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Lost & Found

rrc Staff

Meet Your worship Leaders

Before I die

rrc Hero: chris

Sports

A n e p i c tA l e b y e r i c pA r k s

A l o o k At t h e fAc e s A n d c o n n e ct i o n s t h At m A k e u p t h e s tA f f o f r e d r o c k s c h u r c h

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m A k i n g yo u s m i l e o n e c u p o f c o f f e e At A t i m e

w h e r e s p o rt s A n d s e rv i n g g o h A n d i n h A n dA A n A rt i c l e b y cA s e y b A n ko r d

tAble of

CONTENTS

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denver Sharefest

rrc Hero: Teresa

All Is Not Lost

Series review

Baptism

rrc Hero: Adam

1 w e e k , 2 1 d e n v e r p u b l i c s c h o o l s , ov e r 1 ,0 0 0 vo lu n t e e r s , 5,6 0 0 h o u r s o f s e rv i c e A n A rt i c l e b y b r i A n Z i b e l l

wA r m ly w e l c o m i n g A n y A n d A l l w h o e n t e r

A s t o ry o f r e d e m p t i o n : f r o m d ru g A d d i ct t o pA s t o r . A n A rt i c l e A b o u t s h Aw n J o h n s o n b y cA s e y b A n ko r d

A l o o k b Ac k At t h e s e r i e s t h At b r o u g h t u s t h r o u g h t h i s pA s t y e A r

n o t e s o f l i f e c h A n g e

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Missions

Make Something Happen

Stats & FAQs

chad vs. Shawn

Monsters, Aliens, and Multi-Site churchesrrc Hero: charlotte

rrc Hero: Malena

w h At h A p p e n e d At r e d r o c k s c h u r c h A n d A r o u n d t h e wo r l d w h e n o n e m A n f e lt t h e i m pAct o f A n e A rt h q uA k eA n A rt i c l e b y c h A d b ru e g m A n

A n e s s Ay o n A n A b u n dA n t l i f e b y J o h n o rt b e r g

A l o o k At r e d r o c k s c h u r c h b y t h e n u m b e r s

t h e n e v e r - e n d i n g pA s t o r A l f e u d

t h e v i s i o n b e h i n d r e d r o c k s ’ m u lt i - s i t e e x pA n s i o n A n A rt i c l e b y s c o t t b ru e g m A n

c r e At i v i t y + s e rv i c e + J oy + e n e r gy

o l d s o u l + yo u n g h e A rt

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A publication by red rocks church18301 w colfax Ave golden co 80401redrockschurch.com

debut edition: march 2013_________________________________________

executive editore r i c p a r k s

editor-in-chiefJ e s s i e D a v i s

creative directors c o t t B r u e g m a n

photography directorc a r s o n B a n k o r D

lead designerm o r g a n t r a w

designerD e B B i e c l a p p e r

copy editorsm a r g a r e t v i n c e n tc a s e y B a n k o r D_________________________________________

printed by: publication printers, denver coprint run: 10,000

cover photo by: carson bankord

lost & found illustrations by: nathan bottcher

contributing writers: casey bankord, chad bruegman, scott bruegman, cori cook, Jessie davis, eric parks, Jake espy, margaret vincent, brian Zibell

featured writer: John ortberg

_________________________________________

special thanks to: collette bankord, Amie bottcher, Jacob & lauren cordova, shadi emmons, shawn Johnson, Jan kuchler, stacey kyler, Adam rowe, chris sharber, Amy taylor and the rrc creative team.

underwritting inquiries contact:magazine@redrockschurch.com

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_____________ C O N T R I B U T O R S _____________

a letter to the

CROWDeveryone loves a good story. everyone has the relative who at family gatherings is the “storyteller” of the group. for hours, we could sit and hear them recount tales of family history or hilarious mishaps. get a group together around a table, and inevitably … stories will emerge.

At family gatherings growing up, my dad and his brothers would sit around the table after dinner and replay the antics of their childhood late into the night. they all grew up on a farm in kansas, so stories often included livestock, fishing, dynamite, and learning to drive before they could reach the pedals. they were all street racers with a touch of rebellion, so their stories followed suit. for hours, i would sit and listen to their colorful stories.

As a kid, i could not get enough of my uncles’ tales. i felt like i was there. i was a part. And, i understood. good stories are important in that way. we can relate to them. we can understand. we see a bit of ourselves. good stories have the ability to captivate us.

it should come as no surprise, then, that the original storyteller is our creator himself. in scripture, god is called the “Author” of every story ever written. the only difference is that his stories are written out in people’s lives, not just about them. to think that each story is actually penned out by our creator gives them that much more weight.

Jesus was a storyteller too. in fact, he chose to communicate through stories more than any other medium. whenever there was a crowd, Jesus would open his mouth … and tell a tale. he knew what we know now – that stories can engage a crowd. move a crowd. motivate a crowd.

wherever there is a crowd … stories must be told.

in the last eight years at red rocks church, there have been so many incredible stories. stories of life change. stories of mess-ups and redemption. marriages healed, financial situations restored, missionaries sent, and families renewed. stories about people finding a new way to do life – a better way. stories of faith, fulfillment, giving, receiving, transformation, second chances, and renewal.

the goal of this magazine is to highlight the stories that god is writing. we decided a few months ago that it would be a shame to not capture the amazing things that he is doing, to not showcase them. consequently, we set out to create our first-ever magazine: crowd. we subtitled it: “About. every. one.” because the stories inside capture the magnitude of everyone, with attention to the detail of each one. it’s about everyone, and it’s about every – single – one.

we welcome you to the inaugural edition of our magazine. welcome to the stories that have shaped red rocks church. welcome, one and all: to the crowd.

Jessie davise D i to r - i n - c h i e f

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_____________ A L E T T E R T O T h E C R O W D _____________

when i was growing up, my family had a few traditions that were part of who we were, and those traditions were sacred. it was clear that violating one was as bad as burning the flag. But the holy grail of family traditions—whose defilement could mean eternal damnation, or at least damnation from ever eating at the adult table again—this “unmissable” tradition was coming home for christmas, back to the texas ranch. if you missed this one, you were in trouble.

in many ways, my family was an odd assortment of hundreds of aunts, uncles, and second cousins i didn’t really know. But, in other ways, it was pretty much a perfect stereotype: thick accents, cowboy boots, bolo ties, and broad cowboy hats. a defiant texas swagger exuded from almost every person. even if you didn’t live in texas anymore, it was there.

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_____________ L O S T & F O U N D _____________

brandon challenged me to a race to the park, a challenge i was predestined to accept.

“sure, i’ll race you. do you have a bike for me?” i asked.

“yep, right there.” he gestured toward a bike leaning against the side of the house.

“seriously ... i’m not riding that!”

“what ... are you afraid?” brandon asked sharply.

i was afraid, but not of racing brandon. i was afraid of being seen on that particular bike. my cousin had graciously allowed me to use his sister’s bike. that’s right, my cousin “punk’d” me by challenging me to a race with a girl’s bike as the only available vehicle. An ordinary girl’s bike would have been bad enough with its dipping crossbar and flowery barbie sticker on the side. but this bike was tricked-out, feminine style. it had a glittery pink banana seat, white wicker handlebar basket filled with every doll my cousin heather owned, and a tall pink flag attached to the rear.

i stood and inspected the bike, and considered not racing him …

“what? Are you chicken?” brandon yelled at me, looking over his shoulder.

“oh, that is it—game on. get ready to get your butt kicked by me and barbie!”

brandon took off. i reached down, grabbed the bike by the back of the seat, and began running alongside it. but i didn’t notice the direction of the long pink flag attached to the rear. therefore, i inadvertently got this flag entangled in the front spokes. As i ran forward, i could feel that something on this bike wasn’t right, and by about the tenth step it became abundantly clear what the problem was. the flag worked itself free and sprung backward toward my head. i jerked to avoid a laceration to the face, but my quick motion caused me to briefly let go of the handlebars. before i could regain my grip, the front wheel swerved hard and

christmas was “census time” for all us texans. everyone traveled back to the homestead to be counted. over a two-week period in late december and early January, my great grandmother’s ranch became home for me, my parents, my sister, and what seemed like two thousand cousins.

this was a very large gathering of human beings, and while the ranch was quite a spread, not everyone could sleep there. heck, not everyone could even stand there. so while days were spent at the homestead, we were on our own at night. my family always stayed at my uncle lloyd’s house.

uncle lloyd, Aunt cindy, and cousins heather and brandon moved into a new housing development the year i turned eleven. their development was built during the texas housing boom of the 1980s, where every home looked exactly like the next one. rows and rows of brand-new houses stretched for miles in every direction, all virtually identical. of course, people tried to distinguish their little pieces of heaven with flowers and landscaping or the occasional wooden mailbox, but for the most part the neighborhoods were monotonously uniform.

this particular december morning i sprang out of bed, eager to see what secrets the new neighborhood had in store for my cousin and me. knowing we would be heading to the ranch that afternoon, we pounded down our breakfasts and asked our parents if we could take an unsupervised trip to the newly constructed playground several blocks away. Asking turned to begging as we desperately pled our case to all parental units. with some trepidation, my mom conceded, allowing me this small journey of manhood as long as i promised to stay with brandon at all times. i agreed, and we were off.

now, i am no expert on the male psyche, but i do know this: men know how to turn anything into a game—anything! from an early age, men want to play and win!

so with this predisposition to competition in mind, my cousin

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_____________ L O S T & F O U N D _____________

creeping halt. As i lowered my foot and straddled the barbie banana seat, i looked around, but i didn’t see brandon. i didn’t see the park either. All i saw was a road that forked in three different directions with identical houses everywhere i looked. i really wasn’t sure what to do. you see, in the frenzied excitement of competition, i had forgotten the small detail of directions to the park. in retrospect, i realize how stupid this omission was—not just because i was lost; but how could i expect to beat my cousin to a park whose location i didn’t know?

retrospect often feels just like that for me. you know, “wow ... i was a complete idiot!” i often look back on decisions that seemed perfectly logical and defensible at the time, but, in retrospect; i see my sinful ways. the problem is that most of these “look backs” include remembering that someone, probably one of my parents; had told me not to. or maybe would have told me so if i had only asked. i don’t consider myself a bad person; i am just like everyone else, and my hindsight is 20/20.

