CitySalt Update | New Location and Service Time

As a member of CitySalt Church, we thank you for taking time to prayerfully consider the opportunity before us. Moving our congregation to a new location and service time is an important step that we want to take together.

In cooperation with our senior pastor, staff, and church council, CitySalt wishes to change our present meeting location to 661 E. 19th Avenue, Eugene, OR. This will require an adjustment in our main worship service to 5:30-7:00pm on Sunday evenings. The proposal is based on a three-year sublease with First Baptist Church of Eugene (FBC) for use of “The Box” (as our main gathering place), and a three-year lease with The Eugene Christian Chinese Church (ECCC) for children’s classrooms and additional meeting rooms. This change would not only provide more desirable accommodations for CitySalt at an affordable rent, but also expresses a shared value for ecumenical cooperation and Kingdom stewardship on the part of all the ministries involved.

Open House Follow Up

As you may know, CitySalt members and other supporters gathered this past Sunday on July 24th for an exploratory Open House at The Box. We enjoyed a time of food, fellowship, worship, prayer, and a brief address by representatives from each of the three ministries welcoming our congregation to this city block. Guest presenters included Pastor Anthony Doheney (Senior Pastor of Emerald Community Fellowship –ECF/Property Owner), Pastor Joe Tepe (College Pastor from First Baptist Church/Collegiate Christian Fellowship – FBC/CCF), Pastor Donald Grafton and Sarah Chen (pastors from Eugene Chinese Christian Church ECCC). The event was brought to close by Pastor Dusty calling for CitySalt’s membership to vote on the proposed move to accompany our formal documents for approval.

Voting Results

At this time, we are pleased to report that we have the unanimous support of 84% of our current membership, supporting this change of location and service time. This fulfills the necessary requirements outlined by our Foursquare bylaws. Our next step is to submit our formal sublease documents for approval before we can transition to this new location and time. As a courtesy to our remaining members from whom we have not yet received written or verbal response, we plan to contact them in the next week to allow them a chance to weigh in on this decision.

Moving Forward

We appreciate your prayer and support and look forward to some exciting steps in the weeks and months ahead. If all goes as expected, we hope to have our first official service at The Box on August 21st or 28th, depending on how the process unfolds. Stay tuned for additional updates that will be made available on our website, weekly newsletter, and Facebook.

For those able and willing to make financial contributions toward various updates and projects to improve The Box, we have set up a tax-deductible building fund that will support the following projects as directed by our church council:

Adding windows and/or natural light
Various updates to restrooms and kitchen
Exterior paint, lighting, and signage
Altering storage space
Alarm System
Fire suppression system for Kitchen
Air conditioning

Also, here are some practical ways you can begin to help with this transition:

Pray for the leadership of all the ministries involved
Help cultivate a positive and solution-oriented attitude throughout the transition
Serve on the various teams that will need support
Contribute financially to our building fund for needed repairs and upgrades
Think creatively about who should be involved in this next season in the life of our church and invite them to be part.

If you have questions and/or would like to submit your vote on this decision, you are welcome to contact tenisha@citysalt.org or (541) 632-4182.

NOTE: This and other information is also available online at www.citysalt.org/thebox/

This past Sunday, CitySalt Church had the pleasure of hearing a word from Pastor Isaac Komolafe— District Overseer for the Foursquare Church in Nigeria— on the subject of Pentecost and the newness that comes with the baptism of the Holy Spirit. He is convinced that God’s power is in every believer that has accepted Jesus’ spirit into their hearts.

As he has witnessed the miracles of God in his life and ministry through the building of water wells that bring villages in Northern Nigeria fresh water, he recognizes the “living water of the gospel”. He chose to share an inspirational message that challenges believers new and old to embrace seven testaments of the Holy Spirit at work in those who have invited the Holy Spirit into their lives:

1. Power and boldness to witness

2. Fresh understanding of the Word of God

3. Fills our hearts with true worship

4. Power in prayer

5. Produces Fruit

6. Bind the brokenhearted (hope to the hopeless)

7. Introduces the supernatural

Feel free to read more of his sermon notes below to follow along with this unique and very timely message of newness found here.

