This past Sunday, September 6, City Church gathered at Fresno Mission’s City Center for worship, community, and a message from Pastor Mark about discovering our place in the body of Christ. His message centered on a simple but powerful truth: “Jesus doesn’t just give us a place to belong. He gives each of us a part to play.”
Teaching from 1 Corinthians 12, Pastor Mark reminded the congregation that the Church is one body made up of many different parts. We may have different gifts, different stories and different roles, but every person matters and every person has something to contribute. There are no unnecessary people in the body of Christ.
That message carries special meaning at City Church, where people from all walks of life gather each Sunday at City Center. Some are experiencing homelessness or navigating difficult seasons, while others are volunteers, staff members, neighbors, or families from the surrounding community. Those labels are not what define us. We gather as one body, united by Christ.
Sometimes Serving Starts With Stopping
Pastor Mark shared a recent experience that brought Sunday’s message to life. While out for a run, he passed a man sitting with a cart, a bicycle and bags of cans. His first instinct was to keep going, but he felt God prompting him to stop, so he turned around. There was no elaborate plan. He simply spent a few minutes talking with the man by listening to his story, inviting him to City Center and offering to pray with him. Before they parted ways, the man thanked Pastor Mark for something incredibly simple: taking the time to stop. It was a reminder that serving others doesn’t always require a program, a platform or a grand gesture. Sometimes it begins by seeing the person God has placed directly in front of us.
Your Gift Is for Somebody Else
Pastor Mark also challenged the congregation not to wait until they feel completely prepared or qualified before getting involved. Sometimes we discover how God has gifted us simply by just beginning to serve. It might look like setting up chairs, serving a meal, welcoming someone through the doors, praying with someone who is hurting, or encouraging someone who needs to know they are not alone. Much of that service may never receive recognition, but every part matters, because the gifts God gives us are not just for ourselves. They are meant to bless somebody else.
That’s part of what makes Sundays at City Church so special. People are not simply coming to receive; they’re being invited to belong, participate, serve, and discover the purpose God has placed within them.
More Than a Sunday Service
At City Church, we want to be a place and a pathway for purpose. Sunday’s message reminded us that following Jesus is not limited to what happens inside a church service. We gather together, worship, hear God’s Word, and encourage one another, and then we carry that love beyond the walls of City Center. For Fresno Mission, that is an important part of transformation. We want every person who comes through our doors to know that they are more than their circumstances — they are created in the image of God, deeply loved and created with purpose. And sometimes, discovering that purpose begins with someone creating a place where they can belong.
You Help Make This Possible
Every week, your generosity helps make City Center a place where people experiencing homelessness and hardship can find far more than practical resources. They find community, hear the Gospel, build relationships, and are reminded of their dignity and worth while discovering opportunities to see how God can use their lives to impact someone else. Your gift helps create a place where people can encounter Christ, find belonging and discover purpose.
Give today and help Fresno Mission continue creating pathways toward hope and transformation throughout our community.