the race was lost. i had been beaten fair and square, sort of. since i had no clue where my cousin or the park were, i turned around and headed home. i cruised up a few blocks and began to backtrack to my cousin’s house. my mind surfed through ideas, past girlfriends, homework assignments, and playground kickball games. in just a few short blocks, the intensity that had surged through my veins faded, and my self-disgust was replaced by distraction and wonder. i jumped from one unconnected question to another: why do birds get to fly? why do they fly south? i wonder if they like worms? i wonder if worms like fishing?

i pulled into my uncle’s driveway, laid my pathetic (yet quite comfortable) bike on the ground, and glided toward the front door. i pressed my hand against the wooden door and twisted the handle. As the door cracked open, i squeezed through like i was trying to keep the last thirty minutes outside. i meandered past the couch, turned sharply left, and strolled toward the refrigerator.

i grabbed an apple, slammed the door, and circled back toward the living room. “mom, hey, where is everybody?” i yelled into the hallway, “can you take me to the park?” i pelted past the

sharp to the left. that wheel was now at a ninety-degree angle to the rest of the bike, which came to a screeching halt, but i didn’t. nor did i let go of the seat. in one huge crash, i pulled the back end up and over, right on top of me. lying on the pavement, a girl’s bike on top of myself, brandon laughing (and winning!), i tried not to cry.

i jumped up from the cement, straightened the bike, straddled the banana seat, and with all the might of a wronged eleven-year-old, began to pedal. i pedaled my brains out!

by the time i got up to speed, brandon had pedaled far out of sight. i knew he had turned left at the street ahead, so i raced for the cross street. i knew i had a very small window of time to get my next glance of him. As i sailed into the first turn, i saw brandon one hundred yards ahead. but, within ten pedal strokes, he turned.

faster, eric, faster! catch him. show him how we roll! barbie and all. i was determined to catch him. in my head, i was playing the Rocky theme song, imagining that with every two pedal turns i made, brandon was making one. i was convinced i was far superior to my cousin in every way. especially because i knew almost every line in the Rocky movies, and that went a long way in eleven-year-old currency. pedal, pedal, pedal. i am almost there. when i make this turn, i will have made up half the ground i need to cover. i turned. i looked up. he turned.

eric, you’re losing him. how could you lose him? “come on, eric!” i coaxed myself. “you can’t let this happen.” i reached down deep into my soul. with all the energy of a young boy, i pushed my will to win into my legs and lungs, and went for it. there was no time to think, to wonder, or to hope—only to pedal. i could feel my pace quicken as my heart raced to keep up with my legs. i swung hard to the right and then leaned into the next left turn. i looked up to see how much ground i had made up, but brandon was gone. i quickly stiffened my back and straightened to see if he’d actually lost me. my legs slowed as i swiveled my head back and forth in a vain attempt to find my cousin’s silhouette. no dice. he was gone—long gone.

i coasted to the end of the intersection, braked, and came to a

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_____________ L O S T & F O U N D _____________

“hello, who’s there?” a deep voice bellowed from behind the hall bathroom door.

oh no ... this is not my cousin’s house. holy cow! this is not my cousin’s house. oh my ... this ... is ... not ... my ... cousin’s … house! And then my thoughts turned into random nonsense. i felt as if everything that was in my mind was like the computer screen in The Matrix. my thoughts were running at the speed of sound, but i could make almost no sense of them. “hello?” the man repeated as he craned his neck around the cheap plastic shower curtain.

have you ever seen someone panic because they have lost something or forgot an important project, birthday, or anniversary? some call this the “deer in the headlights” look.

corner of the couch into the hallway and thought to myself, i wonder who moved the couch? “mom, can you take me to the park? brandon left me!” i passed the bathroom and headed toward the guest room.

i wonder who listens to country music?

“mom, where are you?” i swung by the empty guest room and turned back toward the noise of running water echoing out of the hall bathroom.

i wonder why someone is in the shower?

“mom, mom!”

And just then, like an urgent fax coming across the president’s desk announcing the facts behind the cuban missile crisis, bullet points began posting to my mind:

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_____________ L O S T & F O U N D _____________

this is being lost.

i grabbed my bike, clutched the pink plastic grips on the handlebars, and began to walk beside it. i wasn’t sure where i was walking, but anywhere seemed better than just standing there. i thought, well, eric, you have really done it now: eleven years old and homeless. i imagined that some news magazine would soon be reporting on the case of the homeless child who, in an attempt to show how cool he was, lost everything, and all he had to show for it was a stupid pink banana-seat bicycle.

i imagined my mom and dad being devastated when they discovered i was gone forever. i figured they might look for a while, but soon they would move on. i reasoned to myself: this is why parents have more than one child, just in case one gets lost in dallas. they’ll need someone to change the channel.

i remember thinking about my beautiful mother. i would never see her again. i wanted her to feel my release. As i slowly shuffled past the mailboxes, driveways, and newly planted trees, i thanked god for what he had given me, and i thanked god for what he had given my parents. And for the first time in my young life, i was truly grateful for my sister.

“you knew this was going to happen,” i said under my breath as i raised my eyes toward the clouds.

i don’t know how long i walked. it seemed like days, but just as i was about to turn the corner from one street to another, i heard something that sounded like screeching brakes. i stopped and whipped my head back to see the brake lights of a passing car. then i heard the clunking sound of a moving car being jerked into reverse. gravel flew around the car and ricocheted off the underbelly of the blue family sedan. the car sped up rapidly, then slammed on the brakes in the middle of the intersection.

i couldn’t scream, cry, blink, or breathe. every functioning component that required energy shut down and redirected all useable resources to getting the heck out of this house before i became one of those kids on a milk carton.

i flew out the door, straddled my barbie bike, and, with every ounce of energy and emotion i had left, tore a swath from this poor man’s front porch to the next block. As i scrambled from disaster, i was screaming bloody murder.

within moments of blurting out some awful noises, tears welled up and flooded my eyes. i began to cry like i had never cried before. water poured down my face like a rushing river. i felt despair like i had never experienced before, and the more i cried, the harder my body pushed out emotions. i seemed to convulse with each breath, sucking air back into my soul, trying to regain each breath with the same intensity my body had expelled it. soon, it was too much to take, and when i was sure i had pedaled to safety, i stopped my bike, got off it, and dropped the frame into the dirt. And then, i just stood there. i looked around. i was lost—completely, utterly lost.

i had no idea where i had come from or where i was going. i had been frantically wandering for only a short time, but my cousin’s house seemed like a distant memory. i had no plan b and no back-up system. i had nothing but a girl’s bike and a broken spirit. i was a mess of a man. little as i was, i was wrecked.

in his book Dynamics of Spiritual Life, dr. richard lovelace said there are two preconditions for change. one is the acknowledgment of the depth of our sin—our “lostness.” i can tell you that being lost isn’t half as bad as realizing that you are. you look around at your world and realize that absolutely everything you thought you knew, every thought you are having, and every relationship you have known seems different. yet, in the same breath, you realize they haven’t changed—you have.

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“i think we should grab it,” my mother said gently.

“i won’t ride it. i am never riding a bike again—ever.”

if it weren’t for the bike, i reasoned, i never would have been lost. but my mom knew better. she grabbed the bicycle and, with one arm around me and the other on the handlebars, walked us both back to the car. we lifted the bike together and set it in the trunk. As my mom closed the hatch, i lowered my head, stuck my hands in my pockets, and turned toward the passenger side of the car.

“eric,” my mom said.

“yes?” i mumbled.

“Are you okay?”

i rested my hands on the side of the car and said, “i’m just so glad you found me. i didn’t think you would notice i was gone, and when i realized how long i had been away from uncle lloyd’s, i thought you would be mad ...”

“i’m not mad at you, and i would never have stopped looking for you—ever. do you understand? you are my special boy, and there is nothing that you can do, no place you can go, that i won’t be there looking. i love you.”

i could not make out a face, but i didn’t need to. i knew who it was. i recognized the frantic shifting of a panicked mom, my mom, looking for me.

i did not wait for her to drive up the suburban block and rescue me. i dropped the bicycle and, with every last bit of energy i could muster, began running toward my mom. my mom got a glimpse of her baby, threw the car into park, and jumped out the door to meet me in the street. it was like a movie: the wayward son coming to his senses and being ushered back home to the loving embrace of his wonderful mother. As i reached my mom, i grabbed her waist and started crying.

i thought of The Wizard of Oz when dorothy awakens from her long trauma-induced dream, a dream that takes her on a journey both wonderful and terrifying, and opens her eyes to the reality of what matters most. for me, it was as if i now saw in color what was previously only black and white.

“mom, i’m so sorry,” i blurted out. “i didn’t mean to. i didn’t know. i thought i knew the way; i thought i understood. i didn’t. it’s not brandon’s fault; it’s mine. i did it. it was all me. i love you. i love you so much.”

my mother didn’t say much; she just lovingly embraced me until it seemed right to walk hand in hand and reclaim the evil thing that had gotten me into this mess in the first place. “mom, let’s just leave it. please, let’s leave it.”

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_____________ L O S T & F O U N D _____________

she paused, and then she softly said, “you know, i have been looking for you for almost an hour.”

As paul harvey used to say, here is the rest of the story … As soon as my cousin turned the final corner that separated the two of us, he realized that a race is no fun if there is only one person in it. so in an effort to ridicule me, he doubled back to his house. And when i wasn’t there, he went in to tell my mom and dad.

i was unaware of my predicament for 13 minutes. i was aware i was lost for 16 minutes. i was terrified for 9 minutes. remorseful for 7. And resolved to my future for 11. i had been lost for a total of 56 minutes, and my mother had been searching for me for 56 minutes … the entire time. before i was even aware of how lost i was, she was looking. when i was scared, tired, terrified, hopelessly resigned, she was looking.

i jumped into the car, and we began the slow ride home, a drive of salvation that took me past the street i was so scared on, the house that symbolized my predicament, the park that was once

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece.

- Ephesians 2:8-10a, NLT

the goal of my adventure, and then back home. i came full circle in this short car ride, and i was home. i was saved. i was found.

remember that dr. lovelace said there are two preconditions for change, one of which i mentioned earlier: understanding the depth of our “lostness.” the other precondition is realizing the greatness, the holiness, and the glory of our gracious god. it has been my experience in life that nothing can show the greatness of our wonderful god more than to reflect upon the beauty and brilliance of his grace in our savior, Jesus christ.

your heavenly father will not stop, he will not waver. he is enduring, his patience is perfect, his love is pure—and he is interested in you!

A wonderful god.A lost humanity.A beautiful savior.

A search that started for you—even before you knew how much you needed him. before you knew you were lost.

