On Sunday September 13th, City Church held its first worship in a small club venue tucked away on Lincoln Avenue. Against the grain, this young group made a bold move to break the boundaries of "church" by meeting at an all ages rock club and reach a new generation.

Chain Reaction, though small in nature, holds its own large legacy of past bands and visitors. Adorning the walls are band t-shirts and colorful stickers that cover and re-cover most every surface in the building. Orange and blue lights appear above a stage. Youth who come here enter a location where the music is loud, rhythmic and current, and the pressures of the day can be forgotten in any dark recess of the room. This place, in all its innovation and glory, is now the new home of our City Church.

Around 10:00 a.m., music began streaming through the double doors of this teen hangout. A common thread is found in the
music, as each beat and guitar strum reached every crevice of our new place of worship. This thread spoke of God and His unconditional love for all of us here. It was about the fact that He gave His only son to die for our sins. City Church has brought not only its music, here to City Church, but also a vision of love and power through knowing Jesus Christ.

Nearly eighty people, young and old, found themselves listening, intent, to the spiritual message.  Youthful Pastor Kyle Steven Bonenberger, the visionary for the church, prepared for that gathering a message of hope. Beyond even that, he gave voice to the purpose of this new church come alive. Speckled among the crowd, new faces looked on, eyes showing a hunger for this Jesus they may have never acknowledged until now. Not one person was left in the corner, as each word of Christ, each note of music, filled the room, brightening each wall, illuminating the darkness. Those who entered broken, disheartened or alone, came into a Church offering fulfillment and love through freshness and the word of God.

Chain Reaction, the club venue, is the location of Anaheim's new City Church. Love, Hope and City is its theme. In this first special week, anyone who was present that Sunday found the connection in those brimming words. Love was brought to an unlikely place. Hope was found in the hearts of youth attending. We found ourselves in the city, among stickered walls, where people really needed us. Welcome home City Church, welcome home.