The Denver United Chronicles

Carrying Denver United into the Future

In 2008, what began as a God-ignited spark in the hearts of our founding pastors spread like wildfire to a small army of believers.  Known as the Launch Team, this band of visionaries grabbed hold of the dream and faithfully committed to establishing an outpost of God's Church in the city of Denver.  Stepping out in faith, venturing out from the humble beginnings of Pastor Rob's basement, they settled in Denver and quickly increased in number.  With a passion to be God's light in the city, they eagerly waited to see the unfolding of all that God had in store.  On January 25th, 2009, the team rolled out the black road cases for the very first time, transforming Sturm Hall into a place of worship.  Then on March 15th, 2009, the dream became a reality as the church officially opened its doors.  Denver United was born.

Over the past two years, we have all witnessed Jesus building His church in our midst.  We've continued to grow steadily in number as our passion to be a light for Christ in the city has remained our clarion call.  We've celebrated at each milestone -- our first birthday, first Christmas Eve service, installation of our Elders, welcoming Denver Church to our fold, and so much more.  We've rejoiced at the doors that God has opened for us to serve in our city through Thanksgiving outreaches, student move-in days, The Thorn, and GO Days.  And each week, humble, dedicated members of the Service Teams have faithfully carried forward the vision of Denver United.  Rolling up their sleeves, they've transformed Davis Auditorium and a handful of classrooms into the fully functional church we all know and love.  The dream of Denver United is alive and well.

On Sunday, May 15th, Pastor Rob unveiled the next opportunity to help carry the vision into the future.  The Dream Team, led by Perry Bacalis, will become stewards of the dream, helping to build God's church in the heart of Denver.  From setting up to brewing coffee, ushering to providing technical support, and so much more, they will weekly create an atmosphere ready for worship and fellowship so we can continue to bring the light of Christ to the people of Denver.

Denver United has come a long way from our humble beginnings in the basement, but God still has so much more of His story to write through our church in this city.  The Dream Team will be key to making that story a reality.  Join us, won't you, and let's build the future together!

To take the first step in becoming part of the Dream Team, email Perry Bacalis at perry.bacalis@denverunited.com.  For more information, visit the Dream Team page at DenverUnited.com.
 

Go Day May 2011: Street's Hope

On Saturday, May 14th, nearly 40 people participated in Denver United's GO Day.  Meeting in the parking lot of North High School, Pastor Bryan Sederwall shared the vision for that day's outreach and led everyone in a word of prayer.  Then the teams headed out to serve our city. 

The largest outreach project was serving at Street's Hope, a transitional housing and non-residential ministry that helps women who have come out of the sex trade industry.  Some of the volunteers painted rooms, laid baseboard, and re-tiled a bathroom.  Others expanded an existing garden, planted flowers, organized the kitchen and cleaned the air conditioning unit. Still more helped sort through a garage full of donated items to create a boutique where women coming off the streets could find clothes for a new wardrobe.  The volunteers also had the opportunity to work alongside and encourage some of the residents of Street's Hope.

Meanwhile Pastor Bryan took a team out to the streets of the metro area.  Their mission was to impact the lives of others through practical acts of kindness, like providing food or a hot beverage.  By meeting basic needs, it opened a door for them to be able to talk with and pray for the people they met.

Whether working at Street's Hope, meeting folks out on the streets, or assisting with the India Missions team's garage sale, the weekend provided many from Denver United the opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus and demonstrate God's love in the heart of the city.  Take a look at some of the photos from GO Day May 2011.

The next GO Day will be June 25th.  Join us as we take God's love to the streets and serve another of our local outreach partners, Restoration Outreach.  Keep your eye on the Denver United website in the days ahead for information.

Special thanks to Pastor Justin Spicer for his assistance in photographing Go Day May 2011.

India Missions 2011: Garage Sale

On May 14th, the Denver United India Missions team hosted a garage sale to help raise funds for their upcoming trip to Chennai, India where they will be ministering to street children and at-risk women.  Despite the cool and cloudy weather, folks from the metro area turned out in good numbers to find great bargains and give towards a worthy cause.  Take a look at some of the photos from event.

If you missed the sale, it's not too late to support the team.  Find out how you can donate, pray or provide encouragement by visiting the India Missions page.

Honoring Moms on Mother's Day

 
On May 8th, Denver United honored the moms in the congregation with a special song and surprise for Mother's Day.  Ben Wood, a student at the University of Denver's Lamont School of Music, sang a beautiful, operatic rendition of "You Lift Me Up."  Near the end of the song, all the moms in the audience were asked to stand for recognition, and members of the United Kids Reach Servant Leadership group presented them each with a rose.

Easter 2011: He Is Risen!

On April 24th, following four outreach-oriented performances of The Thorn at Magness Arena, Easter weekend observances continued with Denver United hosting three services in Sturm Hall. Worship Pastor Austin Pyle and members of the worship team prepared a special program of music, dance, scripture and more to help us turn our eyes towards Jesus and celebrate the resurrection of our Lord.  Some of the memorable moments included scripture readings by Feben Berhe and Mark DeEsparza, a beautiful rendition of "Via Della Rosa" with lead vocals by Blanca Pyle and dance by Gabi Kelley, and a high-energy performance of "Agnus Dei" with lead vocals by Nathan Downey.  Reminiscent of Christmas Eve, the much loved hip-hop dancers made a return appearance, as did the members of the strings section. Pastor Rob presented a message reflective of the love of God that is evident in the death and resurrection of Jesus, and several in attendance made the decision to commit or recommit their lives to Christ.  Relive some of these special memories with some pictures from that morning.

The Thorn: Easter 2011

This Easter season Denver United partnered with other area churches to help bring The Thorn to Magness Arena. Through the use of music, dance, martial arts, theatrical lighting and more, the Passion Week was brought to life, allowing audiences to experience the raw and gritty emotions of the final week of Jesus's life. According to Executive Producer John Bolin, approximately 12,000 people attended the four performances on April 22-23.  Each were presented with a clear presentation of the Gospel.

Many from our congregation joined a cast and crew of hundreds to help make The Thorn a reality.  They performed a variety of duties, such as directing, acting in the role of Roman centurions, helping form the masses who gathered around Jesus, portraying the angels and demons who waged wars in the heavenlies, and carrying out a whole host of stage crew responsibilities. Others provided altar and prayer ministry, ushered folks to their seats, and much, much more.

At the end of each performance, members of the audience were able to respond to what they had just witnessed.  Over the course of two days, hundreds of people made the decision to give thier lives to Christ, some for the first time and many to a deeper level of commitment. They had the opportunity to write on magnets and place them on the cross as a visible demonstration of what God was doing in their hearts. Particularly moving were messages such as "I was going to commit suicide tonight...now I won't" and "Finally...I believe."  

Special thanks to all those who were involved in The Thorn.  Your tireless efforts and heartfelt dedication were key in making this practical outreach to the people of our city a reality. 

We're looking for photos from The Thorn Denver for our church archive.  Some may also be featured here on the Denver United Chronicles for our church family to enjoy.  Do you have photos you'd like to share?  Email them to denverunitedphotos@q.com.