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_____________ L O S T & F O U N D _____________

Make Disciples for life

We believe that life change happens best

when people are connected to group life.

In group life, we pursue our relationship

with God and with others in an authentic

way. These small groups consist of 12-15

people which we call “Life Groups”

at Red Rocks Church.

FoR moRe InFoRmaTIon on hoW To joIn a LIFe GRoup vIsIT:

redrockschurch.com/groups

c h e c ko u t

t h i sm i n i s t r y

BE pART OF ITd o n t g o t o c h u r c h

f i n d w h e r e y o u b e l o n g

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15

_____________ L I F E g R O U p S _____________

ERIkb y e r s yo u t h M i n i s t r y

JOShk i n g ry y o u t h M i n i s t r y

CARSONb A n ko r dC r e a t i v e l e a d

JORDANm c cA s l i n g r o u p l i f e

BRIANZ i b e l l g r o u p l i f e

ShAWNJ o h n s o n l e a d p a s t o r

kELSEyb o t t c h e r g r o u p l i f e / t r a i n e r

BEkAhk r i s tA n t h e s h a C k

JAREDn e e r h o ff a C i l i t i e s

SCOTTrussomAnno s p o r t s M i n i s t r y

MARkw r Ayp r o d u C t i o n / s o u n d

JBp ow e l lCaMpus pastor

JESSIEdAv i s f u e l M i n i s t r y l e a d e r

CRAIgv i n c e n tlead prod/teCh

kRySTALs h u t t e s p o r t s i n t e r n SCOTT

b ru e g m A nM u l t i - s i t e p a s t o r

CASEyb A n ko r dC a M p u s p a s t o r

MORgANt r Awg r a p h i C d e s i g n e r

TRAvISh A l li C o n n e C t

• erik just proposed to amie• erik & tyler are both from indiana• erik met Jordan through craigslist• erik was a missionary kid & Jordan’s married to a missionary kid

• Jordan, eric, JB, Jared & morgan are all pastor’s kids• Jordan, shawn, & Jessie all played college soccer• Jordan’s married to a missionary kid & erik was a missionary kid• Jordan met erik through craigslist

• Brian, shawn & craig all had mullets• Brian met his wife through eric & chrissy• Brian, shawn, scott, & chad are among the 5 founders of red rocks church

• Josh, casey, carson & Bekah are all from illinois• Josh was a white water rafting instructor & travis h. was a hang gliding instructor • Josh just got married

• kelsey and amie are sisters-in-law• kelsey, mark, Jessie & scott all went to ccu• JB & kelsey worked together at waterstone community church• kelsey just had a baby

• Jared , eric, JB, Jordan & morgan are pastor’s kids• Jared is the tallest person on staff

• JB & scott shared the same dorm room 10 years apart• JB, eric, Jordan, Jared & morgan are pastor’s kids• JB & kelsey worked together at waterstone

• scott & chad are brothers• scott & JB shared the same dorm room 10 years apart• scott & morgan both attended yearbook camp when they were in high school

• scott, mark, Jessie, & kelsey all went to ccu• scott’s wife was a Broncos cheerleader.

• craig, shawn & Brian all had mullets• craig & mark both love hard music• volunteered at willow creek community church in chicago at the same time as Brian Zibell• craig & Jessie have both attended red rocks from the first week it started.

• krystal’s a huge cheesehead. (she loves the packers, and wants to marry aaron rodgers)

• she’s the only girl in the sports Department (and has to put up with scott r. & travis c. )

• casey, carson, Josh & Bekah are from illinois• carson & casey are brothers• carson was in eric’s youth group• carson, Jessie & morgan all went to the art institute• carson & shelly both have had cars stolen

• casey, carson, Josh & Bekah are from illinois• casey & carson are brothers• casey & eric wrote a book together• casey & amie have the same birthday

• carson, Jess & morgan all went to the art institute• scott & morgan both attended yearbook camp when they were in high school

• travis was a hang gliding instructor & Josh was a white water rafting instructor

• shawn, Brian, scott, & chad are among the 5 founders of red rocks church• shawn & eric parks were roommates• shawn & chris are brothers-in-law• shawn, Jordan & Jessie all played college soccer• shawn, craig & Brian all had mullets• shawn, chad, scott, chrissy, eric & chris all have 3 kids

• mark used to drive a school bus• mark, Jessie, kelsey & scott all went to ccu

• Bekah, Josh, casey & carson are all from illinois

• Jess, shawn & Jordan all played college soccer• Jess, mark, kelsey & scott r. all went to ccu• craig & Jessie have both attended red rocks from the first week it started.

red rocks churchGet to know the

interesting facts & connections that

make up the staff of

= 2 c a m p u s e s • 3 8 F a c e s • 1 c h u r c h =

red rocks church

staff

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_____________ R R C S T A F F _____________

AMIEb o t t c h e ra d M i n a s s i s t a n t

ALICIAh A r m sk i d s r o C k l a u n C h

JOhNtrowbridgef a C i l i t i e s

ChADb ru e g m A nt e a C h i n g p a s t o r

JAkEe s p yW o r s h i p l e a d e r

SARAhb r A m e rk i d s r o C k

JERRICAm At r o n eW o r s h i p

TESSt r ow b r i d g el i t t l e r o C k

TyLERr o b e rt sW o r s h i p

ChRISJ i n d r AC a r e M i n i s t r y

ANDREWm At r o n eyo u t h M i n i s t r y

WhITTNAyr o b e rt sh o s t t e a M l i a s o n

ADAMr ow ev i d e o / i n t e r a C t i v e M e d i a

ERICpA r k sM a d s C i e n t i s t

ShELLylAJimodierek i d s r o C k

ChRISSypA r k sh u M a n r e s o u r C e s

BRINNAEr o g g owW o r s h i p

TRAvIScA r e yl e a g u e C o o r d i n a t o r

MIChELLEpA r rC u r r i C u l u M

• alicia & Jake both have fathers in law enforcement• alicia worked full time the entire time she attended college of the ozarks

• Jake & travis c. are both gingers• Jake & alicia both have fathers in law enforcement

• Jerrica & andrew are married• Jerrica & Brinnae are high school best friends• andrew, Jerrica & Brinnae were all in chad’s youthgroup

• tyler & whittnay are married• tyler & erik are from indiana• tyler loves the titans, and no one else does• adam & tyler both have southern accents

• chris & shawn are brothers- in-law• chris, shawn, scott, chrissy & eric all have 3 kids• chris played college baseball all 4 years while also touring on a human video team in college

• tyler & whittnay are married• 90s babies: whittnay ,tess & sarah

• adam & amie both worked for Disney• adam is the biggest college football fan and andrew is the biggest college football athlete• adam & michelle both share a love for sugary drinks• adam & tyler both have southern accents

• eric & chrissy are married• eric, JB, Jordan, Jared & morgan are all pastor’s kids• eric was carson's youth pastor• eric, chrissy, chad, shawn, scott & chris all have 3 kids• casey & eric wrote a book together• Brian met his wife through eric & chrissy.

• chrissy & eric are married• chrissy, eric, scott, chris, chad, & shawn all have 3 kids• chrissy & John both love 80s music• Brian met his wife through chrissy and eric

• travis c. & Jake are both gingers• travis c. & chad are both 49er fans

• chad & scott are brothers• chad & travis c. are both 49er fans • andrew, Jerrica & Brinnae were all in chad’s youth group• chad, shawn, scott, chrissy, eric & chris all have 3 kids• chad was homecoming king in high school

• andrew & Jerrica are married• adam is the biggest college foot- ball fan & andrew is the biggest college football athlete• andrew, Jerrica & Brinnae were all in chad’s youth group

• 90s babies: tess, sarah & whittnay• tess is John’s daughter

• John is tess’ father• John & chrissy both love 80s music

• 90s babies: sarah, tess & whittnay• sarah is the shortest person on staff• amie was sarah’s brothers sunday school teacher

• shelly & carson both have had cars stolen• shelly & michelle were both teachers before working at red rocks

•michelle & adam share a love for sugary drinks

• shelley & michelle were both teachers before working at red rocks

• Brinnae, andrew & Jerrica were all in chad’s youth group• Brinnae & Jerrica are high school best friends• saw Phantom of the Opera eleven times in theaters

• amie & adam both worked for Disney• amie & morgan went to rival christian colleges in so-cal• amie & kelsey are sisters-in-law• erik just proposed to amie• amie & casey have the same birthday• amie was sarah’s brother's sunday school teacher

90’s

90’s

1 :167 staff to attendee

- r a t i o -

years ago we began with five staff members; all unpaid, all working second jobs to make Red Rocks Church a reality.8

48% of the staff was born in the 80s

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_____________ R R C S T A F F _____________

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_____________ B E F O R E I D I E _____________

B Y c a s e Y B a n k o r d

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_____________ B E F O R E I D I E _____________

The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.

– Mark Twain

befo

re i

die

//

SepT

‘12

a lo

ok b

ack

at th

e big

gest

seri

es o

f the

yea

r

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_____________ B E F O R E I D I E _____________

those of us who have found Jesus and committed our lives to him have been given a new chance, a new hope, and a fresh opportunity to make our marks. yet, no one knows how long our lives will last. we hope they will be long and healthy, full of friends, memories, and quality accomplishments, but often wonder if we’ll accomplish all that we intend. As we get older, we learn that every day is precious, every conversation is important, and every goal has a time limit. therefore, we may or may not have a chance to do all that we want to do unless we consciously and intentionally choose specific things to accomplish.

what will you do before you die that will make an important impact on the world?

we asked this question together in the Before I Die series in the fall of 2012. thousands of us expressed our goals, hopes, and dreams by writing them on several large chalkboards outside the church. the messages on the chalkboards were remarkable. people to reach, problems to solve, mountains to climb, sicknesses to heal, relationships to mend, poor communities to be fed, injustices to be righted, and races to be run.

As a church, we prioritized the things in our lives that are most important, most precious, and most glorifying to our god, and then committed to taking action. stories poured in from people who stopped waiting to do what was right, and just started doing it. we collected stories throughout the series. here are just a few.

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_____________ B E F O R E I D I E _____________

i would like to see god use me to show christ in the lives of more people than i can imagine

complete an ironman triathlon

i want to ride an elephant

i want to be on wheel of fortune

i want to ride in a giant hamster ball

i want to hit a low flying bird with my car

i want to live in paris and go from china to russia on the trans-siberian railway

i would like to see my son-in-law saved

i would love to be present when someone accepts christ

i would love to live in africa for a season of life

get married, have awesome sex, and raise a family

before i die...

