City Life Church began as Glad Tidings Fellowship in 1955, birthed in the hearts of four women hungry for the Lord. As the church began to take root, Pastor Reg Layzell from Glad Tidings in Vancouver was invited to preach. He imparted a fresh desire for worship, the Word of God, and the practice of the gifts of the Spirit. By 1958, the church had grown and moved into a rented, low-ceiling storefront on Main Street in downtown Chilliwack. For the next six years, several pastors ministered and were a support to this congregation of about twenty people.
In 1961, Dave and Fran Huebert, a mechanic and school teacher respectively, became the pastors of Glad Tidings Fellowship. There was an unmistakable leadership call on their lives and the burden on their heart was for this small but growing congregation.
In 1964, the group had grown to forty people and they purchased their first building on School Street. In 1973, construction began on a new auditorium adjacent to the current church building. Anticipating even more growth, they built their new facility to seat 325 people. This new building was completed in April of 1975.
Over the next few years, Jim Gaetz and Lorne Lueck were brought on staff to assist in the work of pastoring the growing congregation. During this time, a dream was birthed in the heart of Fran Huebert to have Christian education available to the church, resulting in the start of Highroad Academy in 1978. The school began with thirty-five students from grades 1-10 with the purpose of equipping students with a biblical, Christian worldview. The church continued to thrive and increase, and in 1982, property on Chilliwack Central Road was purchased and the construction of a new auditorium and larger school facility began.
In April of 1997, after 36 years of ministry, Pastor Dave and Fran Huebert stepped down and Pastor Lorne and Linda Lueck were set in as the lead pastors. Dave and Fran Huebert continue to this day to serve as apostolic oversight to the church.
In 2010, Glad Tidings Fellowship became City Life Church, a name change designed to reflect our renewed commitment to be an integral part of the life of our city.
City Life Church facilitates many amazing ministries including Highroad Academy (our Christian school), The Master's Commission (our young adult discipleship school), Regeneration (our youth and university age ministry), KIDS Adventures (our children's program), LINKS (our teaching and equipping classes), and Generation Plus (our seniors' ministry), as well as missions programs reaching to South America, Southeast Asia, Europe and Africa. For our local community of Chilliwack, our desire is to see this city touched by the love and power of God.
As we look back upon our rich history, we are thankful for what God has done. His hand is evident in the growth of this church. While we look back with gratitude on what God has done so far, we anticipate living out what God has in store for the future as we raise up the next generation to serve the Lord and live out His plans and purposes for their lives.
In 2010, Glad Tidings Fellowship became City Life Church, a name change designed to reflect our renewed commitment to be an integral part of the life of our city. City Life Church joined Ministers Fellowship International (MFI) in 2011, a non-denominational corporation set up for the purpose of linking ministers to ministers. For more information on MFI, visit the website at www.mfi-online.org
