How it started

During the summer of 2013, the Connolly family and four others moved from Fort Wayne, IN to plant a church in Charleston, SC. Once settled in SC, we added two more people and began meeting regularly at the Connolly house to dream about our launch. 

On January 19th, 2014 the Connollys - plus our “sensational six”- officially launched Bright City church at James Simons Elementary, right in the heart of downtown Charleston. Our vision was to create a place where people could encounter the love of the Father through the cross of Christ and the power of the presence of God.

We didn’t just want to be another church option, but a catalyst to help people encounter a living God who loves us.

A few years into our journey as a church, Pastor Nick sensed God calling him to change the name from Gospel Community to Bright City, based off of a sermon series called “Bright City”, rooted in Matthew 5:16-18. We knew it was our calling to shine brightly in our community and culture. 

We officially announced the name at the end of 2017, and became Bright City Church. 

In April of 2019, God did a miracle and we moved from James Simons Elementary to a beautiful building located at 59 Piedmont Avenue. We’re so grateful for all that God has done in our past, but we’re eagerly expectant of God’s faithfulness for our future. 

We have a goal of seeing 1,000 people living out TWØTB and establishing five Bright City locations. 

Additionally, we have dreams of finding a permanent home for Bright City Church in downtown Charleston.