A Note from Pastor Roger

Dear Church Family,

I hope your start to 2025 has been uplifting as we introduced the Lifted Life to you this past Sunday. We want those who attend CityRise to not only lift our city and the world with the gospel of Christ, but to lift the lives of the people around them for His glory through deeper discipleship. Visit the Lifted Life page for more on what living this life means as well as replays of the sermons in this series.

As we go deeper, we should also be authentic. That’s the theme of this year’s Women’s Winter Retreat, which is next month on February 7 and 8. This annual event is always a great opportunity for women to gather, worship, and refresh before the new year is well underway. Our Women’s Director, Kristen Campbell, remembers how impactful one retreat was for her and why this year’s theme is so important.

Two years ago, I shared my testimony at this retreat. Before that moment, my closest friends—some of whom I had known for over twenty years—had never heard the full story of my past. I had been living a polished, filtered version of my life. But when I finally opened up, confessing my struggles and working through my past burdens, I experienced the power of true healing, forgiveness and grace.

Sharing my story deepened my understanding of what Jesus has done for me, and, in turn, it invited others to share their stories with me. It created the space for real, authentic relationships to form—ones built on truth, vulnerability, and God’s grace.
 
Let’s remember that God calls us to live in real community with Him and with each other—not an Instagram-filtered version of who we think we should be. Authenticity means confessing our struggles, our desires, and our sins. It means being the kind of friend who listens without judgment, who keeps confidences, and who always points you back to Christ.

This year’s retreat will feature guest speaker Marian Jordan Ellis, the founder of This Redeemed Life, and worship led by Savannah Cavazos. Register today to reserve your spot and experience a weekend of authentic faith and fellowship.

We continue to pray for Los Angeles and those communities in Southern California who are still facing the dangerous wildfires even after a week since they began. Countless more are already trying to comprehend the devastation these historic fires have caused, what it will cost to rebuild, and how their lives have changed dramatically. Pray for God’s hand and His power to be evident in every aspect of this city’s recovery.

If you would like to donate financially, consider donating through sendrelief.org. 100% of those donations go toward those impacted and to help assist the volunteers.

And lastly, remember that this Sunday morning, January 19, there will be street closures across the city as the Chevron Houston Marathon runs through town, especially right by our West U Baptist campus. But your route to any of our CityRise campuses could have closures along the way. Visit cityrise.org/marathon for the official map.

We’ll see you on Sunday, Church Family!


Expectant,
Pastor Roger