13% of responses arerelated to family

9% want to be a better reflection of christ

6% have to do with

Love Finding it. giving it. being abLe to receive it

i want to take a catamaran ride in Bahamas while sting, my favorite singer, sings to me

i just wanna be a dad my son will always remember in a wonderful way

i would love to serve as a missionary

i want to be a great husband and father, just like my father was and always will be

i want to find my purpose in life and make a difference

i want to be the best me i can be - the best wife, mom, sister, friend, and so much more

i want to do something that everyone thinks is completely crazy because i know it’s the right thing

experience god under the northern lights

travel the world and photograph what i experience

get a double eagle (golf )

i want to fall in love with Jesus

i want to publish a book

i will go where god wants me

i want to write and publish a children’s book

run with the bulls in spain

i want to go to israel

restore my family through divorce

i want to win my niece cathy to christ

i want to do a missions trip

our son and daughter on fire for christ, including their fiancés

i am loving and serving father, son, and holy spirit every moment until he calls me home

see my brother return to christ

go on an international service / mis-sion trip

go to israel

live life without distractions and have unbreakable focus on what is most important

positively impact someone’s life in a big, sustainable way

i want to see all three of my children serving god - for salvation

want so desperately to be more financially able to live and provide out of poverty

i want to effectively contribute to-wards spreading the awareness of rare diseases

i want to milk a cow

i want to drive a car 200+ miles / hour

play the world’s greatest golf courses

i would love to bring more people closer to christ.

i want to go to africa and start a clinic and raise money to get medicine to help the kids

i would love to have a child

i want to live a good life

i want to travel in a rv

i want god to shine through me

i want to make the woman of my dreams the happieset child of god in the world

i’ll have fulfilled my service to his glory

i want to go to africa

i want to be a really good mom

make sure god is in my life

tell my family i love them

live life to the fullest

my slate will be clean

to do what god has called me to do , which is to share my story in a public way

make a positive impact on my com-munity

i’d like to find the love of my life

H E R E A R E J U S T A F E W O F T H E T H O U S A N D S O F R E S P O N S E S W E G OT TO T H E S E T H R E E WO R D S . . .

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_____________ B E F O R E I D I E _____________

i want to skydive

i want to join the prayer team at red rocks church to bless bless bless

witness a revival in africa/mission trip

win hgtv’s next Design star and have my own design show

rescue people from sexual slavery and trafficking and teach them that there’s hope in Jesus

through the holy spirit in me and the gift of mercy he has provided in me, 100 people will be added to the Book of life before i die.

i want to walk through the holy lands

to live out of the country and share him with others

climb a 14er

see les miserables in london

Be part of a team that starts churches in closed countries (ex: saudi arabia, n korea, afghanistan)

i want to represent christ on glee

i want to serve in africa or asia

run my horse

ask for forgiveness

tell my family, pets, and friends i love them

write one last entry in my diary

kiss a chad

i would like to change someone’s life

i would like to complete my mission here and become the man god made me to be

raise my son well

go where god wants me to go

i want to have children and a family

Die to my self, my pride

stop stressing over trivial things

let go of past and love now

find my purpose, act on it in a way which is pleasing to god

my soul to be free

to forgive my wife for her betrayal and to bring her to christ

live a lifetime, year, day or hour without sin

see others happy; let go of judgement

Believe that my mom will be healed be-cause he came to heal our brokenness

praise him who died for us

have confidence through christ - love myself for what he made me

lose myself

have the knowledge that god loves me as i was made in his creation

go beyond ”today” and succeed in the lord

to see my boys love you and each other through you

get baptised

find grace

to live worry free

meet my soul mate

Be more appreciative of what god has given me - i take a lot for granted

to be a god-fearing man

learn to pray with all my soul

i want to go to the olympics

to let go of things i want

live my life fully for the lord

Be with a man who loves god more than me

to learn love and faithfulness

have faith

i want to become a firefighter para-medic

reach the orphans and let them expe-rience love

i want to be in a place where i know god has put me

i want to do something that’ll change the world; also help children who are being abused i want to go on a mission trip

i want to figure out what god’s plan for my life is

i want to help save as many people as i can from drug and alcohol addiction

i want to hang out and minister with the pygmies in the jungle in papua new guinea

Dive into a pool of red Jello (preferably cherry flavored)

i want to produce an award winning and soul winning feature film

either join the peace corps or ameri-corps, or join the to write love on her arm organization

i want to see a new orphanage com-pleted on behalf of mafi church in guinea-Bissau

i want to be a missionary

raise godly children

travel to africa; work with orphans enjoy god’s world - have fun

learn to surrender daily and hear god’s voice

crowd surf

slide down a bowling lane

Build an igloo

stay in every major hotel on the strip in las vegas

solve a rubik’s cube

smash an expensive guitar

i am childless but want badly to leave fruit for the kindgom

27% want to tRaVEL

10% want to do

extreme or daring stunts

5%OF peOple want tO be

restOred Or redeemed

adopt a child

i want to go on a backpacking trip in europe with my older brother

use my artistic talent for the glory of god, to help share his awesomeness

Dive great Barrier reef

run a missions ministry in central africa

i want to visit and experience new Zealand

shave my head - everyone should know what it feels like to be vulnerable and socially abnormal

i want to ride a bull

run with the bulls in spain

i want to pay for someone’s education who is not related to me

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_____________ B E F O R E I D I E _____________

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_____________ B E F O R E I D I E _____________

The GifT of a Second chance

B Y J e s s i e d a v i s

a n i n t e r v i e w w i t h c h r i s t i n a & s a m m

The measure of a life, after all, is not its duration, but its donation.

– Corrie ten Boom

it was the new year of 2011. christina had just graduated college, and the world was brimming with possibilities. like most young adults, there was a hope and push to make something of her life, to have a career, and to affect her world in meaningful ways. she had spent the fall praying about her future, but unlike most of her peers, her leading from god felt less about a job or career move. “i had visited colorado, and out of nowhere i felt a longing to move here. i knew i needed to be here, even though i didn’t know why.”

beautiful and focused, christina has a sense of purpose unusual for people her age. the oldest of nine, christina is the type whose choices are clear, concise, and firm. when she felt a pull from god to move to colorado, no one was able to change her mind. “i decided i was going for it. i didn’t want to miss that opportunity,” she smiles. on January 15, 2011, christina packed up, said goodbye to family, friends, and a community of security in texas, and shipped herself out to colorado.

for a year, christina worked nanny jobs, established new connections, and found a new church. the “reason” for the move was still unclear, but like all decisions christina made, she never wavered. “i trusted that i would see the big picture eventually. i took that trust day by day.” her faith kept her in colorado through a year of growth and change. it was this type of faith that would prepare her for what was ahead.

meanwhile, a complete stranger a suburb away was on her own journey. samm, a young mom, was attempting to communicate with the pastor at her church. she was calling him in hopes that he would agree to oversee her funeral. despite medical efforts, her kidneys were failing. this single mom was in the process of planning her own funeral.

[f r o m t h e b E F OR E I DI E s e r i e s]

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_____________ B E F O R E I D I E _____________

No one has greater love [no one has shown stronger affection] than to lay down (give up) his own life for his friends.

– John 15:13 Amplified Version

several years prior, when samm was in college, she had battled an infection that was undertreated. the result was damaged and eventually failing kidneys. when she became pregnant after college, the doctors became even more concerned. carrying her son brode to term would mean samm’s kidneys, and ultimately her life, would be at risk. “i knew he was going to be ok. i can’t describe it, but i knew it. i knew the day he was going to be born, that he was going to have red hair, and that he was going to be awesome,” she explains. brode was born safely, but a few years later, her kidneys took a turn for the worse, and samm began to need weekly dialysis. As her condition deteriorated, samm felt as though she was out of options.

in may 2012, she contacted red rocks church to begin talking through her funeral arrangements. it was at this point that samm was encouraged by chad, her pastor and friend, to continue to have hope. “he kept telling me to have hope. to not give up hope.” he encouraged her to continue to have faith, however small, and to trust for some type of new beginning. “hope is a powerful thing,” she says simply. that spring, samm took up a new hope, barely knowing that god was already orchestrating a beautiful match.

it was that summer that christina and samm first crossed paths. both attending red rocks, christina learned of samm’s health situation via social media updates on a facebook page called “A kidney for samm.” christina read through samm’s story and reached out to her. they exchanged a few tweets on a saturday, and on sunday, at one of the evening services, they met each other at church. As could only be written by the hand of god, two girls had met, and their lives would be forever connected from that point on.

After that first sunday, samm and christina stayed connected–writing occasionally, texting, talking at church, meeting for lunch, and getting to know each other. during that time, christina recognized god at work again. “i knew that god had a big, big plan,” christina says. A few months later, christina made a life-altering decision. she was going to be tested to see if she could be an organ match for samm.

in the Before I Die series, chad gave a message that talked about samm and her condition. the weekend of september 16, 2012, thousands of people heard samm’s story, and were affected by her apparent reality. that sunday, chad implored them to pray for a miracle.

four days later, christina was at the hospital, getting tested. like all other decisions, christina felt assured and completely confident. even with samm’s doubts and fears for her newfound friend, christina would not waver in her choice.

“i came to a realization over the last year of living and trusting god that my life was finite, and precious. i could have gotten that call, ‘hey, your kidneys are failing.’ that could have been me. it was so obvious that god had his hand on the scenario the entire time. without him, i wouldn’t have come to red rocks and i wouldn’t have met samm.” she pauses and then says with complete honesty, “in the back of my mind, i always knew that i would be a match.”

on september 24, 2012, christina got a call. “you’re a match,” the nurse said over the phone.

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_____________ B E F O R E I D I E _____________

“when would you like to schedule surgery?” while the actual chances of christina being a match were extremely slim, it was a reality nonetheless. she was the very first person to get tested. And she was a complete match. it was an absolute miracle.

christina called samm and gave her the shocking and wonderful news. samm sat silently on the phone. there was a hesitation. samm and christina had become friends, and samm felt the burden of putting her in harm’s way. “i told her not to do it,” samm says, smiling at christina. “i care about christina. i said, ‘we can find someone else. it is such a sacrifice.’” christina persisted, “let’s do it.” christina put in a request for a date.

