Our City, Our Calling: How Building a City Builds the Church
In the heart of Taiping, a powerful conviction is taking shape within the community of Sanctuary Taiping. It’s a belief that the future of the church is inextricably linked to the flourishing of the city it calls home. Over two sermons in November 2025, this vision was cast with clarity and urgency: we build the church by building the city.
This isn’t merely a slogan; it’s a theological and practical roadmap drawn from ancient scripture and applied to modern streets. It’s a call to move beyond the walls of a sanctuary and into the broken, beautiful spaces of everyday life.
The Nehemiah Model: A Blueprint for Restoration
The first message turned to the Old Testament book of Nehemiah, presenting a timeless four-stage blueprint for godly action.
It begins with The Burden. Nehemiah, a comfortable cupbearer in a king’s palace, was shattered upon hearing of Jerusalem’s ruins. His story challenges the common thought, “Someone should do something,” and replaces it with a personal, holy disruption. For Taiping, this means allowing our hearts to be broken by what breaks God’s heart—the hidden poverty, the youth struggling for purpose, the community divisions. “When we see our home in ruins,” the message urged, “it should break our hearts.”
But burden alone is not enough. It must be laid on The Foundation of prayer. Nehemiah’s response was not immediate activism but prolonged prayer—adoring God, confessing collective sin, clinging to divine promises, and making specific requests. This prayerful foundation, illustrated by revivals like the local Bario Revival, aligns human will with divine purpose and ensures our plans are filled with His power.
With that foundation, we move to The Plan. After months of prayer, Nehemiah seized a God-opened opportunity with clear, bold requests to the king. He teaches us that faithful action requires practical planning. “God moves when you move,” the congregation was reminded. We are to use our minds and resources, preparing for action while praying for the door to open.
Finally, there is The Action. Nehemiah exemplifies courageous, servant leadership. He didn’t delegate from a distance; he went, secretly assessed the damage, cast a compelling vision to the people (“Let us rise up and build”), and confronted opposition with unwavering faith. This is the antithesis of “NATO” (No Action, Talk Only). It is leading by example, getting your hands dirty, and inspiring a community to join in the good work.
The application was direct: “As much as we want to grow our church, we won’t grow it by just mere invitations week in, and week out, but we build the church, by building the city.”
The Heart of the Call: A Lifestyle of Radical Generosity
If Part 1 was the “why” and the “how,” Part 2 became the “what”—what does this city-building love look like in practice? The answer: a lifestyle of radical generosity.
“Our calling to this city is not just to live in it,” the second message declared, “but it is our calling to actively love it.” This generosity is a reflection of a generous God, who “so loved the world that he gave…” (John 3:16). It’s a responsive overflow, not a religious obligation.
The church outlined three tangible avenues for this generosity:
Generosity with Our Resources (Our Treasure): This goes beyond typical giving. In a creative new initiative, the church launched Sanc Coffee. For special contributions, members receive premium coffee beans sourced and roasted in Chiang Rai, Thailand. Every bag sows into community transformation in Taiping and supports mission work abroad, turning a daily ritual into an act of global and local love.
Generosity with Our Time and Gifts (Our Talents): Recognising that not everyone can give millions, but everyone has something to offer, the church pointed to Peter’s exhortation to use our gifts to serve others. The practical call was to join initiatives like the “Sandwich Sleigh,”where volunteers make fresh sandwiches to distribute in the community, or to offer skills like teaching music online to overseas outreach centres.
Generosity with Our Love and Welcome (Our Table): Following Jesus’s radical instruction to invite the poor, the crippled, and the marginalized, the church encouraged opening homes, lives, and small groups. To institutionalise this welcome, they introduced Sanctuary Stay, a church-based homestay. This initiative not only generates income for church missions and local care projects but also opens a natural door for guests to experience Christian community.
Answering the Call Together
The series culminated in a direct challenge. Loving Taiping—our “extended family”—is our collective calling. To step into this, a practical four-level challenge was issued:
Level 1: Pray for your city by name, every day.
Level 2: Engage your resources by giving to a local cause.
Level 3: Invest your time by serving in a local organization.
Level 4: Extend your welcome by sharing a meal with someone different from you.
The vision of Sanctuary Taiping is a transformative one: a church known not for its size but for its radical, generative love for its city. It’s a vision where the well-being of every resident matters, where spiritual growth is linked to social action, and where the love of Christ is made visible through cups of coffee, homemade sandwiches, and open doors.
This is more than a sermon series; it’s a manifesto for community engagement. This is our city. And this—the active, prayerful, generous work of building it up—is our sacred calling.