Citypoint gains opportunities to share gospel while meeting needs

Churches in the Arizona Mission Network want their members to share the gospel with those around them. Citypoint Church in Tempe describes this intentionality as “living on mission.” 

“We focus on teaching our people to live on mission in their everyday lives with co-workers, family members, neighbors and strangers,” said Jon Guy, Citypoint lead pastor.

To encourage church members to live this way, the church provides some unique ministry opportunities.

A site for ministry 

The property where Citypoint is located has been the site of ministry to the homeless community for 30 years, and Citypoint continues to offer free meals and resources on the first Saturday of each month. 

New Life Pregnancy Center, a ministry of Arizona Baptist Children’s Services & Family Ministries, also occupies space at the church, where they offer services and resources to women who are expecting or have new babies. In both instances, volunteers have opportunities to share the gospel while meeting physical needs. 

But the church wanted to give church members more chances to serve. One year ago, the church created a grocery store-style food bank called City Hope Tempe. The food bank is open every Saturday morning from 9 to 11 a.m.

City Hope Tempe

This is a unique food bank because, instead of handing out identical boxes to each person, people can walk the aisles with shopping carts to choose food, hygiene and clothing items. Giving people the freedom to choose their items helps them feel seen and valued. 

“We want to give people their dignity,” said Rose Clouse, City Hope Tempe manager. “We’re not just trying to provide help, we’re also trying to provide hope in every interaction.” 

At City Hope Tempe, a Citypoint Church ministry, volunteers close each visit with prayer — a final moment to share the love of Jesus before walking guests to their vehicles with their groceries.

City Hope has 90 volunteers who serve throughout the week and on Saturdays. Most come from Citypoint Church. Volunteers walk with people through the aisles to offer help, to give them a Bible and an invitation to attend a church service, and to pray with those who want it. Volunteers act intentionally to build relationships with the individuals who visit City Hope.

“Volunteers learn to value relationships because God values relationships,” Clouse said. “Our end goal is to see all people come to Christ, and God uses people to reach people. It takes relationships for people to see God for who He is and for people to eventually come to Him.” 

But the relationships formed at City Hope don’t just affect those who need its resources. Volunteers are impacted each time they serve. They learn that walking with people through tough times often provides opportunities for deeper faith conversations as the relationships grow. 

A culture of serving 

Serving is a natural outpouring of the ministry and culture at Citypoint. 

“We make pretty strong and regular pushes for people to get involved in serving opportunities,” Guy said. “But it really isn’t hard, because our church regularly sees the positive effects of these ministries.” 

Almost every Sunday, new people attend services. Many of them were invited by volunteers from the homeless ministry, New Life Pregnancy Center or City Hope. 

Citypoint Church uses City Hope Tempe to help teach church members and other volunteers that evangelism can happen while they meet other needs. God is using this ministry and this church to spread the gospel in Tempe.

Chelsea Bush, a freelance writer living in Phoenix, is a member of Foothills Baptist Church, Phoenix.