In 2020, amid the pandemic quarantines, LIFEGATE Church, Denver, found a permanent home. One year later, they have created a welcoming, community-oriented space for their members and neighbors.
After launching in February 2015, they met at Cherry Creek High School in south Denver for five years. When the school asked them to vacate for renovations, they had a difficult time finding another space. However, a local church offered their space on Sunday evenings, so the LIFEGATE team put together a weekly event, Summer Nights, offering food and fun. Then they returned to the high school for two more years, until more renovations forced them to look for another space to meet. That’s when they found their current building, just 10 minutes away.
LIFEGATE subleased the building from a church that moved to another location in February 2020. With a permanent meeting space, church leaders planned a capital campaign to purchase the building and bought new chairs for services. But, one month later, the pandemic shut down in-person gatherings. Undaunted, they waited until September for the capital campaign to raise money for the purchase and renovations, purchasing the building in November 2020.
The new building has not only given LIFEGATE Church a permanent place, but it has also given them a home in a community. Over the past year, they have been able to meet needs in their area through school supplies, food at Thanksgiving, and individual requests. As they renovate the building, they want to create more community areas. With that goal in mind, church leaders are asking, “How do we plan a building so that people have access to it?” Currently, they are renovating the second floor to create a work space or gathering place for meetings or hanging out with friends. Executive Pastor Ryan Mead said, “We want our building to be open as much as possible.”