A New Beginning: A New Season

God’s Promise as Introductory Verse (Isaiah 43:19-21)

God is doing a new thing

o He will guide us continually (Isaiah 58:11-12)

This is made possible through his Holy Spirit which is celebrated on the day of Pentecost

The Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4).

Pentecost was the second of the three great harvest festivals of Judaism, coming between Passover and Tabernacles. In the New Testament (cf. 1 Cor. 16:8) it is referred to as “Pentecost,” which means fiftieth in Greek.
OT refers to as the Festival of Weeks or of the First fruits, Exod. 23:16; Deut. 16:9.].

o The first term referring to its coming a “week of weeks” after Passover,

o Secondly an offering of two loaves prepared from the wheat harvest was made on this day.

Pentecost was reckoned as coming exactly fifty days after the first day of the Passover.
It was a day of “solemn assembly,” and all work ceased.
It was also one of the most popular pilgrim festivals, even more so than Passover, which was likely due to the improved weather conditions by the time of Pentecost.

This is the fullest account we have in Scripture. Exactly fifty days after the resurrection of Christ, the promises made concerning the coming of the Spirit were fulfilled. The Holy Spirit came to a company of disciples waiting in Jerusalem. This was the commencement of an entirely new work of the Spirit as foretold by the prophets (Joel 2).

The Holy Spirit and The Believers Isaiah 61:1-3

Holy Spirit Gives Us Power for Service

Jesus used the Greek word "dynamo” (translated "power"), from which we derive our word "dynamo." A dynamo is a machine that generates a consistent and continuing supply of power.

After Jesus rose from the dead, He appeared to His disciples for 40 days.
Jesus gave His believers a very special and wonderful promise: “…I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever.”
Jesus has not left us alone in the world. He has sent us the Holy Spirit.
Our service will be acceptable only if done in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Holy Spirit is Accomplisher of service through the Believer.
He works through cleansed and yielded vessel.
Two-Fold Nature & Objective of all true Christian Services

o Evangelizing the World – Salvation of Sinners.

o Building up the Church – Sanctification of Saints.

1. The Holy Spirit Gives Power and Boldness to Witness.

The Holy Spirit comes upon a believer and causes him to be a messenger of good news. In this world, which is filled with bad news the spirit filled child of God, comes as a carrier of good news with a message of hope to this dying world

And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness”. Acts 4:31

"But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto me... "(Acts 1:8).

2. He Brings a Fresh Understanding of the Word of God.

John.16:13 says, “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” (1 Cor.2:9.,10.)

3. He Fills our Spirit with True Worship to God.

18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” Eph.5:18,19. (Jn. 4:24)

4. Powers in the Place of Prayer.

“Praying in the Holy Spirit" (Jude 20). Praying always, with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit” (Eph. 6.). In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what We ought to pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for its with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will” (Rom 8:26,27 NIV).

5. He Produces the Fruit of the Spirit in the Believer's Life.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith; meekness, temperance; against such there is no law" (Gal 5:22.23).

The natural man - no matter how refined or educated he may be, cannot produce the Fruit of the Spirit. God's character is seen in us, only when God the Holy Spirit lives in us who believe.

6. He Encourages Us to Bind the Broken Hearted. Isaiah 61:1

The Holy Spirit comes upon a believer and causes him to be a healer of broken hearts. In this world filled with people who are broken hearted due to sorrow, disappointment and loss, the Spirit filled child of God comes not to add to the suffering with insensitive remarks and cruel criticisms but will be a channel of peace and restoration.

7. He Introduces the Supernatural Realm. Isaiah 61:1; Mk 16:15

“There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: (1 Cor.12:5-8) Acts 19:6
The Holy Spirit comes upon a believer and causes him to bring deliverance to people who are bound by various satanic oppression and fears and curses. In this world filled with people under bondage to so many evil forces the spirit filled child of God comes as a deliverer to set the captives free.

Conclusion:

Holy Spirit came to enable believers to have a continuous fellowship/communion with the Father so we can do what we see Him doing.

"CitySalt Update | New Location and Service Time" by Dusty Johnson