New Aurora church opens with community festival

City of Light Anglican Church will celebrate its grand opening in Aurora this weekend with a service and a festival that includes a taco truck, bounce house, free cupcakes, and a free professional photo for each family.

It is designed to be a vibrant beginning for a church that aims to serve a dynamic community.

Bonnie McMaken - who shares lead pastor duties with her husband, Trevor - said the church chose Aurora for this offshoot of Wheaton's Church of the Resurrection because the city teems with excitement, innovation and diversity. She points out that Aurora grew almost 40 percent between 2000 and 2013, and has undertaken such major developments as Two Brothers Roundhouse, RiverEdge Park and the new library downtown. Aurora displays both the dynamism and challenges of a large city, she says.

"It shines with beauty and potential and bleeds with brokenness and need. It wears its heart on its sleeve without pretense," McMaken said in a news release.

The grand opening starts with a service at 10 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 18, followed by the festival at 11:30 a.m. at Hill Elementary School, 724 Pennsylvania Ave., Aurora.

The McMakens and their two children moved to Aurora's Near East Side this summer. Many of the other launch team members have lived near downtown Aurora for years. They say they're there to stay because they already love Aurora.

Sheli Massie, for example, who lives on the West Side near Hill Elementary, where the church will meet on Sunday mornings, says her neighbors feel connected to the city.

"When you talk to neighbors who went to West Aurora High School, they are proud. They know they are part of a tradition of previous generations," she said. "People who live in this city stay and believe that Aurora can be better. They believe in community, hard work, and family. "

West Side resident and City of Light member Hayley Meksi, the executive director of Emmanuel House in Aurora, a nonprofit that helps people become homeowners, said the church aims to strengthen the community.

"The local church, like City of Light and other great churches in Aurora, is a force for good in our communities," Meksi said. "The biggest reason is that it's an organically connected group of people who have a common focus on bringing redemption to hard places."

Cory Whitehead, another Aurora resident, added, "One important component of a vibrant city is a strong faith community. The people of this church are excited to join with other churches to contribute in a positive way to what's already happening in our city - seeing people experience hope and a more abundant life. And that's something we all need."

The church will offer children's ministry for infants through fifth-graders. Some worship elements are in both Spanish and English.

A part of the Anglican Church in North America, City of Light aims to be fully sacramental, evangelical, and filled of the Holy Spirit. For information, visit cityoflightanglican.org.