CityLIfe: A Prayer Guide to Bring Life to Apartment Communities
Serving Apartments | Building Communities
CityLife is committed to making disciples and multiplying disciplemakers in and through apartments. We are using ancient, Biblical principles to make disciples who make disciples. Our strategy is not ours. It’s the Lord’s strategy because this is His work. We don’t create a strategy. We pray and obey. We listen to the Holy Spirit and get in on what He is already doing.
That is why a manager asked us to go by and connect with an assistant manager at a different apartment complex and we were well received. That is why a regional VP began to cry when I shared with her what CityLife does, including praying for people. She spilled her heart out in front of her two employees because her heart was heavy for her brother who decided to leave the family. That is why a regional manager invited us to serve her eight properties in a different city. That is why a manager asked me to come to her new apartment two years ago and we just completed two semesters of an after school program.
We can’t come up with this kind of stuff or design a strategy. It has to be God. It is God. It is ONLY GOD! Whew! Praise be the Lord! He alone deserves our praise and worship.
I PRAY that you will continue to lift us to the Father and will join us in prayerwalking our apartments.
Also, we would love for you to PRAY about volunteering for an event or bringing a mission team to see what God is doing. Pray and obey…the Lord, not me. LOL
For His Glory!
Gary B.Jennings, Executive Director, CityLife
(615) 431-9645 new /
This past month has been a whirlwind of God activity. We now have 37 apartments on our list to pray for and to do ministry with. THIS IS AMAZING!!! The exponential growth of apartments comes directly as a result of prayer and word of mouth recommendations from apartment managers and apartment regional managers. Thank you, Lord! This means that we are becoming a part of the fabric of this industry. The challenge is that we don’t have the manpower to do all that we need to do. So, please PRAY that God will give us more hands and feet to work on all of these properties from Clarksville to Nashville to Murfreesboro.
A2P >>> Four years ago we began to pray for 4 apartments and that God would expand His Kingdom on many more apartments throughout Mid TN and beyond. We are an active, hands on ministry with 12 apartments. We have 25 more that we have been invited to do ministry with so we pray for them until God gives us the manpower to serve them.
DISCOVERY BIBLE STUDY TRAINING, Madison Heights Baptist Church, Madison, TN
Rod Bowers and I were invited to lead a monthly training at MHBC in Madison, TN. We had our first one and had 16 folks from their church. PRAY that God will use these folks to be DBS facilitators in their community and in our apartments.
A2P >>> We’ve been asking the Lord for us to equip churches with DBS.
1070 MAIN APARTMENTS, Hendersonville, TN GVA
We brought 13 volunteers to 1070 Main Apartments last Saturday to serve watermelons for those who came to the pool. God gave us some good opportunities to plant Gospel seeds and show some love to a few apartment residents.
We prayed for this specific apartment for two years. I walked into the leasing office in May and asked if they would be interested in CityLife serving a Pancake Brunch to their residents on April 1. They said yes and penciled us in. We’ve been working with them ever since including with a complete new team. ONLY GOD!
HAYNES GARDEN APTS, Nashville,TN Tesco Properties.
“Love Your Neighbor Night” is a way for us to really make a difference at Haynes Garden. Can you imagine 30 volunteers rolling in with the ability to serve a sit down meal each month on a regular basis beginning this Fall? Imagine the relationships and lasting friendships that will be built! Imagine Discovery Bible Studies being facilitated by insiders and outsiders for people to discover the God of the Bible! Imagine that we will have to expand our after school program to accommodate more K-4th graders!!! Imagine that this property is transformed into a community for the glory of God! PRAY for wisdom as we work with Amanda, the manager, and Tesco Properties.
A2P >>> I’ve known Amanda, the manager, for three years now and I have yet to see another manager like her who loves her residents like her with a pure heart. She is a servant leader who manages a very difficult property all by herself. She is an answer to prayer!
SUMMER DISCOVERY BIBLE STUDY TRAINING Faith Baptist Church, Madison, TN
We trained around 15 people over 4 Tuesday nights at Faith Baptist Church in Madison, TN. There were 5 churches represented in this group. PRAY that God would use them to start Discovery Groups with their family, friends and apartments.
