LIGHT+LIFE | JULY 2025
Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (Colossians 4:5-6)
Megan’s Story
Megan started attending Bright City six months ago, but her journey with Jesus began long before that. Megan grew up in a church where she was baptized as a baby, confirmed in seventh grade, and deeply involved in church life. Surrounded by friends and mentors who pointed her to Jesus, her faith was genuine even from a young age. But like many, Megan’s early adulthood brought challenges that pulled her focus away from faith—college decisions, career pressures, and personal struggles made it hard to hold onto Jesus. After several years away from church, she began seeking clarity about what she truly believed, especially as she prepared to start a family of her own. That desire led her back into community—but insecurity kept her from staying.
Everything began to shift when Megan came to Bright City. This time, she chose to show up differently: honest about her doubts, willing to ask questions, and open to the process of rebuilding her faith. In the past few months, she’s discovered a deeper confidence—not because she has all the answers, but because she’s found a safe place to belong and grow. Through it all, she’s realized that her true identity is found in Christ, not in her circumstances. Although she was baptized as an infant, Megan sees her decision to be baptized now as a personal declaration of faith—one that marks her choice to stand firm in her identity in Jesus and follow Him with her whole life.
2025 Budget & Operations Update
Watch the recording of Bright City’s Budget & Operations Update. You can also download presentation slides below.
Bright City strives to have clarity and transparency about our finances and operations. We are celebrating how God provided for our church to launch Bright City this past year and for the incredible generosity of people to support us.
Our next goal is to become a self-supporting church by July 2027. That requires us becoming increasingly generous as we follow Jesus together and bringing along more people to have ownership as they join the Bright City family.
If you have any questions, email Andy Stone (Financial Controller) at finance@brightcitysunbury.com or Josh Taylor (Lead Pastor) at josh@brightcitysunbury.com.
New Teaching Series: Blessed
What does it really mean to live a blessed life?
In a world chasing success, power, and comfort, Jesus offers a radically different vision—one that turns everything upside down. In the opening lines of the Sermon on the Mount, He describes a kind of person who is deeply rooted in the kingdom of God: poor in spirit, meek, merciful, pure in heart, and even persecuted.
This series walks through the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:1–12, revealing how Jesus invites us into a life marked by humility, justice, compassion, and peace. These describe the kind of people God calls “blessed”—those who are invited into His kingdom promises and embody the character of His people.
Whether you’re mourning, longing for righteousness, striving for peace, or feeling overlooked, this series will show how Jesus meets us right where we are—and leads us into the fullness of life with Him.
Follow along with the series on our teaching podcasts — Spotify / Apple / YouTube
What’s Happening in July
See all upcoming events at brightcitysunbury.com/events
Big Walnut Fourth of July | July 4th
Bright City is a sponsor for Big Walnut's Fourth of July Event and Kid Zone!
Help volunteer in the evening to make it a great event for our community. Volunteer roles are needed in the kid zone and traffic control with various with shifts. Signup to help make it an awesome day for our community!
Kid Zone | 4:00pm to 6:30pm
Kid Zone | 6:30pm to 9:00pm
Traffic Control | 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Traffic Control | 8:00pm to 10:00pm
Big Walnut Community Worship Service | July 6th at 10AM
Bright City will not have our regular gathering on Sunday, July 6th. Instead, we will be meeting with several other churches in our community to worship together at Big Walnut Middle School in the auditorium (555 S Old 3C Hwy, Sunbury). This is a unifying time to remind us of what God is doing all across our city and be encouraged by the greater family of God we are part of.
Service starts at 10:00am and will feature speakers and musicians from all churches involved. Kids will remain with parents for this service as well.
Serve Day | July 11th from 9:00am to 3:00pm
We have several local projects that we need your help with on Friday, July 11th.
Join a team of students and adults from Wooster Grace Church helping at Big Walnut Intermediate School, General Rosecrans Park, and The SixtyOne Building.
Shifts include:
[9:00am to 11:30am] The SixtyOne Building - painting, demo, & cleanout
[12:30pm to 3:00pm] The SixtyOne Building - painting, demo, & cleanout
[9:00am to 11:30am] Intermediate School - planting, repainting, & power-washing
[12:30pm to 3:00pm] Intermediate School / GRE Park - trash cleanup & plant removal
Super Saturday | July 12th from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
It’s the Best Day of the Summer!
When: Saturday, July 12 from 9:00AM to 3:00PM
Where: Big Walnut Intermediate School (777 Cheshire Rd, Sunbury, OH)
Who: For all kids Kindergarten through 5th grade
Cost: $10 per child (price increases to $15 after July 6th at midnight!)
Get ready for an epic one-day camp packed with fun, friends, and purpose! At Super Saturday, kids are grouped into high-energy squads led by awesome student and adult counselors who invest in them and cheer them on all day long. With bounce houses, relay races, games, mystery-solving, dancing, and rally times, there’s never a dull moment. Every part of the day helps kids grow in their identity, build new friendships, and discover that God has them on a special mission—because they matter! And don’t miss our grand finale! At 3 PM, families are invited to join us for an All-Family Bubble Foam Party, Kona Ice, and Bushel & a Bean Coffee to wrap up the day in the most epic way possible.
Spots are limited — register now and make this the best day of your child’s summer!
Backyard Family BBQ | July 18th at 5:30PM
Everyone is invited to our monthly backyard BBQs. This one will be hosted at the Snodgrass home in Sunbury. Please RSVP HERE or email laura.snodgrass@supercreative.us to get the address and let us know you’re coming!
Local Impact Team Meeting | July 20th at 11:00AM
Our local impact team will be planning what the Fall looks like for involvement in our community, partnerships, and outreach. Join the local impact group on Church Center and stay in the loop with planning and organizing our impact.
How to Pray
Pray for our leadership team (staff, elders, team leaders, and MC leaders) working to scale and strengthen our church as it grows. We were able to have an incredible retreat with our leaders this past month. We are asking God to raise up new leaders and volunteers to help alongside us.
Pray for our opportunities for local impact this summer. We will be volunteering at major events in the Big Walnut community, serving our local partners, and hosting our first ever Super Saturday event for kids. A team of middle schoolers from Grace Church in Wooster are also preparing to do a “mission trip” with Bright City.
Pray for relationships and conversations happening through summer circles, our neighborhoods, and people who need to experience life in Jesus. We hope to see every person at Bright City praying for three people who need to experience life in Jesus who they can make a direct impact in their life.
Pray for increased generosity as our church grows and relies on external financial support from others. We are overwhelmed by the generosity we received this past year. And we continue to work toward our goal of becoming a self-supporting church.
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