City Fellowship Baptist Church

City Fellowship is allowing Area Relief Ministries to use their facilities for Room In The Inn for homeless men to have a warm place to spend the night. We the Choir members of Mother Liberty CME Church fed the men. This is what God wants us to do "feed the homeless." Amen.

Love, commitment to looking out for one another and following God together. Truth is preached, love seasons every word. Freedom in worship expression.

This church is committed to "Building a multi-ethnic family of faith on mission with King Jesus."

Great church, great people. Very welcoming.

Love this place and what it does for the community

A small family church

Ah, City Fellowship...

This was the first church I became a regular part of. They take you in, regardless of your beliefs, background, or especially, race. When I first attended as a college freshman, I disliked it. A congregation that held afternoon gatherings in a warehouse-esque location while singing folksy worship just wasn't what I was used to.

Alas, a year later, one bright young couple I'd done missions alongside invited me back to City Fellowship. Something changed inside me, not the church, and I came to love this place, its differences, and its members. You will not find a perfect church out there! One simply doesn't exist. It's like a relationship; not every aspect will be ideal or what you imagined, so you must let your guard down, meet in the middle on a few things, and love.

That's what I did in City Fellowship Church my last two years of college, and I can't say I never looked back---only because now I've moved, and I miss it occasionally. The pastor, Russ Pflasterer, even called me several months after I'd left to "see that my soul was being looked after." It truly meant a lot that I was missed, and not just another seat-warmer. When I was there, they welcomed me, discipled me, and taught me. There were even a few opportunities to serve, amidst my hectic college life. From my observation, City Fellowship seems to hone in on two primary areas of ministry: 1) the homeless, 2) the races, and 3) the Body.

A couple points I accordingly noted:

1) City Fellowship's doors are always open to the homeless. The church frequently held "Room at the Inn"s, wherein those struggling could grab a hearty meal, watch a movie, and get a cot for some sleep. It was not uncommon to see those from the streets of Jackson chilling in the back of the church during services, and some became devout members.

2) There was a huge push to welcome other colors and immerse yourself in subcultures not your own, to the point where admittedly it was sometimes suffocating. "Race" and "Diversity" were hugely prevalent words among messages and members. It reminds me of the paradox were individuals try so hard not to be racist that they become, in a sense, racist. I love people of all heritages but I struggled with how the color-loving doctrine reached levels of nearly over-saturation, when other issues, topics, and questions of the common Believer needed to be addressed.

3) It's a small church of maybe about 40-70 people and did a good job of caring for those who walked through the doors. Despite being of the typically mellow Baptist denomination, worship services were distinctly filled with a movement, clapping, and an overall joyful noise. Preaching was responded to with many an "amen" from seated listeners. And leadership made a genuine effort to meet you, get to know you, and see that you were pointed to where you needed. For me, that was Housegroups; akin to small gatherings of Believers who crack into the Word and some good food together. For you, that might be something else.

Wherever you are in life, though, and even if you're currently rooted in one of the many other notable churches in the Hub City, I urge you drop by City Fellowship Baptist Church and see what God is doing there.