“i decided even before i got tested that i was going to donate to her,” christina says, smiling. “it was a no-brainer. if there was something i could do to help her, i was going to do it. god gave me two kidneys,” she says happily, “i can live with one.”

the scheduling and pre-operation procedures went seamlessly. within weeks, they were both telling friends and family members about the news. one was preparing to lay down her life, and another was getting a second chance.

on november 19, both girls were prepared for surgery in different rooms at a hospital in downtown denver. christina prayed a small prayer as the doctors helped her onto the table, “i just prayed, ‘god–i trust you. All for your glory.’”

hours later, christina awoke. her surgery was a success and samm’s was underway. the next day, samm woke up to a body with lower levels of toxins than had been present in months. the transplant went perfectly with both girls healing, and a rising awareness of the amazing event that had just taken place.

two months after the surgery, the two girls are sitting together in my office. samm is back at work. christina is working again as well, and they both are enjoying life and friends. samm chats happily about how she doesn’t miss dialysis. she doesn’t miss the anxious feeling of possibly missing out on her son’s life. she says she’s healthier, her eyes are clearer and her heart is at peace. “it’s crazy! i can think about having a life now. maybe someday i can get married. maybe i can have another baby. it’s all a possibility now.”

christina smiles, laughs, and looks perfectly healthy. even though she has to drink more water than normal to help her body acclimate to a missing kidney, you would never know she was missing one. she is as self-confident and joyful as she was when she moved here two years ago.

when i ask if she would do it again, christina says, “Absolutely,” without skipping a beat, “without a doubt. i would do it again.”

in what is truly one of the most gorgeous pictures of new beginnings and second chances, these two ladies inspire and bring fresh meaning to the word sacrifice–what the bible calls “the greatest love.” the reality of christina’s giving heart is evident in samm’s new hope. A brand new life, with a new, vibrant start.

“sometimes people wonder if god is listening to them, or if god is there. i hope they hear this story and never wonder again,” samm says boldly. she sits forward and smiles, “second chances are always there. our god is a god who always redeems. there’s always, always hope.”

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_____________ B E F O R E I D I E _____________

c h e c ko u t

t h i sm i n i s t r y

little rock: Pre - ka warm, safe and loving environment for your pre-schooler as they learn the three basic truths: God made me, God loves me, jesus wants to be my friend forever.

kids rock: k - 3an exciting and loving place where kids learn: to make wise choices, trust God no matter what, and treat others the way you want to be treated.

the shack: 4,5,6a place made just for pre-teens to build community and study the Bible. with a focus on things, friendship, faith and wisdom.

3 environments // 1 purpose

FOR MORE INFORMATION vISIT: redrockS cHurcH/coNNecT/cHILdreN

a t b o t h t h e g o l d e n & l i t t l e t o n c a M P u s e s

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_____________ k I D S R O C k _____________

there was a time when writing an article like this would have been second nature to me. As an undergraduate journalism major at colorado state university, i turned out op-ed articles at breakneck speed for the local college paper, which was a wonderful opportunity to influence dozens of people. nowadays, however, i am admittedly out of practice. so, when the opportunity was offered to me to write an article for crowd, i jumped at the chance to make a triumphant return to the limelight.

i imagined composing such a deep, profound exposé on the worship department that many would likely tear this article out of the magazine, frame it, and hang it next to that picture of great Aunt mildred. it would be a keepsake to hand down to your kids to remind them of a time when journalistic excellence still reigned supreme.

m e e t Y o u r

WORShIp LEADERSBY Jake espY

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_____________ M E E T y O U R W O R S h I p L E A D E R S _____________

but as i sat down to pen this masterpiece, i began to feel a bit torn. torn between writing the aforementioned “serious” piece of hard-hitting journalism, and taking a sophomoric route to share the oddball nuances i’ve discovered while getting to know the members of our worship team.

ultimately, despite my best intentions, i chose the latter–the oddball nuances approach. therefore, the remaining words will be some of my favorite things about our worship leaders–their idiosyncrasies, if you will. it won’t be glamorous, it won’t win a pulitzer, and it probably won’t be grammatically correct; but here it goes.

tyler is from indiana, which for some inexplicable reason left him with a southern accent. it’s not quite a drawl, but it’s definitely smoother than you’d expect from a hoosier. if you spend enough time around him, you will eventually hear the accent slide around noticeably. most of the time, it falls somewhere near a matthew mcconaughey from How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. but when he gets excited, it starts to resemble something from Duck Dynasty or Swamp People – very southern, if you catch my drift. if you happen to catch him during a tennessee titans football game, you might hear the change in his accent happen within the same sentence. it baffles the mind. tyler maintains that he has no accent whatsoever. denial isn’t just a river in egypt.

Jerrica, on the other hand, hails from missouri. her major claim to fame is that she and brad pitt went to the same high school –kickapoo –which is, by the way, a terrible name for a high school. but, what do you expect from a state with a name like missouri? missouri so closely resembles the word “misery” that kickapoo is actually a step up in a lot of ways. i digress. Jerrica is, bar none, the most fashionable member of the worship team. At any given time, you can find her partially obscured behind a cloud of hairspray she just applied for the third time that morning, or surfing the designer boot websites i’m sure my wife introduced her to.

Jerrica misplaces her keys about three times a week, loses her phone once a day, and she somehow seems to “forget” her wallet almost every time the worship team goes out to eat (a convenient fact that always seems to surface right as we approach the cash register).

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_____________ M E E T y O U R W O R S h I p L E A D E R S _____________

Additionally, Jerrica claims she can eat 50 chick-fil-A chicken nuggets in one sitting. this statement has yet to be substantiated, but it is highly disputed amongst the red rocks staff.

brinnae is the new kid on the block, just joining staff in december of 2012. in my mind, there are basically two important things you need to know about her at this juncture. first, she is much more hip than i am; unquestionably. her coolness can be summed up in three statements.

1. she has an arm sleeve (that’s an arm full of tattoos for the layman).

2. she drives a volvo.

3. i don’t know if you read the first part, but her name is brinnae. you hAve to be cool in order to pull that off. i couldn’t pull off a name like “brinnae” if i had to. i can barely pull off “Jake.” heck, i could barely pull off “ned.”

secondly, from the first moment i met her, i became very much aware that she could easily beat me up. A fact that is evidenced by the aforementioned arm sleeve, and that she was the screamer in a heavy metal band before she moved to colorado. (side note: the band was called “this is love.” i don’t know about you, but when i think of love, i think of a girl screaming uncontrollably at the top of her lungs and heavy rock music. who doesn’t?)

my name is Jake. because i’ve picked on everyone else so far, it’s only fair to throw myself under the bus with them. my favorite albums growing up were boyz ii men, n*sync (notice the properly placed asterisk following the “n”), and the soundtrack from Space Jam. i wore sweatpants exclusively until about 9th grade, which i usually paired with a graphic t-shirt of a wolf howling at the moon or a starter jacket. i created the rap alias, “orange smoothie” for myself in 6th grade due to my hair color. some people on staff still call me some variation of that nickname. i have seen every episode of Boy Meets World and i have never lost a race in mario kart 64. last, the other worship leaders would probably say that i’m somewhat argumentative. naturally, i disagree.

i wish i could close this article with some sort of inspirational quote, or a spiritual insight i’ve garnered from this worship team along the way. i wish i had something to say that would secure this article a spot in your family heirloom scrapbook. but let’s be honest, i just got done telling you i was an n*sync fanatic who wore starter jackets. from that, there is no recovering. instead, let’s just end like this: i consider myself extremely lucky to be part of such an amazing group of worship leaders, christians, musicians, and friends. if you happen to get to know brinnae, Jerrica, or tyler as well as i have, i’m sure you’d be just as impressed by their strength of character as i have been. i’m excited for the future of red rocks church, and the part we get to play as worship leaders. mostly, i want to thank red rocks church, for believing in us, trusting us, and worshiping with us week after week. it is truly a privilege that none of us take lightly.

oh, let’s please keep the n*sync thing just between us. my wife still doesn’t know about it. if she did, she’d never let me live it down.

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Chris gave me a hug and sat down in the chair across

the table. Calm, confident and kind, it’s easy to see

why Chris has a panache for sales. I thanked him for

meeting mid-day, as his work schedule was probably full. “Oh no,” Chris brushed

it off. “I allotted time for this,” he smiled, and we

began.

hero

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if one thing could be said about chris, it is that he’s intentional. he does all things with purpose and gusto, and i assumed our interview would be no different. “it was at Belmar,” chris remembered, thinking back on when he had first started serving on the café team, “when it was little.”

it was 2007, and the church was just over 500 people. the church was three years old then, and like a toddler of the same age, it was having a growth spurt. red rocks met in an event center in the middle of Belmar, and every weekend, the café team brewed huge amounts of coffee to field the demand. “i went back into the kitchen, and there were extension cords everywhere, and probably 15 percolators. i just jumped in and started helping.”

years before this, chris was a restaurant owner in Dallas. having extensive knowledge about the food and hospitality business, chris’ skillset was managerial, structural, and forward-thinking. at other points in his life he was a kitchen manager with a passion for food, which is also how he and his wife tyra connected and eventually married. chris also worked in sales for a hotel chain. chris brought all of these gifts in his service on the café team. over the years he pushed for better coffees, nicer presentations, better food for the volunteers on sundays, and more structure. “it’s an exercise in my joy and passion for the hospitality business,” chris nods, thinking about the last 5 years, “it’s my way of getting on my knees.”

in 2008, red rocks moved again, back to heritage square. once again, it went through another growth spurt. chris, alongside amber phifer, missy Bleich, sam Baier, and other leaders, diligently managed volunteers, brewing, supplies, foods, and other weekend goodies. every weekend they served hundreds of krispy kreme doughnuts and gallons of coffee to attenders. “we put a smile on people’s faces.” when it was announced in 2012 that red rocks would have an additional campus in littleton, chris again saw the need for structure amidst growth. he took on the task of ordering for multiple campuses, setting up a delivery schedule, and training a host of volunteers. all of this work, over all that time, he did unpaid.

what’s more impressive, though, was chris’ diligence in service during his own personal trials. like many americans in 2009, chris and his family were faced with downsized income and a financial stress all their own. chris and his wife worked multiple jobs, moved homes, and pushed to stay grounded with their kids while the economy’s bottom fell out. the entire time, chris kept volunteering each sunday. “it was brutally hard, but i was in a season where i needed to give. it was a place that gave me relief because it felt like i was doing something.” which boils down chris and his heart. kindness and giving, it would seem, were not just evident in the great times; but in the trying times as well. “i guess that’s the answer–that those are the trials that god puts us through –but we can decide to say, 'god, you’re by my side; just as you were during the best of times.’”

today, between the two campuses, chris wrangles over 80 volunteers who serve morning and evening shifts. with the help of teresa knight and vicky reschly, the volunteers work to bring cups of warmth to the weekend guests. the coffee orders have reached hundreds of pounds at a time; the cream fills multiple refrigerators at both locations. each weekend, the flow is seamless and happy. on top of that, chris and tyra have often catered events for the church. cooking for large crowds with poise and ease and with the attention of a chef, chris has catered events for hundreds of people. as for the caliber of food: excellent. “i don’t want to just do hot dogs,” chris laughs, “particularly when we do things to thank the volunteers. i want them to go, ‘wow, this is really nice!’” his thankfulness for the army of volunteers is apparent: “without them, weekends would not be possible.”

and while the events and weekends are busy and hectic, chris remains all smiles. whatever type of chaos food and drink coordination for thousands of attendees may cause, chris remains focused on the prize: making people welcome; making people smile. “my faith got deeper because of this church,” chris says thankfully and sincerely. when i comment about how inspiring i find his service and heart for volunteering, chris smiles and counters, “the more i serve god, the closer i become with him.”

