A shining City on a Hill

A few months ago, Pastor G.W. Dameron came to Culpeper, with his wife Carrie and three daughters, from San Diego County, Calif., where they lived for 11 years.

Feeling a strong call to meet people’s needs in a practical way, the Damerons launched City on a Hill Church in August and began meeting in their home while looking for a more suitable location. 

Just a couple months and a handful of members later, City on a Hill Church is now holding its contemporary worship service at Sycamore Park Elementary School and will continue at that location through the end of the month.

On Nov. 1, the congregation will make another transition to the AT&T building on U.S. 522. The church will occupy a space on the ground level to include a sanctuary that seats 80, and three classrooms.

Stained-glass windows and ample space make the site more suitable for the growing congregation.

Currently, a non-denominational, contemporary service is held on Saturdays at 6 p.m. Children’s ministry is offered during worship time and includes Bible time, crafts and music. The time will remain the same after the move. 

Dameron and his congregation have received a strong commitment from people who are members of other churches to help out on Saturdays in getting its feet off the ground. The Saturday evening service allows others the flexibility to continue attending their home church on Sunday.  In planning for Saturday worship versus Sunday, Dameron says he has found that people want their weekends more open and this gives them Sunday to use however they want.

Matthew 5:14 is the verse behind the vision of City on a Hill Church. It speaks of a city on a hill with light shining from it; an example of a beacon where people can seek refuge. Dameron is excited about the vision for the church which calls “Christians in Culpeper to become the hands and feet of Jesus Christ, serving and meeting the needs of our community so that all may know how deep God’s love is for everyone who lives, works and goes to school in Culpeper.”

Dameron and his congregation are working to fulfill the vision of their church by consistently pursuing these four strategies: prayer, worship, discipleship and service. He feels consistency is important when it comes to community outreach.

Today, the Culpeper community can find members of City on a Hill Church outside the Culpeper Post Office on Main Street from 9-10 a.m. They are going to give postage stamps away for free. They’ll purchase the stamps ahead of time from the post office and then give them away to folks who would like them.

The opportunity to meet more people in Culpeper excites Dameron. He refers to the outreach as, “one example of how we are investing in the community so that people will realize that God cares about the details of all of our lives.”

Dameron says his church is unique and he says what makes it that way is, “that we will always place a higher price tag on being the church instead of doing church — finding ways to impact the community in order to help the community achieve its God-given potential.” Dameron adds, “Who we are and what we are doing sets us apart. We are not seeker sensitive. We are more involved in the community and that is what makes us unique.”

Dameron invites the community to join City on a Hill Church during its Saturday evening worship times beginning on Nov. 8.

The church is hosting a six-week marriage series titled “Fireproof Your Marriage.” Finances are the biggest reason for divorce in America. In our current economic crisis, there are a lot of families hurting right now and in this series, participants will discuss God’s plan for indestructible relationships and explore practical insights for building an enduring, red-hot marriage. 

Amy Wagner covers church news for the Star Exponent. Have a story idea? E-mail her at