2023 Manayunk Annual Report
Year End Letter
Friends,
2023 was a year full of God’s grace upon Citylight Church. I love the way that Luke describes the earliest churches. He writes, “So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily” (Acts 16:5). Luke’s description of the early church aptly captures 2023 for Citylight Church. The Lord both strengthened our faith and increased our number in 2023.
Strengthened in the Faith
One of the highlights for Citylight Church in 2023 was the Citylight Institute. In 2023 more people participated in Citylight Institute classes, seminars, and Bible studies than any year prior. Our faith was strengthened through classes like Bible for Life and Gospel for Life.
Sociologists have described our day as “the great dechurching,” as countless Americans are falling away from Christ and his church. Citylight’s verse-by-verse journey through The Letter to the Hebrews has helped strengthen our faith by equipping us to hold unswervingly to Christ. He is superior to anything we could turn to.
Thank God for the way he has strengthened our faith this year. “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).
Increased in Numbers
In 2023, God has increased our number. At Citylight we love increased numbers because our Father is worthy of being worshiped by more people. This past year, Citylight’s Sunday services grew by 17% from 2022. Citylight Church currently has twenty-four Citygroups gathering weekly. Similarly, 26 people were baptized at Citylight Church last year, which is 15 more people than were baptized in 2022!
Though every baptism is incredibly powerful, my friend Chirag’s baptism was especially encouraging. Chirag grew up in a Hindu family, but never felt at home in it. During high school and college, Chirag threw himself headlong into alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, and other drugs. His substance abuse came to a head one night when he passed out behind the wheel after a night partying and was arrested.
The Father used Chirag hitting rock bottom to begin drawing him to Christ. A few years later, a young woman introduced Chirag to Citylight Church. Over time, various men from Citylight Church took Chirag under their wing; they shared the gospel with him, helped him learn the true gospel, and urged him to turn from his sin and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. By God’s grace, Chirag repented and believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. In August Chirag publicly declared his faith in Christ - despite the high cost of going against his family’s religion - and was baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Chirag concluded his baptism testimony with these words to describe his conversion and new life in Christ: “So now I can finally say that I am free, free forever amen, and that’s when death was arrested and my life began.”
The Year Ahead
Citylight Church is focusing on prayer this year. This will be a year of asking boldly and surrendering completely as we grow as a praying church. We have so much to pray for! Lord willing…
- Citylight Church will be worshiping in a new, fully-funded facility by Christmas 2024.
- The Father will renew Citylight Church’s vision for outreach, blessing the poor and reaching the lost in our community.
- A team of twenty people will be living in NYC and committed to plant Citylight NYC by the end of 2024.
- God will use Citylight Church in the conversion of forty new believers in Philadelphia, and one in NYC.
- Citylight Church will have a new executive pastor by July 1, 2024.
We have so much that we want to do for God’s glory this year. That’s why together we will devote ourselves to prayer in 2024. In John 15:5, Jesus said, “… Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
May the Lord strengthen our faith and increase our number, for his glory.
Yours in Christ,
Matt Cohen
Lead Pastor
2023 Stories
VBS
This past summer, Citylight held our first ever VBS! The week was full of singing, games and, most importantly, Bible teaching from the life of Peter. Over the course of the week, 80 children participated and over 100 volunteers served, giving our church family much to celebrate. As if that weren’t enough, 25 of the children were not previously part of Citylight Church and 17 of our elementary-age kids indicated that they were ready to trust Jesus as their Savior. We’re already looking forward to VBS 2024!
Paul Devine
One of our greatest privileges at Citylight Church is witnessing people discover the good news of great joy for the first time. Earlier this year Paul Devine discovered the joy of the gospel, repented of his sins, trusted in Jesus Christ, and was baptized.
Paul was born and raised in Philadelphia in a Roman Catholic family. Sadly, Paul began drinking at a young age and became an alcoholic. For twenty years, Paul’s life revolved around alcohol and spiraled downward. He would drink all day and sleep under an I-95 overpass.
Miraculously, Paul got sober when his children were very young and has now been sober for 38 years. Through the invitation of a friend who attends Citylight, Paul came as a non-Christian to a Citylight Church worship service.
Through the preaching of the gospel at Citylight Church and the faithful witness of the friend who invited him to church, Paul repented of his sins and received Jesus Christ as his only hope in life and in death. At the conclusion of his baptism testimony, Paul said, “Jesus Christ has done for me what I could never do for myself.”
Because Citylight Church is full of people in their 20’s and 30’s, it was a unique joy for the church to see a 76 year-old man baptized and to walk with him as a brother!
2023 By the Numbers
26*
Baptisms
74*
New covenant members in 2023
19%
growth in Sunday attendance
*Highest single-year totals in our church history
ReachUpdate
The Reach Initiative culminates on Sunday March 3! As I look back on the Reach journey, the words from Psalm 103:1-2 flood my mind:
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits…
Citylight Church has so many reasons to bless the Lord for what he has done in and through us over the last two years. Since the Reach Initiative began, Citylight Church found, purchased, and designed the facility at 4050 Main Street in Manayunk. We are now ready to begin the full renovation. Citylight will hold a groundbreaking celebration in February. You’re invited!
In addition to providing Citylight Church with 4050 Main Street, we bless the Lord for the wonderful work of grace that he’s done in Citylight Church over the past two years. Through generous giving, we have experienced the truth that God is the ultimate generous giver. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
As we look forward to Citylight Church’s Reach culmination on March 3, the Apostle Paul’s encouragement to Corinthians is the Lord’s encouragement to us:
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. [10] And in this matter I give my judgment: this benefits you, who a year ago started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it. [11] So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have. (2 Cor. 8:9-11).
The Lord’s encouragement is simple and inspiring: finish strong. The culmination of the Reach Initiative is the Lord’s invitation for us to lay hold of his grace, ask boldly for his provision, and finish strong in the strength that he supplies.