The Denver United Chronicles

Go Day: The Denver Dream Center Takes Flight!

On February 22nd, Denver United celebrated a landmark time in our church's history. Unlike previous outreach ventures, this Go Day focused on serving the very first local outreach ministry God has entrusted to us. Volunteers converged on Victory Apartments to put the finishing touches on the facility that will be home to the first three residents going through the Denver Dream Center men's discipleship program. Rolling up their sleeves, the volunteers hauled in the housewarming gifts many of you provided from their registry and helped make over the apartment. Many also helped bless the other residents of the community by painting, cleaning, organizing and providing a host of other needed services.  Take a look at some of the photos from that memorable morning, and follow the Denver Dream Center out on Facebook. 

If you're interested in getting involved in the Denver Dream Center, find out more about opportunities with the Men's Mentors and Youth Mentors, and don't forget to check out and pray for the upcoming missions trip to the LA Dream Center.

Special thanks to Ariel Scheiner for the fabulous photos of this event.

A Christmas to Remember: December 2011

On December 12th, more than 420 people packed Delgado's Gym for the first ever Christmas to Remember event.  Seventy men from the CMI halfway house invited their families for an evening of Christmas festivities.  They were able to pick out and wrap Christmas presents, decorate cookies, get family photos taken, enjoy a delicious dinner provided by the Macaroni Grill, and enjoy music by Dave LeMieux and House of Soul.  For many of the men, this was the first time they'd been able to be with their families in years, and for one grandfather in particular it was the first time meeting his 3-month old grandson.  More than 100 volunteers from Denver United helped make this event a success.  Take a look at some of the photos from that night.

Special thanks to Megan Ahern and Neysa Lettin for helping capture photos of this event.

Go Day: Thanksgiving Outreach 2011

On November 19th, Denver United partnered with Restoration Outreach Programs for our fourth annual Thanksgiving Outreach. More than 80 volunteers helped distribute supplies for turkey dinner and all the fixings to a few hundred residents from the East Colfax neighborhood.  They also were on hand to serve refreshments to those waiting in line, as well as offer a word of prayer.  Take a look at some of photos from this Go Day.

Our next Go Day is a Christmas Outreach on December 12th.  There will be opportunities to volunteer, donate a $25 gift, or buy two dozen Christmas cookies in order to help minister to the children of incarcerated parents.  Keep an eye on DenverUnited.com or contact Pastor Bryan Sederwall for more information. 

A Visit From Leo Bigger

 
On July 3rd, Pastor Bryan Sederwall introduced the congregation to Leo Bigger, Senior Pastor of International Christian Fellowship Zurich and ICF Movement.  Beginning in Zurich, Switzerland in 1990, ICF has now planted churches in 17 cities in Switzerland, as well as several in Germany, Norway, the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom.  In a brief update before Pastor Bryan's sermon, Pastor Bigger shared his excitement for church planting and his passion for sharing the Gospel in Europe.

Go Day June 2011: Restoration Outreach

On June 25th, Denver United partnered with Restoration Outreach Programs (ROP) to throw a block party for residents along the East Colfax corridor. More than 100 volunteers participated in this Go Day, the largest turn out for an outreach event thus far in our church's history.  Together we were able to provide free food and entertainment to hundreds of adults and children from the local neighborhood. The Denver United worship team was on hand to provide music, and United Kids provided a special children's program.  The Gospel was clearly presented, and many came forward to receive Christ or ask for prayer. In the end, it was a practical opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus in serving some of the most marginalized and underserved members of our community.  Take a look at some of the photos from that day.

Our next Go Day is slated for August 13th when we will be serving Teen Challenge. Keep an eye on DenverUnited.com in the weeks ahead for more information.

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.

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.

Denver United's First GO Day

On Saturday, April 2nd, Denver United hosted its first official GO Day.  Sixteen individuals, armed with willing hearts of service and $10 in their pockets, took to the streets looking to impact the lives of others through practical acts of kindness.  They gave out 300 bottles of water, as well as breakfast sandwiches and coffee.  They also talked and prayed with dozens of people at the 16th Street Mall and Civic Center Park.  It was a perfect opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus to the people in our community.

The next GO Day will be May 14th.  Join us as we take God's love to the streets of Denver and serve at Streets Hope, a ministry dedicated to helping women looking to escape the sex trade industry.  For more information, visit the Denver United website.

The Thorn Comes To Denver United

On February 20th, special guest John Bolin preached at both morning services to introduce Denver United to The Thorn, a dramatic portrayal of the passion of Jesus.  In an inspiring message entitled "Unstoppable," John encouraged us to step out from our comfort zones and share our testimonies so that the world might know the hope that Christ brings.  He also invited all to join him in presenting The Thorn to the people of Denver this Easter season.

The Thorn is a dramatic, musical production that tells the story of the final week of Jesus's life.  Denver United is partnering with The Thorn to bring this extraordinary passion play-meets-Cirque-du-Soleil event to Magness Arena on April 22-23.  For more information, to purchase tickets or view the trailer, visit TheThorn.net.  To see additional photos of the Denver kick-off for The Thorn, visit their Facebook page.

Look for John's sermon "Unstoppable" in the Guest Speakers section of the multimedia page at DenverUnited.com.

Thanksgiving Outreach 2010

On Saturday, November 20th, approximately 120 volunteers from Denver United, Bloom Church and elsewhere came together to help Restoration Outreach Programs (ROP) with their annual Thanksgiving outreach.  This was our third year participating, and once again it was an excellent opportunity to show God's love to the people living along the East Colfax corridor.  Participants distributed stuffing, yams, marshmallows, Jello, and all the rest of the fixings for a Thanksgiving dinner, as well as a gift card to King Soopers to buy a turkey.  For many families who attended, this was the gift of a holiday dinner that would not otherwise have been possible.

According to ROP's Executive Director Kent Scroggs, "Ministry in the city certainly has its challenges.  Homelessness, joblessness, poverty, drug and sexual abuse, various addictions, broken relationships, recidivism and hopelessness come quickly to mind.  But for anyone willing to look a little closer, it is also possible to find many sources for hope in the city.  And this past weekend, one did not need to look very hard to find a lot of thankfulness and blessing being spread around."

Thank you, Denver United, for your heart to reach into city with the love of Christ.  Enjoy some photos from the event.