On Easter Day, Redeemer will launch in Churchtown

Four years ago this month, 50 people travelled to Castledaly manor for our 2019 City Church weekend away. During that weekend we invited a young couple who were working for a church in England to join us. He was from Kilkenny and his wife from Yorkshire and they were exploring their call to church plant in Ireland.

During the weekend it wasn’t at all clear whether or not joining our small but growing church plant was the right move for them… or us! Were we crazy to start thinking, talking and praying about planting another church? Probably! But a couple of months later Duncan and Becky Candler accepted the call to come and work at City. We expected a 2 year preparation time before planting but the Lord had other ideas because 6 months after they joined, Covid hit and our worlds shut down.

Fast forward and we can scarcely believe where the time has gone nor the Lord’s kindness to us in building his church even through the uncertainty of these last years. At our most recent weekend away 113 people gathered to specifically acknowledge God’s work amongst since we met in 2019 and to pray over the 15 people launching Redeemer Dublin in a few weeks. On Palm Sunday we will pray over them again in an act of commissioning during our morning service and on Easter day, Redeemer will launch in Churchtown on Dublin’s south side.

The resurrection declares that Christ is the first fruits, the guarantee of more to come and City Church’s hope is that this will be true of us as we send Redeemer. There is so much still to do, people to reach, leaders to raise up and churches to be planted but the resurrection assures us that the universe pulses and crackles with hope for a hopeless world.

We have learned much from the preparations for Redeemer (just ask Duncan) but our desire is to put those lessons into practice as we look to the future. For now, it is time for City to consolidate its own growth and to care well for the people the Lord has brought into our community. We do this not at the expense of mission but by keeping the mission of God front and centre of our thinking, teaching and training.

Please continue to pray for City Church and for Redeemer as it becomes the 3rd Generation of church planted with the help of Irish Church Missions.

To learn more about City Church Dublin and Redeemer South contact mark@citychurchdublin.ie