Our Story

Citychurch exists to find, feed, and teach children and families in Amarillo who are most vulnerable — introducing them to Jesus Christ while meeting practical needs with dignity, consistency, and long-term discipleship.

"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."— Matthew 19:14

Why We Exist

It all began with a simple question: What if the Gospel were as free as the air we breathe?

It sounds like an easy question, but in reality, churches were often started everywhere except the poorest parts of the city. In one of the most underserved areas of the Texas Panhandle, thousands of children struggle with hunger, instability, and loneliness. Citychurch began because we believe these children and their families deserve more than just sympathy. They deserve real pastoral care. They deserve to be found, fed, and shown the hope of Jesus Christ.

Our approach is straightforward. We meet children where they are—whether in parks, neighborhoods, or at their doorsteps. We provide meals with dignity and reliability. We also teach, introducing children and families to Jesus Christ through ongoing discipleship and a steady presence.

We believe children are the key to reaching families. When a child feels cared for, trust grows. With trust, families become open to conversation, relationships, and the gospel. As the gospel takes root, families can begin to break the cycle of poverty for future generations.

Our Story

How It Began

Citychurch started in 1997 when the Lane family moved into an old warehouse in downtown Amarillo. Don and Diana Lane, along with their children Donnie, James, and Anna, were recovering from a difficult time. Don had just received a liver transplant, and the family had lost their church, home, cars, and financial security. Through it all, they stuck together and believed God had protected them for a special purpose.

Don and Diana always cared deeply for families often overlooked by churches, whether because of where they lived, their struggles, or the color of their skin.

Citychurch started in a simple way: talking with people on sidewalks and knocking on doors in neighborhoods that many others ignored.

What started with a few meals turned into a movement. Over the years, Citychurch has become a welcoming place for families, churches, and neighbors who care about helping those in need, especially children. The Cafe is now a spot where children and families can eat together and hear the Word of God. Park Ministry took the mission outside, meeting children where they are. Visiting neighborhoods and homes has built real relationships, where discipleship happens not in a classroom, but around a kitchen table.

Over time, we found a way to help families heal: serve the children first to earn the family's trust. When we support and guide caregivers, parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles, real change happens that lasts beyond any program. We believe that help without hope is not enough, so we offer both.

Today, Citychurch keeps growing, not because of advertising, but because faithful people continue to show up. We are a lifeboat for the poorest children and families in Amarillo, and we will keep going until everyone knows Him.

What Guides Us

Our Guiding Principles

The Great Commission is not up for debate. Jesus has given us the authority to make, mark, mold, and mend disciples.

We will not let a child’s finances, location, race, culture, country, or age stop us from sharing Christ with them.

We start with the hardest places. We do not avoid the most disadvantaged or dangerous parts of our city. We go there first because children in those areas often have no chance to hear the gospel.

We are called to be faithful witnesses, and it is up to God to add to the church those who will be saved. Just as a farmer would not sow seed in a rocky bar-ditch or on hard bedrock, we go where faith is to be found. We believe that a great harvest is to be gathered at this time among children. That is the reason we spend our greater resources and time sowing in this spiritually fertile ground.

We use our resources to meet children’s and families’ needs, but our main goal is to lead people to Jesus. Without the hope He gives, any help we offer is only temporary.

We must love them as they are to help them move forward. This often means facing tough challenges.

We focus on our calling. We are not just another agency handing out help. We respond when we see a need and use most of our resources for children. Kids can’t choose where they live or how to care for themselves, so we serve those who are truly helpless.

Our role is to support the people God brings to serve with us. We trust our workers to make decisions in their areas of service.

We focus on action, not just discussion or study. Some criticize us for skipping forums and seminars on homelessness and poverty, but our ministry continues.

Our work with inner-city children and families is more important than our own preferences. Even when we help one person, we do not lose sight of the bigger mission.

Evangelism is often messy. It is not always easy or convenient. Sometimes it means hard work, like fixing a van in the snow or working in the heat. If it were easy, everyone would do it.

Any dirt or mess can be cleaned up, or we can find a way to deal with it.

Our Beliefs

What We Believe

That phrase might be very familiar and comforting to you. Or perhaps, you've never considered what those words really mean.

