As we walk into the vision that God has been writing on our hearts as Neighborhood Church, it is our desire to be more and more a reflection of the nations of the world here in Chico. We want to nurture and encourage reaching those in our city who are from other countries and cultures.
Our aim is to be a “multi-generational, multi-ethnic and multi-site family.”
Just before the COVID situation forced us to move our church services online, we had celebrated one Sunday that we had people from every continent in attendance except Antarctica! We love to see the beauty of our God reflected in various ways through different cultures. As we experience people from other cultures, our heart is to see those places reached with the gospel grow larger. Our heart for international missions is growing, but our outreach to those nations starts right here in Chico.
For this reason, we have added the C&MA logo to our Neighborhood Church sign here at 2801 Notre Dame Blvd. We believe that when people from other countries visit or move to Chico, they will recognize the logo, and choose to attend Neighborhood Church and worship with our church family.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Acts 1:8
The Christian and Missionary Alliance (our denomination) has been sending missionaries overseas to share the good news of the gospel since 1884. This Christ-centered, Acts 1:8 family has established the first Christian churches in many regions of the world. For example, the Alliance brought the gospel to previously unreached people groups in Southeast Asia among the Hmong people. If you were to travel in Cambodia, Laos or Vietnam, you would likely see the C&MA logo on Christian churches planted among the Hmong communities. The logo has the symbols that represent the four core beliefs of our tribe. They represent Christ our Savior, Christ our Sanctifier, Christ our Healer, and Christ our Coming King.
You can read more about these beliefs called the “fourfold gospel” here.
Looking to our future
I know this season of pandemic has limited our ability to reach those from other coeuntries, but our heart is still firmly in a place of expectation of hosting the nations here as a part of our church family. I long to hear others praying in foreign languages and learn from the cultures of the nations that God established around the globe.
In this small way, with a logo out front, we are moving forward in declaring that someday soon, exchange students, immigrants and visitors from all over the world, will worship with us in the Dome.
Sunday morning service options:
- 9am: In-person OUTDOOR service on the Island. Please bring your own lawn chair.
- 11:00am: Livestream on our Neighborhood Church of Chico Facebook page and YouTube channel.