By Jessie Davis

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_____________ h E R O E S _____________

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_____________ S p O R T S _____________

gAMEChANgINgBY caseY Bankord

“Build community, get people active, and reach out to people in need,” scott russomanno, executive Director of red rocks sports, responded when asked why the sports ministry at red rocks church exists. “it’s our hope that people show up to play a sport with their friends, but in the end, discover that christians can be normal and fun, and that there are needs in our city waiting to be met.”

red rocks sports is one of the largest sports organizations in the Denver area with 14 leagues and almost 1,500 participants. in addition to high quality sports activities such as football, soccer, volleyball, dodgeball, golf, and more, red rocks sports organizes outreach events around the community where teams from various leagues gather together to serve at homeless shelters, mentor at foster homes, or play games with special needs kids–just to name a few.

while sports are fun and a great way to stay active, that is not why the ministry exists. Just like red rocks church, the sports ministry exists to produce life change. and, by god’s grace, there are amazing stories everywhere you look.

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_____________ S p O R T S _____________

“We want to see people’s lives impacted and

changed forever.”

14 leagues

1,473 ParticiPants

5 ACTIvE gROUpS

804 MEMBERS

30 outreachevents

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_____________ S p O R T S _____________

Jeffwhen Jeff was 19, he turned away from God. he stopped pray-

ing, stopped attending church, and started living life for himself. he began making decisions that placed an immense burden of

guilt on his shoulders and because of those decisions (and some difficult personal circumstances); he became jaded toward

life, church, and God.

a few years later, Jeff showed up to a red rocks foot-ball league game because a friend invited him. scott

eventually got to know Jeff and introduced him to more people in the league. For three years, he’d

show up every week for games, but refuse to go to church. Gradually, he saw the true joy, laughter, and love that other people in the league had for

each other, and for God. it started to have an impact on him, and he began to feel drawn to the light that was clearly beaming from

their lives.

Jeff committed his life to christ and was baptized in the summer of 2012.

what started as just showing up for pick-up football games turned into a

life radically changed for God. Jeff is now one of the main leaders in the football league, reaching out

to people who are stuck like he once was.

briannared rocks sports partners with the Global down

syndrome foundation to host an exercise pro-gram as an outreach for kids and young adults with down syndrome in the denver area. Bri-

anna, a 28 year old with down syndrome, heard about the program and decided to show up. at

the time, she was unable to climb steps due to her weight. volunteers from the church filled the ex-ercise studio to encourage, assist, and challenge

these kids and young adults toward a healthy, active lifestyle. the energy, fun, and love were electric. Brianna loved the class, and met a volunteer named pat mcdonnell.

pat got to know Brianna after the class, saw the physical struggle she was going through, and offered to pay for a personal trainer to work with Brianna to regain a healthy weight. a year and a half later, Brianna has

lost 73 pounds and can easily scale a staircase. not only that, but she has discovered an extended family through the volunteers who have helped her along the way.

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_____________ S p O R T S _____________

t he visionthe stories of life change coming from red rocks sports go on and on. because playing a sport is so

accessible and disarming, it has been an unparalleled access point for new people to be exposed to the hope

and grace of Jesus. “we want to see people’s lives impacted and changed forever,” scott says, “we

think that as people in our leagues are exposed to other christ followers who are trying their best to

live for god, and also exposed to opportunities to serve those who are suffering and have need in

our community, their perspective will change forever. that is our hope. it has changed mine,

for sure.”

k at ekate heard about the dodgeball league through church one weekend at

red rocks, so she decided to join. the league was fun, she met tons of great people, and she managed to survive the season without getting

injured. the last week of the dodgeball season, kate’s team helped build benches and host a barbeque for mount

saint vincent foster home in Denver. as kate met the staff and kids at

the foster home, she felt an unexplainable tug toward

their mission and the kids at the home.

kate now volunteers at mount saint vincent every

week as part of their mentor-ing program for kids. she also

recruits friends to come help at the home on a regular basis. when

she signed up for dodgeball, she did not expect to discover a calling, but that’s

exactly what happened.

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_____________ S p O R T S _____________

oveR 14 Co-ed LeaGues.

vIsIT ouR WeBsITe To LeaRn

moRe aBouT ouR LeaGues,

spoRTInG evenTs,

and ouTReaCh

oppoRTunITIes.

to participate in our upcoming rock n run 5k, please visit:

redrockssports.com

"the sports ministry offers a competitive enviroment that promotes a culture of

positive sportsmanship"

v o l l e y B a l l

f o o t B a l l

s o f t B a l l

s o f t B a l l

s o C C e r

d o d g e B a l l

c h e c ko u t

t h i sm i n i s t r y

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_____________ S p O R T S _____________

By Brian ZiBell

D E N V E R S H A R E F E S T

renoVating the attitudes (and schools) of denVer

$172,000 contributed to denver Public SchoolS

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_____________ D E N v E R S h A R E F E S T _____________

“we are going to stop talking about love and start showing it by our actions. so red rocks, we are going to be revitalizing twenty-one denver public schools together, and we are calling it ‘denver sharefest’!” i walked off the stage and my heart started racing because i had just asked 4,000 people to give up an entire week to volunteer at our public schools. who is going to want to do that? let’s be honest. people want to go on vacation, go to the beach, mow their lawns, drive up into the mountains, or hang out with friends in their free time. in most cases, if people do sign up for a service project, they do it for a cheesy t-shirt. this was going to be the mother of all service projects, a daunting task with the added pressure of earning the confidence of the administration at the denver public schools. As my co-worker dave and i walked to the first volunteer meeting, we felt like we were experimental space monkeys about to be launched on a mission destined for self-destruction. but then, something amazing happened. people started trickling in and filling the room. executives, college students, teachers, stay-at-home moms, landscapers, painters, concrete workers, entrepreneurs, dentists, and non-profit leaders came ready to make a difference. one hour later, we had a full team of leaders ready to lead the way. our game plan, you ask? we didn’t have one. we were making it up as we went along. we had run a small prototype event with one denver public school earlier that year, and it was a big success. so we felt as though we knew what to expect. the reality, however, was we had no idea what god had in store for our team. our core team of 10 leaders– mostly consisting of ambitious college students – met tirelessly over the next 6 weeks. they planned the project,

recruited and trained leaders, and organized volunteers into the 1,450 volunteer positions. the team created a project plan that included painting entire schools, mulching, landscaping, pulling weeds, concrete work, replacing fences, planting donated trees, sodding, repainting and rebuilding playgrounds, and repairing retaining walls. donations began pouring in from home depot, Arvada flooring, xcel energy, heartland community church, risen savior lutheran church, save our youth, sherwin-williams, teach for America, the leadership and learning center, young life, and local landscape companies. local news and national radio picked up the story. to our amazement, Afternoons with Scott & Kelli from klove came to broadcast from denver sharefest, bringing a whole crew of christian recording artists. chris August, mark schultz, the Afters, citizen way, rhett walker, and moriah peters came and performed onsite. even more astounding was that these artists and personalities came to serve at the schools and put love into action. on July 14, denver sharefest kicked off at montbello high school. early that morning, our leaders rolled up to the school in trucks packed with tables, signs, staging, speakers, t-shirts, and lots of work gloves. we looked like a team of soldiers preparing for battle. And battle we would – against chipping paint, overgrown weeds, the general decay of aging infrastructure. All to fight for the children of denver, colorado. hundreds of volunteers unpacked the sign-in tables, filled out name badges, found their color-coded t-shirts, and identified their assigned teams. the opening day was sunny and warm, and we gathered around the outdoor stage and rallied our team to the mission of denver

To identify, develop, and lead projects that empower volunteers and donors to use their God-given gifts, abilities, and resources to make an impact for the common good.

1,450 volunteerS

5,600 work hourS

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_____________ D E N v E R S h A R E F E S T _____________

sharefest: to identify, develop, and lead projects that empower volunteers and donors to use their god-given gifts, abilities, and resources to make an impact for the common good. it would be impossible to accomplish this mission without people coming together with the sole purpose of putting love into action. 1 John 3:18 says, “let us not love with words or speech, but with actions and in truth.” we were there to serve the denver public schools, to thank the teachers, and to let the students know that there is a community that cares for them and a god who changes lives. during denver sharefest, we saw trans-formation happen in denver, and it wasn’t just in the way the schools looked. volunteers worked a combined 5,600 hours and gave $172,000. As over 1,000 volunteers flooded into the city to revitalize twenty-one schools over 7 days, we noticed that the biggest change was in the lives of the volunteers. many of them showed up with their arms crossed, but ended the day with new friends, full hearts, asking us to make them leaders the next day. god was clearly at work. At midnight on July 20, a man entered an Aurora movie theater and shot 70 people, killing 12 and wounding 58. it was day 6 of denver sharefest and just miles away from our main project site. our thriving team was devastated. that morning, the team met and wondered why god allowed this to happen. how would we react to that? how would we address this with the hundreds of people coming that day to serve? during that conversation, one of the leaders shared philippians 2:14, “do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of god without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’ then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then i

will be able to boast on the day of christ that i did not run or labor in vain.” it was a perfect verse for the moment. we had an opportunity to put love into action and shine like stars in this warped and crooked generation. maybe the light could be greater than the devastating darkness we were facing. encouraged by that verse, sharefest leaders rallied and worked alongside the denver public schools and the red cross to create a donation site. klove broadcasted nationally and asked for donations to be collected to provide essentials and necessities to the people displaced. sharefest workers volunteered to help the families displaced due to the tragic event. they sought to help any way they could or serve any way possible. red rocks church had an opportunity to shine for god in the midst of overwhelming darkness, and we did. A few days later, we celebrated the extraordinary and tireless work of volunteers, thanked the teachers who give their lives to the kids in our city, and worshipped our mighty god. in hindsight, the battlefield that week was not just in the schools. it was a battle for our hearts. A battle to not allow the darkness to win; shining a brighter light for god who is always stronger than anything the world can throw at us. we started the week with a plan to revitalize the schools, and we accomplished that. but god’s plan was bigger. he rehabilitated our hearts, refocused our perspectives, and put us in the right place at the right time to reach out to a hurting community. we were so blessed by each and every person who made denver sharefest possible. it mattered. may god continue to give us opportunities to put love into action and bring help and hope to people in need.

