Rise City Church to reopen Redwood City campus after fire

Derik and Sarah Scott began leading the church in 2016, inheriting the established congregation and building, along with the small things that they wished they could improve — whether it was more efficient plumbing or light switches that work consistently.

The fire demanded the pastors to evaluate the church’s future, and they jumped at the opportunity to do so. 

“Because of the age of the building, there were everyday things,” Derik Scott said. “Now, for me, what’s most exciting is the next 96 years and who is going to take it after us, because they’ll be able to sprint where we have jogged.” 

On Sunday, May 31, a grand opening celebration will mark the major milestone — almost exactly two years after demolition of the existing building commenced on May 20, 2024.

To Sarah Scott, the result of the fire can’t be described any other way beside a “miracle story.” 

“We had been talking about upgrading the building for years, the fire made it so we had to do something,” she said. 

Building on a legacy

Sarah Scott grew up in Redwood City, attending Rise City Church on Sundays with her family. The stained glass art that captivates visitors as they enter the main worship room is the original work found in the former church — the same Sarah Scott gazed at when she was 5 years old, and the same her mother awed at for years before. 

Derik and Sarah Scott became the youngest pastors in the Assemblies of God Fellowship and joined Rise City Church in 2016, a responsibility they never took lightly. They recalled feeling responsible to do good by the church that was now in their hands. 

But after the fire, demolition and rebuilding of the church — with which both pastors were intimately involved — the space, congregation and work they do feels less and less like theirs. 

“This isn’t about us, this is about what God wants to do in this community, how we’re going to serve this community,” Sarah Scott said. “It’s felt bigger than us and that’s OK, because it is.”  

During construction, Rise City Church has continued services by “squeezing in” the Fellowship Hall, Sarah Scott said. The room became a haven for church members during this in-between phase.

With the new building, the pastors hope it becomes a new space for the community to gather and feel welcome. 

“I wanted it to be a place where anybody felt like they could step in and be welcome,” Derik Scott said. “I don’t want them to worry about what they’re wearing, what tattoos and piercings they have, what their hair looks like, what their dress looks like.” 

The ambiguity of the building itself, with a coffee shop and retail space near the entrance, helps redefine what a church can be, Derik Scott said. 

“We’re trying to change what church has been in people’s minds and perceptions, and what it actually can be,” Derik Scott said. “It can be a communal gathering space beyond congregational Sunday gathering, a nice, positive welcoming environment.” 

Growing reach

Rise City Church has remained a community staple within Redwood City, providing clothes to the unhoused and meals three times a week to anyone in need. While these initiatives have remained as construction has continued, the new building and space will allow for a more prominent presence on Middlefield Road. 

The church previously owned the property across Middlefield Road, but sold it to the Sand Hill Foundation which is working to build affordable housing. Rise City Apartments is designed to be a 94-unit fully affordable development reaching seven stories tall with units mixed from studios to two-bedroom apartments. 

Building partnerships, like with the Sand Hill Foundation, within the community is how Rise City Church has kept vibrant in the years without its main building, and is what is continuing to grow the church’s reach. 

Welcoming guests

The entry to the church’s new building welcomes guests — worshippers and nonbelievers, alike — to congregate, work alongside one another with plentiful seating and outlets, and even grab a cup of coffee. 

A fully functional cafe is tucked away in a front corner of the building, which will be open seven days a week. Thanks to Derik and Sarah Scott’s vision, and their shared love of really good coffee, popular San Mateo cafe, Kaizen & Coffee, will be establishing a secondary location within Rise City Church, called Luma. 

There is also a dedicated space in the new building for a pop-up vintage thrift shop Thursday through Saturdays. The inventory is largely gathered by churchgoers who have donated to the church, and any revenue made from the shop will go back into the church’s clothing distribution program. 

Expanding all that’s offered at the church provides the community with many opportunities to visit the site, beyond just Sundays. 

“A lot of churches are closed throughout the week, so the hope and the heart is that this space will be open to the community all throughout the week,” Sarah Scott said. “We wanted to open our doors.” 

There’s an incredible need for people to have a space to come and rest, Josie Scott, Derik Scott’s mother, said. The revitalized Rise City Church looks to serve as this space for those in the community. 

“Even if you don’t have faith or believe you belong to our church, because of how crazy the world is, people need something,” Josie Scott said. “They hope this becomes that for people.” 

The Rise City Church will welcome all into the new building at 1305 Middlefield Road with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. Sunday, May 31 followed by a 11 a.m. service.