CityFest on jumbotron at War Memorial Stadium

CityFest

Ray Williams Updated on Vision & Mission

Below are some articles regarding CityFest, a foundational project of the Nehemiah Network, and the desire of members of the Network to see the city of Little Rock transformed.

Catch the Vision

Harry Li, Campus and Teaching Pastor at Mosaic Church of Central Arkansas, has the vision that the Body of Christ should be a picture of unity.

When asked why unity is important to him, Li said, “It goes back to my theological understanding of the Body of Christ. If we really are one Body, and I do believe we are, then we must make extraordinary efforts to ‘be one Body.’ We can’t just claim it any more than we can claim that our individual church is unified. It takes constant effort and corporate, citywide prayer to build and nurture the process by which unity amongst the churches in the city can be built.”

Cityfest has played a role in creating unity within the Church and the effects of that unity can be felt all over central Arkansas. Li said that Cityfest, “served as a catalyst to bring churches together unlike ever before in all areas of ministry. We see things like the Esperanza [free medical] Clinic in southwest Little Rock. No singular church could have pulled off what has happened there, but collectively, many churches were able to get it to this point. It will take as many churches to sustain the effort and to continue to build it. Instead of one church doing a little, there is a synergistic movement, which I believe comes from the Holy Spirit, when churches work together. ”

Li believes if the Church in central Arkansas could really capture the vision of unity and cooperation, “There will be interdependence on one another, instead of competition between us. There will be a new identity that is based on who Jesus is, instead of what comes before the word ‘church’ on all our signage. There will be a level of cooperation that will allow much more to be done together as one body instead of the sum of individual parts. And there will be no division between parts of the Body, instead we will pull for one another and help each other in humility.”

No division between parts of the Body. Pulling for one another. Helping each other in humility.

Are you ready to catch the vision?

Ray Williams
Ray Williams has served as the Founder and President of CityChurch Network since its beginning in 1999. Previously, he served in multiple pastor roles at Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock for 38 years. He and his wife Carolyn love to attend movies and travel together. They have two daughters and seven grandchildren who know him as “Papa Ray.” He graduated from Ouachita Baptist University in 1977 and earned an M.A. in Interpersonal and Organizational Communication from UA Little Rock in 1985. He is pursuing a Doctorate of Ministry through the Antioch School for Church Planting and Leadership Development. His training as an Army Airborne Ranger and active-duty service as an Infantry officer in the 82nd Airborne Division from 1977 to 1981 earned him the nickname “Ranger Ray” with some of his long-term friends.