He rehabilitated our hearts,

refocused our perspectives,

and put us in the right place at the

right time to reach out to a hurting

community.

$112,000 in volunteer labor

over 1,000 volunteerS Served at dPS

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_____________ D E N v E R S h A R E F E S T _____________

75 inner city StudentS Served alongSide our team

Seven 6- hour workdayS

200 PizzaS, 108 feet of Subway SandwicheS

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You give of yourself without any expectation or compensation … and you walk away with more than you ever imagined. I know it’s just coffee, but it’s important.

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it’s easy to see immediately from teresa that she is a tender soul. soft, kind and giving, she was overly grateful and humble as she settled in for our interview. where this generous heart came from, i wanted to know. and so we started with the beginning.

it was 2007 when teresa began attending red rocks church. she quietly came in the doors and sat by herself near the back of the church, keeping to herself. her trainer had told her about the church, and one sunday she made the trek up to the amusement park to see what it was about. a scarf was wrapped carefully around her head; she was in the middle of chemotherapy.

“scott was giving the message that night, and he walked over and shook my hand and introduced himself. he just looked at me and said, ‘we’re really glad you’re here.’”

she eventually helped with coffee a bit in that small room at heritage square, and in late 2007 after chemo, she was found cancer-free. in 2009, she got back into serving again when there was a call for volunteers and she felt compelled to sign up. somewhere within those first couple of years, teresa found god. in June of 2010 she was baptized, and found fulfillment in being more involved at church. her service and generosity became a hallmark of her walk with god. in 2011 she went to haiti with a team from compassion international to meet a partner church in port-au-prince. it was on that trip that she decided to sponsor not one, but four compassion students from haiti. But sending money isn’t the end of her service. she does hands-on things, too. teresa takes the café table cloths home every week to wash and dry, bringing them back folded nicely for the team. and every sunday, teresa helps bring a smile to thousands of people, facilitating the service of coffee at the church.

teresa’s heart and her reasons for doing what she does every week are simple: “our guests really love our coffee,” she laughs. “we serve others in a way that makes them happy. we set out special things for the volunteer crews, and during events we do food. we’re all in this together. it makes them feel comfortable. and wanted. and welcome.”

teresa, alongside chris kilcullen and other leaders, make serving for the café team fun and happy. sending out the schedule every week she tries to emphasize the volunteers' importance. “we really try and lift everybody up. we tell them every week that we appreciate them. it’s a choice that they’ve made; they don’t have to do it. we want to care about them and get to know them. it’s like a house – the café is the heart of the home.”

truly, it’s easy to see that the café is the heart of the home. teresa’s heart, along with others’ leadership, has created an environment that is comfortable and warm, complete with coffee and tea. while the café team continues to grow, scheduling dozens of people each weekend at both campuses, the vibe and warmth of the ministry remains the same. this weekend, like every weekend before, teresa will be sure to create an environment that makes the newcomer feel exactly as she felt upon her first visit. with a cup of coffee she says, “we’re really glad you’re here.”

By Jessie Davishero

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A LOOk BACk> A T A S E R I E S O F S E R I E S F R O m R E D R O c k S I N 2 0 1 2 <

uprising: Jan 1 – Feb 12matthew 11:12the kingdom of god has never happened accidentally. it has never advanced passively. it has advanced forcefully, passionately, and intentionally. god has a specific plan for every one of us. and he’s asking, “what are you waiting for?”

speakeasy: Apr 1invest and invite. this was our pre-easter service chal-lenge. But god’s charge wasn’t just “invite someone to a red rocks church service in 2012.” it was “go into all the world and preach the good news to everyone.” Back in the day, the only way you could find out about a speakeasy was by word of mouth. and that’s a great way to tell our world about Jesus, too.

love drug: Feb 19 – Mar 25we often say our church is a youth group for adults. what do youth groups talk about a lot? relationships. the best thing you can do to ensure you’ll be ready to meet that perfect person is to work on your relation-ship with god. getting closer to god will you allow you to succeed at both dating and marriage.

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the most interesting man: Apr 15 – May 27John 21:25if all that could be written about him was put to paper, it would fill more pages than are possible to read. he has said and done more interesting things than all the books in the world could hold. this man is Jesus of nazareth, and we spend several weeks learning about specific aspects of his character and life.

baptism: Aug 19it is not a normal sunday. see exactly what red rocks church is all about. see real, imperfect, and messed-up people who are being continually changed by the power of god. this is a party!

rushmore: Jul 8 – 29if the Bible had a mt. rushmore, who would be on it? who had faith? who had courage? who acted boldly on god’s behalf … and saw miracles happen? learn from the “greats of the faith,” even if they are unlikely heroes.

battle for belief: Feb 19 – Mar 25i peter 3:15nothing says, “welcome to church” like guns and grenades. it’s a battle: our faith in god vs. our doubts about god. and the great thing is that we can talk about our doubts in church! why should you believe in god? why should you trust in the Bible? let’s talk about our doubts.

going big: Apr 8 – easterthe secret service has a term – “going big” – that describes when an agent spreads out his arms, makes himself big, and allows his body to cover the body of the one he’s protecting. Jesus went to a cross, spread out his arms, and said, “let my body cover yours. i’ll take the bullet. i’ll sacrifice my body to protect you. that’s how much i love you.”

any given sunday: Aug 5 – Sep 2on any given sunday, god could save your marriage, give you grace to forgive someone, deliver you from addiction, heal your body, and/or call you to the next chapter of your story. what is your role on any given sunday?

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seven 14: Sep 30 – oct 28ii chronicles 7:14an entire series about when we need a little bit of help. or a lot of help … like from the power of the creator, god. what happens in a person’s life when that person decides to get serious about the power of prayer.

given: dec 16only at red rocks church do we talk about what we can learn from Buddy the elf. if Buddy is too far of a reach for you, how about this question: who does the best job at dis-playing and presenting the kingdom of god to the world? (answer: children.) what can we learn from children?

grace fueled ethics: dec 30 romans 8:1-2our self-proclaimed “new year’s scrooge” preached a new year’s message. statistically, 88% of the several hun-dred millions of people who make resolutions will fail after 2-3 weeks. talk about feeling the overwhelming condemna-tion of failure! but there is no condemnation for those who are in christ Jesus.

before i die: Sep 9 – 23it’s time for some introspection. some dreaming. some self-evaluation. some questions. so that when we get to the end of our lives, we don’t do so with a bunch of regrets.

headlines: Nov 4 – dec 9some headlines just force us to read their accompany-ing stories. “two men defeat entire Army”, “yesterday never ended,” “empty grave shatters disbelief,” and more. what can we learn from the stories that we thought were just … stories??

vacancy: dec 23 - christmas eveAlthough bethlehem was covered in “no vacancy” signs, god is all about the “vacancy” ones. he’s saying, “welcome. there’s room.”

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[ALL IS NOT LOST]T H E S TO Ry O F S H AW N J O H N S O N : G R Ac E A N D R E D E m P T I O N

By casey Bankord

life is not predictable. it doesn’t follow a formula. circumstances happen to us whether we like them or not. some we are born into; some we choose. at times, when struggle abounds, it is easy to believe that all is uncertain. nothing is in control. no one is watching. and no one cares. our lives are left helplessly captive to the ups and downs of life, and there is noth-ing we can do about any of it.

But then, there is god. the constant and faithful one. the one who holds the world to-gether when all seems lost. the predictable-in-the-uncertain god. the god who gives us second chances, who redeems a life undone, making it into something extraordinary.

after two weeks of repeated panic attacks, shawn, 24, sat at his mother’s kitchen table. pills piled in front of him, plastic water bottle beside; he was ready to end it all. “this is more than i can handle,” shawn thought to himself, “i think i’m done.” he had spent the after-noon pacing around the backyard, thinking about the choices he had made. cocaine. girls. alcohol. abuse. empty relationships. pointless life. “who would really care if i was gone?” he asked himself.

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A few years later, life at home got rough and shawn’s mom and dad divorced. because of her divorce, the church took an extreme po-sition and publicly shamed shawn’s mom, cutting her off relationally, and firing her from her roles. divorce, it seemed, was the cardinal sin.

“the church was everything to her. so the impact was devastating,” shawn remem-bered, “As a kid, i saw my parents’ divorce and thought, ‘this is probably a good thing that they are getting a divorce.’ it was pretty rough at home. then, i saw the church turn its back on her and treat her like an outcast. i couldn’t believe it. At that point, i remem-ber saying, ‘if this is what god and god’s people are like, then i am never going back to church.’ i determined in my heart that i would never have a relationship with god.”

high school and collegeshawn was an athlete in high school, so he channeled all of his energy toward success on the field. with soccer as his main sport, he made a name for himself in the college circuit and started getting recruiting letters from division i schools. however, during his senior year, shawn tore his Acl, jeopardiz-ing his scholarship possibilities. one school in colorado took a chance and gave shawn a scholarship anyway. he played there for a year, and then decided to transfer to a junior college to set himself up to transfer to a top division i school after his sophomore year. the day after he signed up for classes at a ju-nior college in kansas, he suffered an injury to the Acl in his other knee. his athletic ca-reer was over.

pushing the pills around the table, he con-sidered his options. having witnessed a friend attempting to commit suicide months earlier, he knew exactly what the pills would do to his body within 45 min-utes. in that moment, he felt a prompting to stop – a peaceful presence he couldn’t ex-plain, and he decided to make a phone call. A phone call that would ultimately change his life.

the early yearsshawn grew up in rural wichita, kansas. his mom was seventeen when she found out she was pregnant with him. when she told the father, he left town, never to re-

turn again. his mom married her drug dealer a couple years after shawn was born, and obviously consistent positive influence was lacking. while shawn’s parents did what they could, there was little stability, a distant sense of “home,” and hardly any trace of god.

when shawn was four years old, his mom was invited to a church service where she gave her life to god and changed dramatically. she began at-tending the church, taking shawn with her on sunday mornings, and became deeply involved. first, she did graphic

design and folded bulletins as a volunteer. then, she started doing the day-to-day bookkeeping and leading the women’s min-istry as a full-time volunteer. finally, she joined the church staff. she loved it, felt ful-filled, and shawn was happy for her.

