Image from The Global Church Project Website 

Often, people speak of the distinction between the “little c church,” referring to church as a local congregation, and “big C Church” which is the worldwide body of Christians.

Pastor Mike Sullivan is a local pastor at Emmaus City Church in Worcester. This year, he has been participating in the ACT 3 Missional Unity Cohort of leaders in Boston. In this sermon, he shares a wonderful description of what it means to be a local church within the “Big C Church.” He provides tangible explanations  about the earmarks of a church that embodies the mission of God, as well as practical questions so people can live out God’s calling for missional unity in their own lives.

Click here to listen to the sermon on “Big C Church Unity.” 

Email Scott Brill for more information about the Initiative Missional Unity Cohort in Boston in 2019: thebrillopad@gmail.com

 

For Pastor Mike, the story of Jesus with His disciples on the road to Emmaus is one of the “Christ incognito.” He describes that “with a smile at God’s winking sense of humor, the people of Emmaus City often find themselves on roads with people in Worcester seeking Jesus, trusting that God is at work even when we can’t see or know clearly what God is doing.” They have found this to be true in the life of their City Groups (i.e. missional communities), as well as being part of Jesus’ Big “C” Church among the local churches throughout Worcester as a whole.

Here is a story that Pastor Mike shares about how they live out being part of Jesus’ Big C Church in Worcester:

“The Worcester Alliance for Refugee Ministry (WARM) reached out to us to help host 75+ Arabic-speaking and mostly Muslim neighbors from Syria, Iraq, and other Middle Eastern countries for a time of fun, food, and hearing about Isa (Jesus), and why people celebrate Jesus’ resurrection on Easter. Emmaus City Church’s leaders and the leaders of First Assembly of God Worcester joined together, and Emmaus City had the humble privilege to display the hospitality of God to all who came in partnership with people from various denominational backgrounds connected to WARM.

There was no prediction of what the Spirit of God would do next. But a month later, one of the leaders of WARM shared that the invitation to look more into Isa’s story in the Bible that was given to those who came to the event had a powerful response of 46 people showing up, including 32 who are Arabic-speaking refugees and immigrants from other faith traditions.

The prayers of people from multiple churches throughout Worcester is that this search into who Isa is may be the beginning of an Arabic-speaking community in Worcester that knows, shares, and reveals Isa as Emmanuel, the perfect Prophet, Priest, and King. Soli Deo gloria!”

 

UniteBoston has come a long way since its start in September 2010, when two young adults dreamed about a more interconnected Christian community and sent out a newsletter called “UniteBoston” in a basement in Cambridge. Their hope was to initiate awareness towards John 17 unity and inter-church collaboration. Interest grew quickly, and UniteBoston soon expanded into a website and then a non-profit in 2012. Now, six years later, it is a growing ministry that reaches thousands of Christians and churches from all different backgrounds throughout the city to further gospel movement.

The 2018 UniteBoston worship night that was attended by over 1,000 people displayed the interest of many Christians in a movement that would transcend the historic boundaries that have tended to characterize the Christian faith. In many ways, UniteBoston is seeing greater momentum than ever before.

We know that there are many great ministries in Boston doing great work; here are five reasons why your investment in UniteBoston’s ministry makes a difference.

1. We’re uniquely building bridges across historically divided Christians

UniteBoston is one of the only Christian organizations that is exclusively devoted to Jesus’ prayer “that they would be one.” We are building bridges across historically divided Christians ethnically, denominationally, and generationally. Our efforts are beginning to bear fruit, as we are seeing unprecedented unity among Christians that have been divided for centuries. Within UniteBoston, there are Catholic, Protestant, Evangelical, and Mainline Protestant Christians, as well as Christians from a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds. The 2017 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity gathering that was hosted by 8 co-presiding leaders of 8 different Christian traditions is one example of the fruit that is emerging through our ministry.

2. Young adults form a large part of the UB Community

If you spend time at the UB worship night or at the neighborhood dinners, you will find that a large percentage of young adults in their 20’s and 30’s are involved, and UniteBoston’s Executive Director Kelly Fassett is only 33 years old! While trends in churches indicate that many young people are leaving the faith, UniteBoston is uniquely engaging young people and mentoring them with older leaders in a way of doing Church that encourages deep intimacy with Jesus and respect for Christians of other backgrounds. Click here to meet the members of the UB Team and the UB Worship Team.

 

3. UB helps people gain a bigger perspective of how God is at work in Boston

People involved in UniteBoston continually express how refreshing it is to meet Christians from other traditions and neighborhoods. Many state that their involvement in the neighborhood dinners and worship gatherings enriches their own faith and also helps them to see how God is at work in Boston. Seeing the bigger picture enlivens the work within our own local congregations and ministries.

4. Reconciliation happens best through relationships

While efforts towards Christian unity have traditionally focused on dialogues between high-level leaders, UniteBoston has focused on building unity through relationships on the ground level. At the end of the day, we are convinced that reconciliation happens not through statements or documents but through deep conversations and relationships. Our neighborhood dinners enable people to share our stories of faith in following Jesus and cultivate missional unity towards loving our neighbors.

5. We seek to change the narrative of the public perception of Christianity

News stories about Christians today are unfortunately characterized by pastoral abuse or sexual misconduct. While each of our churches have flaws, in many ways, Christians are known for what we are against, rather than what we are for. We seek to create a public witness that as Christians we are for reaching across boundaries, for welcoming the stranger, and for loving the least among us. UniteBoston isn’t perfect, but by building bridges between Christians from all backgrounds, UniteBoston seeks to embody and witness to the the boundary-breaking, reconciling love of Christ. One of the greatest examples of this is the UniteBoston worship night that includes a diversity of Christians all worshipping Jesus together. Jesus has brought peace and reconciliation to the world; because of this, together we can rejoice!

UniteBoston has a small budget (Approximately $50,000 annually)  and only one paid staff person, but we make a big impact! Staff time and supplies are needed in order to mobilize the Christian community to further gospel movement through our programming. We are seeking to raise $12,000 by Thursday November 8th and we are at 25% of our goal. We would be honored to have your support to build on the momentum that God is bringing forth in this ministry!

Here are a few ongoing costs that you can contribute to:

-$50 allows us to take a local pastor out to lunch

-$40 per month pays for our Quickbooks Accounting Software

-$17 per month pays for our UB Team Zoom Video Calls

-$50 per month pays for our Icontact Newsletter Subscription

-$100 pays for pizza for the UB worship team after rehearsal

Plus, if you become a monthly donor, you will receive a new UB waterbottle! And, if you tell three people about UniteBoston, Kelly will give you a big hug! 🙂

Come and join us for UniteBoston’s Fundraising Party on Thursday November 8th from 6:30 to 8:30pm at Bethel AME Church, 40 Walk Hill Street, Boston. This is UniteBoston’s fourth annual fundraiser – a night of live music, food, and stories, as we celebrate the increasing sense of momentum and unity. There is no cost to attend, but there will be an opportunity to give at the event. Space is limited, so please RSVP via Eventbrite soon!

Donations can be made by visiting www.uniteboston.com/give, or checks made out to “UniteBoston” can be sent to UniteBoston, P.O. Box 961162, Boston, MA 02196.

We are excited to come together with Christians throughout the city to celebrate the increasing sense of momentum. Each person is a valuable part of this united gospel movement – thanks so much for committing to join with us in this!