describe our affinity for our favorite food or sports team. Some of us speak of love as unrestricted human right. But what do we really mean when we use that term? ...

City Church warmly invites everyone in the Gainesville community to attend our Fall 2014 Vision Lunch. The lunch will be held on Sunday, Sept. 7 at noon at Jolie's (the same place we hold our Sunday services), a beautiful venue in the heart of downtown Gainesville....

The "Created" ministry - which provides spiritual, emotional, and physical resources for women who are being trafficked - needs our support THIS WEEK....

We're still proceeding with our 4th on the 3rd Celebration. Right now we're in our cars waiting to go out to Flavet Field for setup. For updates on location and any contingency plans if the weather stay bad, check out our facebook page or twitter feed for up to date info....

City Church is hiring a Director of Worship and Creative Arts. This is a part-time position (15 hrs/wk) that we hope to fill by late August of 2014. We will accept applications on an ongoing basis until the position is filled....

Paul wrote to the church in Rome that they should "rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep." It is natural for rejoicing Christians to celebrate with other rejoicing Christians, and for grieving Christians to mourn with others who are also grieving. It is tremendously difficult, however, for rejoicing Christians to mourn with those who are mourning, ...

City Church desires to be "an authentic community walking with God in our city." Being "in our city" means that, by God's grace, we play a role in addressing the spiritual, physical, and emotional needs that exist in the city of Gainesville. One of the implications of this is that we encourage our church community to serve our city. Read this post to find out more about ho...

I am excited to announce that the audio from City Church's One-Year Anniversary Lunch is now available online. Check out this post to find the links to the four presentations that were part of the lunch....

City Church is in the midst of a summer sermon series on Paul's Letter to the Colossians. Check out this post to find some resources that will help us as we study Colossians....

City Church warmly invites everyone in the Gainesville community to attend our One Year Anniversary Lunch. This lunch is a great opportunity to hear more about our vision for being part of the downtown community....

As we will discuss on Sunday, greed is a particularly deceptive sin. There are many reasons why greed is so deceptive, but I'll mention two....

Each quarter, Ryan and I spend two days prayerfully reflecting on the past few months and planning for the future. I am going to make it a habit to post recaps of these planning sessions, and I hope you will take the time to read them. I believe you'll be encouraged by what the Lord is doing in our midst and excited about things to come....

At City Church we are beginning to incorporate confessions, catechisms, and creeds into some of our Sunday services. Check out this post to learn more about why we use them in our Sunday services....

City Church is in the midst of a 10 week study of the Gospel According to Luke. Check out this post to find some resources that will help us as we study Luke....

Why write about tolerance during the Christmas season? It seems that the holidays and heated discussions about tolerance go hand in hand. If you're looking for proof, Google "Christmas" and "tolerance" and see what happens....

Vulnerability will help Christians help others connect Christian fruit with its cause - the grace of God as experienced through the sanctifying work of the Spirit. Check out this post to learn more....

Miss a community group or want to review a discussion from a previous week? All of our community group leader guides are available on our website for your convenience!...

City Church community groups aspire to be hospitable. Check out this post to read more about community group hospitality....

I am excited to announce that City Church community groups have launched!...

It is a joy to announce that the Launch Team for City Church is (mostly) set. This past Sunday evening, our two supporting churches in Gainesville (Creekside Community Church and Christ Community Church) gathered for a joint prayer service in order to commission the Launch Team. ...