This spring Citylight celebrates ten years in being a church. However, it was twelve years ago that “Citylight Church” was first envisioned.
In 2006, Stacy and I were living in Richmond, Virginia, with our three young sons. I was serving as the Director of Youth Ministries of a loving, mission-minded congregation, Crestwood Presbyterian Church. Yet in the winter of that year, Stacy and I were praying about a new mission — planting a new church in our hometown of Roanoke, Virginia. In February, we traveled to Seattle, Washington, to a church planting “bootcamp” to learn more in discerning this call. That spring I met with a few church planters in central Virginia to hear their stories of call and planting. I also discussed this desire to plant with the senior pastor of Crestwood, Dr. John Daniel, and other elders.
The call to church plant in Roanoke, Virginia, was developing, but Stacy and I continued to pray for faith. One day, in the wooded area of Crestwood’s West Campus in Midlothian, I was praying and reading the Bible, the twenty-first chapter of Revelation. Here the writer John sees a new heaven and new earth into the new, eternal age. A new city is coming down from heaven as Jesus makes all things new and dwells with his people forever. Yet it was the twenty-third verse which arrested my attention, “And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.”
And there it happened unexpectedly. In a frenzy of prayer, I was overwhelmed by the imagery of “light” and “city” across the Scriptures. Jesus is the light of the world who gives us the light of life (cf. John 8:12), and in this new city to come, Jesus is pictured as its glorious and constant illumination (cf. Rev. 21:23-25; Isaiah 60). Yet until Jesus returns again, he has called his Church to be the light of the world, a city on a hill to shine as lights before others (cf. Matthew. 5:14-16; Philippians 2:15).
And there it continued. In a fervor of prayer, I was overwhelmed with images of my beloved hometown, “The Star City of the South.” Roanoke’s most notable landmark is the Mill Mountain Star, the largest, free-standing, illuminated star in the world. Standing almost 90 feet tall with 2000 feet of neon tubing, this is the iconic light of Roanoke. However, across the cityscape there are also other historic lights such as the Dr. Pepper sign, the H&C Coffee sign, and “Jesus Saves” atop Ghent Grace Brethren Church. Roanoke has many lights, but the true light to the city is Jesus and his Church.
And there it was. In the frenzy and fervor of this prayer, the name “Citylight” came to me in an instant. The church Stacy and I would plant would be called “Citylight Church.” Later that afternoon, I called Stacy on the drive home and excitedly told her, “Let’s go church plant in Roanoke. And the name of the church is Citylight.”
In summer 2006, we sold our home in Midlothian and bought a house near Roanoke’s Grandin Village. Crestwood Presbyterian Church prayed with us and sent us off in generous blessing and gospel partnership. And we moved “home” to begin planting Citylight Church.
Looking back, we did not know what we were doing and what was before us. Nevertheless, God gave faith and grace for each step of the way. As we ready to celebrate ten years as a church, I will write several more reflections in these next weeks to tell the story of Citylight.
awed by God’s grace, Derek Lam
- Envisioning Citylight
- Enlarging our Family
- Catching First Wind
- Failing to Launch
- Finding our Voice
- Growing as Family
- Turning 10
pictured: Rev. Dr. John Daniel blesses our family at a send-off reception at Crestwood Presbyterian Church’s West Campus in August 2006.