From the beginning, God intended to show everyone that He is a good Father who could be trusted with every aspect of life—our relationships, careers, even our insecurities. But the Bible teaches that the first humans mistrusted God's design and went their own way.

We have all made this same deadly choice. God has given us direction for our good, yet we have all rejected Him in our own ways. Making even small decisions that separate us from God is called sin. We all do it, and we'll continue to do so. Sin only leads to brokenness in life and relationships. Even our best attempts to escape brokenness only lead to more pain.

But God loves us so much that He was willing to enter our brokenness with us.

The Bible teaches that God sent His only son, Jesus, to die so the rest of us could live. Although Jesus did nothing wrong, He died on a cross and paid the debt for our rebellion. And His resurrection from death changed everything.

Because of what Jesus did on our behalf, we have the opportunity to trust God and turn away from our ways of doing life on our own. God is willing to forgive anyone that trusts Him, and He restores our relationship with Him and others.

—We believe in God the Father, creator of the universe.
—We believe in God the Son, Jesus Christ, the eternal Word, the one and only Savior; Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, both fully human and fully divine; Who lived a sinless life; Who suffered and was crucified as an atonement for sin; Who rose again bodily from the dead on the third day; Who ascended into Heaven; and Who will return in victory to rule forever.
—We believe in the Holy Spirit: who convicts of sin; Who indwells every Christian; Who helps us in our weakness and intercedes for us in prayer; and Who empowers us to a victorious Christian life.

—That man, created by God, willfully sinned against God and is consequently lost and without hope apart from Jesus Christ.
—That salvation—the forgiveness of sins—is only by grace through the blood of Jesus Christ.
—That one receives salvation by putting faith in Christ, repenting of sin, and confessing Christ, and that the Bible commands every believer in Christ to be baptized.
—That those who have received salvation through faith in Jesus Christ are sent into the world to proclaim the Gospel and to love and serve the world just as Jesus Himself did.

—We believe God inspired the original writings of the Scripture and those original writings were consequently without error.
—We believe that the Bible is the final authority for all matters of faith, truth, morality, and Christian living.
—We believe the Bible teaches that God is the Creator and Sustainer of human life; that God creates each person in His image; and that life is therefore sacred, from conception to natural death. We believe that God creates each person as male or female; that these two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the "image of God" in humankind; and that each person's biological gender is an intrinsic, immutable aspect of his or her nature and identity.
—We believe the Bible teaches that God established marriage in the beginning as a lifelong, exclusive relationship between one man and one woman.

—We believe in the Church of Jesus Christ, founded on the Day of Pentecost, consisting of all Christians everywhere, and organized into local assemblies, called churches.
—We believe the Bible teaches that every Christian should be an active member of a local church.
—We believe the Bible instructs church members to: meet together regularly for fellowship, worship, teaching, and the Lord's Supper; use our natural abilities and spiritual gifts to serve one another; love one another, bear with one another, accept one another, and forgive one another; seek unity, agreement, and peace with one another; bear one another's burdens and pray for one another; spur one another to love and good deeds; submit to the authority of the elders of the church; support the church financially; pursue personal holiness and obedience to God's Word; and strive together to fulfill the Great Commission.

What We Do

Find. Feed. Teach. Restore.

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Find

We go where the children are. Parks, neighborhoods, doorsteps. We don't wait for them to come to us.

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Feed

$2.50 provides a freshly prepared hot item, fresh fruit, and popcorn. Every child eats with dignity.

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Teach

We introduce children and families to Jesus Christ through consistent presence, discipleship, and long-term relationship.

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Restore

We don't just serve children. We serve whole families. Parents, grandparents, and caregivers are part of the journey toward lasting transformation.

150,000

Meals Served Each Year

1,400+

Children

600

Volunteers

Years Serving

Our People

Leadership Team

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Our Team

Citychurch is led by faithful servants who have given their lives to the children and families of Amarillo. Team bios coming soon.

Come and Live the Mission

Join the Mission

Whether you give, pray, volunteer, or simply show up — you become part of something that changes lives. No child in Amarillo should go to bed hungry. Come and live the mission with us.

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