Serving @ InTown
The church is not a social club, an affinity group, or a provider of religious goods and services, but rather a family of disciples and missionaries. The church exists to embody the reign of God’s Kingdom in its place and time. The church participates in the mission of God, which is the renewal of all things in Jesus Christ.
As such, God has called our church to witness to his Kingdom in the core neighborhoods of Jacksonville. We will seek the renewal of our city spiritually, relationally, socially and culturally. We seek to love our neighbors for Jesus’ sake, especially the poor and vulnerable in our city.
Though we are rooted in our place and time, God’s Kingdom mission extends to the ends of the earth so that all people would know his grace. We seek to partner in this mission in Jacksonville and around the world through our service, prayer and generosity.
Hospitality
We are seeking to recover the historic Christian practice of hospitality in an age marked by isolation and spiritual homelessness. The church welcomes outsiders in the same way that Jesus welcomed us when we were strangers. At least once a month we open our homes to our neighbors, coworkers and friends. This might be a simple shared meal or a neighborhood party, but together we want to cultivate hospitality by investing in our neighbors, and inviting them into our homes, our church, and our faith. We too were strangers, we too were homeless, and we believe that we have found a home in Christ and his church. We long to help others find this true home.
Further, we practice corporate hospitality by sharing a meal after our worship service once a month. This is a time of joy and friendship. It’s a time when we can meet new friends and connect with old ones. It is a chance for us to show hospitality to all who join us.
Sunday Teams
We believe that the ministry of the church is not to be left in the hands of a few paid professionals, but is rather the work of the whole community. We have many opportunities for service on Sunday mornings, and our hope is that all of our members and regular attenders will serve once a month on our Sunday teams. See below for our teams and contact the team leader to start serving.
CHILDREN’S TEAM
We have children’s programs each week for kids seven and under. This ministry requires many loving and engaged volunteers to care for young children. Each volunteer will be trained and undergo a background check. E-mail Laura Barnickel to get connected with this team.
HOSPITALITY TEAM
This team serves by creating a warm, hospitable environment for our guests on Sunday mornings. They greet people, talk to guests about the church at our connect table and help to set up communion each week. E-mail Kami Melfa to get connected with this team.
OPERATIONS TEAM
This team arrives early each week to help us turn a hotel into a fully functioning church building. In addition to setting up the building, they also handle some important logistical things during the worship service like collecting the offering and running the slides for worship. E-mail Kyle Ryan to get connected with this team.
WORSHIP TEAM
Do you have musical talents? Do you sing, play an instrument, or know how to operate a sound board? We would love to have you get connected with our team of musicians and sound technicians and use your gifts in our worship services. E-mail Matt Kodatt to get connected with this team.
City Rescue Mission
Christ Church InTown enjoys a wonderful partnership with the City Rescue Mission. Our partnership is multi-faceted. We worship in their chapel and have many of their students in our community. This partnership gives us the opportunity to express some of our most cherished values as a church; loving our neighbors – especially the poor and vulnerable, and seeking the renewal and flourishing of our city.
We encourage you to get involved with this partnership. Some of our Growth Groups meet on the campus of CRM and include many of their students. This is a great way to build relationships beyond Sunday mornings.
We also encourage you to participate in the Mentor Program with CRM. This program will pair you with a CRM student for what we hope will be a Christ-centered friendship that God will use in both of your lives. To sing up for a mentor training session at CRM, e-mail Angela Cook.
We are a congregation of the Christ Church family of churches, along with Christ Church Mandarin and Christ Church East (include links). By God’s grace we hope to reproduce and plant more congregations as outposts of the Kingdom of God around Jacksonville.
We believe that this is the way we are called to participate with Jesus in the renewal of our city. Christ Church InTown is called particularly to Jacksonville’s urban core. We live and work in the neighborhoods of central Jacksonville, and we are called to embody God’s grace here.
We seek to serve urban Jacksonville by loving the poor and powerless, by equipping men and women to seek the well-being of our community in their various callings, and above all by being a community where broken and doubting people find the love of God in Jesus Christ
Missions Partnerships
Our calling to seek the renewal of all things in Jesus Christ is far beyond our capacity, so we partner with like-minded churches and organizations locally and around the world. We hope to be a fruitful local church with a global impact. Contact Daryl Gottlieb for more information about our missions involvement and how you can be involved.