Five years ago, LifeGate Church in Denver, Colorado, launched, believing that God had called them to reach the Denver Metro area. Since that time, they have faced significant challenges, but in February, they relocated to a permanent location and took a leap forward in accomplishing their vision for Denver.
Challenges began soon after launching the new church in February, 2015. By the summer of 2017, they were searching for a new venue for gatherings. A nearby church offered their building to LifeGate on Sunday evenings. Making the most of their opportunity, they branded the gathering “Summer Nights.”
Then, they moved into a nearby high school where they faced another challenge on Christmas Eve, 2017. Early on Sunday morning, the set-up team arrived to find that their trailer had been stolen. That Sunday morning, they gathered and worshipped with only a piano and a guitar but with no chairs, banners, sound equipment, children’s ministry equipment, or Bibles. Local news outlets found out about the robbery and interviewed the leadership team. With the city-wide promotion, people heard about LifeGate and began showing up. Some people who visited said, “I came to LifeGate because I saw a news story on TV.” LifeGate celebrates that Sunday every year, calling it Holy Heist Sunday, re-enacting the day with a simple worship set and testimonies of what God has done.
In February, 2020, five years after their launch, they worshipped together in their new, permanent location, a half mile from their temporary location. Pastor Nirup Alphonse is quick to attribute all the growth to God and His grace. He cites their early challenges, saying, “you can employ all of the right strategies and a church might not grow but remain faithful and let God do what only He can do”.
