Church Highlight: City Hope Church – Centralia, IL

The City of Centralia is located in south central Illinois and is home to more than 13,000 people. The city was formed in 1853 by the Illinois Central Railroad. The community was built on agriculture, railroad, coal and oil and is uniquely located within four counties – Clinton, Marion, Jefferson and Washington. It is also home to City Hope Church.

Lead Pastor of City Hope Church, Seth Baltzell, was born and raised in Centralia, Illinois. Over 10 years ago, God laid a vision on Seth’s heart to pack everything he owned, at the time in Texas, and move his family back to his hometown to begin City Hope Church. City Hope Church was founded in 2012 in an old school building on Pine Street, with a launch of over 400 people.

In 2018, as City Hope Church grew, Pastor Seth had a vision, along with God’s guidance, to relocate City Hope to what was formerly known as “The Old Centralia High School,” a 250,000sq. ft. building that many deemed condemned. With a little over a year of determined hearts and hands, “The Old Centralia High School” transformed into City Hope Church, only to be shut down, the day of launch, due to a global pandemic.

On July 12, 2020, City Hope Church re-opened their doors for in-person services at the new location. With a modern approach, tried and true beliefs, and hundreds of people currently in attendance, the mission of City Hope Church, and the heart of Pastor Seth, is to bring hope for the city, one heart at a time.

Join us this week as we pray for our friends at City Hope Church! Please be in agreement with us as we pray for guidance, wisdom and favor as they continue to reach the lost in their community!