a community i love, new denver church

new denver church.   we meet in an old baptist church at 5pm on sundays with maroon carpet and maroon curtains.

it's not perfect but it's a community that i truly love.  it's a community where we love each other.  you don't have to fake it.  you don't have to be someone you're not.  you just need to show up and you'll be loved.

photo credit: larry johnson (creative commons)

the first weekend i showed up i was bombarded by people.  i sat next to jen escamilla (the only other young adult at the time ;) and she asked questions about me and my life.  the next week, she remembered my name and asked about the things going on in my life.  she cared.    

i used to think that this was a "flaw" at new denver...i was worried that people would wanna come to church and be anonymous.  that they wanted to be a number, not a name.  shortly thereafter, i realized that i was wrong.

i realize that a core desire in every single person is the desire to be known, to be accepted, to be loved.  that, in my experience, is what happens at new denver church.  people are known, they're accepted, and they're loved.  just as they are.

one week, before service, a guy asked how my week was.  i answered, "decent."  after the service, he came up to me and said, "let's talk about that decent, what's going on?"  i was floored.  he cared enough to seek me out after service to let me know he was concerned and cared about me.  and he followed up the next week.  

i love the people of new denver church.  and to be honest, we'd do anything for each other.  last weekend, as the biggest snowstorm of the year hit denver, ten dudes showed up to help a guy move.  this week, a guy in my discipleship group was struggling so we fasted and prayed for him.  last night, after young adults, some guys helped out by carrying and rearranging the furniture without being asked.  these seem like simple things but they're huge.

a community i love is new denver church.  what about you?  what's a community that you love?