A2P >>> As I mentioned before, we’ve been praying for opportunities to train churches and individuals in DBS. This was a trial or pilot project that God has blessed and gives us another training tool to equip DBS facilitators.
ONGOING ... |
- MISSIONLAB 615
This September we will be hosting our first mission team that wants to serve and learn from CityLife on how to do apartment ministry. We have launched ML615 to prepare for this mission team as well as other mission teams in the Fall of 2023, Spring and Summer of 2024. PRAY that we will have mission teams from churches, youth groups, collegiate ministries and nonprofits in 2023-2024 that will literally transform Middle TN and Clarksville TN apartments as well as the apartment where mission teams live, work and play.
- PRAYER COORDINATORS
PRAY for God to connect with us with people who live in Middle TN who will lead a prayer movement in each of our apartments. Call or text Gary at 615-431-9645 if you would like more information
- CHAPLAINS
Look for details soon about an info meeting about serving as a volunteer CityLife Chaplain. We are praying that we will be adding 10-15 chaplains by the end of this year to serve 2-3 hours a week in one or more of our apartments. If you are retired, then this would be a perfect place to serve or continue to serve. Please PRAY.
- DISCOVERY BIBLE STUDY FACILITATORS
The doors are open wide for someone who is trained in DBS to lead a small group in an apartment. We offer training sessions as well as customized training to lead Discovery Groups. PRAY with us that this next DBS training will be a multiplication of what is going on with those we’ve already trained.
- MISSION CENTER
We will be meeting with the pastor and discipleship pastor at Faith Baptist Church in Madison, TN to discuss their church becoming the home and mission center for CityLife. We need a home to bring mission teams to on a consistent basis. PRAY for discernment that God’s will be done in this matter.
- BLOCK PARTY TRAILER
PRAY for a grant proposal that has gone out to three prospective foundations to purchase a block party trailer. This trailer will be outfitted with all we need to roll into any of our apartment communities to do hospitality events.
- FINANCIAL NEEDS
I know you pray for us so please PRAY for my personal finances so I won’t have to dive into my retirement. If you would like to give to my personal finance account and/or to CityLife operations account, then text me at 615-431-1601 for more information or donation link.
- CITYLIFE PRAYS FOR YOU
We are so grateful to have so many intercessors but we know you have needs as well. Please know that we PRAY for you and will PRAY more specifically if you will let us know your needs. Simply, text me at 615-431-1601 with your prayer request and we will PRAY weekly for God to meet your needs.
CALL TO ACTION OPPORTUNITY #1 |
PRAY FOR THESE SPECIFIC APARTMENTS
We are currently praying for God to show us the 2-3 apartments to pour our lives into to make and multiply disciplemakers. Sometime this summer we will make that announcement on the 2-3 apartments God is leading us to in Middle TN. Below you will see 4 apartments we have identified but we need clarity on the final 2 or 3 properties. By the way, this does not mean that we will neglect the other apartments. We will continue to serve and/or pray for our apartments no matter what. It does mean that the 2 or 3 apartments we choose will receive the most attention, time, energy and resources to make disciples who make disciples. This will be a long term process and plan.
Please PRAY for each of these that God will show us which 2-3 to choose.
1070 Main (GVA MANAGEMENT COMPANY)
1070 W. Main St.
Hendersonville, TN 37075
The Ridge (VOLUNTEER PROPERTIES)
100 Lewis Lane
Goodlettsville, TN 37072
The Flats (GVA MANAGEMENT COMPANY)
5319 Nolensville Pike
Nashville TN 37211
Haynes Garden (TESCO MANAGEMENT COMPANY)
2715 Whites Creek Pike
Nashville TN 37207
APARTMENT STATS |
STAT 1: The turnover of apartment management employees is incredibly high.
CityLife is determined to build authentic relationships with employees so we can continue to disciple them towards conversion no matter where they go or what they do. PRAY that God will continue to give us favor in our relationships with employees. |
STAT 2: Apartment residents typically isolate themselves just like we do in our neighborhoods.
We communicate to apartment management teams and companies that we are there to help them build “community.” We do that by serving with purpose which means we provide hospitality events and many other experiences for residents to have more conversation and to build friendships. PRAY that God will give us the manpower and resources to serve so we can discover persons of peace to start Discovery Bible Studies. |
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