“I determined in my heart that I would never have a relationship with God.”

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“He was trying to tell me his story, but I really didn’t get it.”

“All I wanted to do was get drunk,

party, and do stupid things”

“i thought i was going to play international soccer in germany,” shawn explained, “…and get paid well doing it. so i really didn’t have plans to get a normal job. when i blew out my knee, i knew i was done. i was going to have to come up with something to do. i had no clue what i wanted to do. from that point, when i knew college athletics were over, i started down a path of drinking and partying that continued throughout the rest of college.”

shawn transferred to kansas university after his sophomore year of college, still un-clear about what he wanted to do. he attend-ed class when he had to and did his home-work, but focused primarily on keeping up his party lifestyle by joining a fraternity. “At that point in my life, i just didn’t care about anything. All i wanted to do was get drunk, party, and do stupid things,” shawn recalled.

there, in that fraternity, he met a kid named eric parks. both eric and shawn’s room-mates were kicked out of school during their first semester, so they became de facto roommates. eventually, they became close friends.

“the following year, eric went home for christmas break, someone invited him to church, and he gave his life to christ,” shawn remembered. “so when he came back, he didn’t act the same. we had got-ten used to all the guys going out to the bars, drinking, etc., but after that christmas break, eric didn’t want to go out any more. i remember being really confused. it didn’t make sense to any of us.”

After that school year was over, eric dropped out of college to intern at a church in illinois to learn how to be a pastor. shawn, still confused by what had happened to eric,

remembers going out on a fire escape, pack of ciga-rettes in hand, and listening to eric try to explain what had happened to him. “i look back and realize that eric was trying to tell me that he gave his life to god,” shawn explained, “but eric’s expla-nation was so fragmented that it didn’t make sense to me at all. i had no idea what he was talking about. All i knew was that it had something to do with a church, and i was like, ‘that sucks.’ he was trying to tell me his story, but i really didn’t get it.”

hollywooderic moved to illinois to work at a church. shawn finished school. during shawn’s se-nior year at ku, a fraternity brother told him there was an acting class that was an easy A and lots of girls. he was in.

“i took the class and actually enjoyed it. As the semester unfolded, i realized that some people do this for a living. they get paid millions to do this. that sounded way bet-ter than a 40-hour workweek. so, instead of getting a regular job, i decided that i would go get famous. i packed up my chevy blazer and drove to hollywood. no plan. no real

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money. Just hit the road.”

eventually, shawn started getting jobs be-hind and in front of the camera, and meeting a network of famous people in hollywood.

As he met more people and got more jobs, he started adopting the lifestyle they all seemed to gave.

“i felt like i was sheltered in kansas. so i wanted to live it up and try life in the fast lane. i started experimenting with drugs and it wasn’t on accident. i always felt like i was in control, but eventually that changed. i am not sure when or where it shifted, but eventually i developed a dependen-cy on them. i remember thinking, ‘i better be sure i have enough drugs for the weekend’ or ‘i need to make sure i get my drugs before work so i can function.’ before i knew it, i was doing a lot of cocaine. i was liv-ing in hollywood, partying, working on movie sets, meeting girls, and i remember thinking that my life was incredible at first. but, eventually, it started feeling pretty empty and

meaningless.”

one night when shawn was bartending, a guy walked into the bar who seemed to have it all. good looking, famous, rich, and accom-plished in the hollywood sense. he had it to-gether. shawn remembered looking at him, and longing to be like him one day. however, that night, the guy started drinking, doing drugs, and eventually losing control. what had looked like a put-together, cool guy who had it all; now looked like a helpless drunk-ard, awkwardly hitting on girls.

“i remember thinking, ‘is that where i’m headed?’ it was the first time i had seen the

shadow side of the hollywood lifestyle. i went home that night – didn’t sleep much –and i remember getting up the next morning and standing out on the balcony smoking a cigarette. new, crazy thoughts were coming to mind that i had never thought before like, ‘what does life mean?’ and ‘if i died tomor-row, would anybody really care?’”

A week before, shawn had stayed over at a friend’s house when another one of his friends tried to commit suicide. waking up in the middle of the night to the sound of will yelling for him, shawn got up and went in the next room to find a stack of sui-cide notes. the one on top said, “shawn and will, don’t feel bad. you never would have known.” their friend had locked himself in the bathroom, taken a lot of pills, and was convulsing on the floor. shawn and will called 911 and the paramedics came to try to save him. As shawn was in the hospital room looking at his friend hooked up to all the machines, he started thinking, “if i died, my friends would grieve for an afternoon and then go out and party that night. my life is meaningless, fake, and insignificant.”

in the weeks following the incident, shawn got his first real acting job as the lead in an independent film. however, he also started having severe panic attacks. wrestling with questions after his friend’s suicide attempt, he felt as if he couldn’t let his mind rest. in some cases, he would have to pull over on the side of the road because he felt like he couldn’t breathe. he needed a break, so he called his mom, went back to kansas, and tried to settle himself down.

the MoMentone afternoon, after nervously pacing

“If I died, my friends would grieve for an afternoon and then go out and party that night. My life is mean-ingless, fake, and insignificant.”

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_____________ A L L I S N O T L O S T _____________

around his mother’s backyard, he decided that he was done. he was ready to kill him-self. having seen the method his friend used a few weeks ago, he knew exactly what he needed to do. sitting at the kitchen table, pills piled in front of him, water bottle be-side; he felt a prompting to stop.

“i started thinking about heaven and hell. i wasn’t sure if they were real or not. i knew i’d be dead in about 45 minutes, so i’d be in one of them soon. i started to freak out. i knew my mom was at work and wasn’t avail-able to talk. the only other christian i knew was eric. he would call me every once in a while to tell me he was praying for me, or something like that, so i knew he would take my call. i called him, and asked him about heaven and hell. he stopped me and offered to fly me to illinois so we could talk in per-son. i’m not sure why i did, but i agreed and got on a flight that night.” eric picked shawn up at o’hare airport in chicago, and they talked all the way home.

shawn remembered, “we had some obvi-ously awkward conversations because we hadn’t seen each other in years, and i had just told him i was about to kill myself. i started asking him a bunch of questions. he didn’t really have answers, but he told me his story and took me to church.”

it was a suit and tie type of place, and shawn showed up in ripped jeans, combat boots, black leather jacket, and cocaine in his pocket. clearly, he felt out of place. the pas-tor walked on stage to deliver his message as he always did, but then stopped and said, “i had prepared something to share this morn-ing, but i’m feeling a strong prompting not to give the message. there is someone in the room tonight who needs god, and needs to change their life, or it is going to kill them.”

“i knew it was me,” shawn said, “i didn’t know why, but i knew it was me. i was so desperate; i decided to make a change. this was the type of church where you would go forward and kneel at the steps in front of the church to have people pray for you. so i did. when i got there, i remember crying hard and kneeling there with eric saying, ‘i’m sorry, god. i’m so sorry.’ And i was. i felt ashamed of the life i had been living, and i felt an immense amount of grace that morn-ing.”

back in hollywoodshawn stayed in illinois for a couple more weeks, and then returned to hollywood to finish the acting role he had received before leaving. when he returned to l.A., he was faced with the similar situation that eric experienced years before at college. shawn’s friends invited him out to party, but shawn declined. it was a strange and awkward time. shawn would go to small coffee shops, smoke a pack of cigarettes and try to read his bible, attempting to cement in his new-found faith.

one night, a friend of shawn’s invited him to shoot some pool and promised that they didn’t have to drink. shawn agreed. one thing led to another, and shawn eventually found himself snorting cocaine in the bathroom. shawn re-called, “i did more drugs that night than i had ever done in my life. i did so much that i almost overdosed. i remember

“There is someone in the room tonight who needs God, and needs to change their life or it is going to kill them.”

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going home that night, puking in my bath-room, and looking in the mirror thinking, ‘i knew i couldn’t do this. i tried to do the god thing. see, i never can change. i am a

lost cause. i don’t have what it takes.’”

shawn woke up the next morning to a call from the pastor’s wife in illinois. she had called to check in on shawn and see if he was doing okay. shawn told her about the drugs and alco-hol from the night before. he remembers her say-ing, “shawn, sometimes,

in order to flee evil, you must run away from it as far as you can. if you want a second chance, you have to get away from the people you are around. move back to illinois and start your life over.”

no car, no money, no plans, and with three cardboard boxes, shawn moved to rockford, illinois to live on eric’s porch. he cleaned up his life, joined a small group, and started seeing amazing changes in his life. over time, shawn started co-leading the small group with eric and was invited to intern at the same church where eric worked, so he could learn how to become a pastor. the rest is history.

aMazing graceshawn Johnson received a second chance. even though his circumstances and deci-sions had seemingly boxed him into a life of addiction, hopelessness, destruction, and loneliness, god had a different plan for him. he rescued shawn.

eight years later, god connected shawn with a group of guys who felt a similar call-ing to reach the city of denver with the mes-sage of the god of second chances. from the young kid who said he’d never go back to a church to a humbled, broken young adult plagued by his addictions, to a pastor at a growing church in colorado, god was there all along. present. Available. And always ready to offer a new chance.

when we are at our wit’s end, all is not lost. All is not out of control. we are not left alone. god is here. he is with us. he wants to change us, recycle us, and put us on a path of redemption.

“Sometimes in order to flee evil, you must run from it as far as you can.”

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when we are at our wit’s end, all is not lost. all is not out of control. we are not left alone.

god is here.

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_____________ B A p T I S M _____________

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_____________ B A p T I S M _____________

“She loves it!” Adam’s beard is a force to be

reckoned with, so naturally I asked

what his girlfriend thought. He laughed,

and nodded, but it would seem that

she was happy with it. Or had at least made peace

with the idea of it.

Adam

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adam settles in, a jovial and happy soul. in a room full of people he is stranger to no one, and freely jokes with all types. hilarious and outgoing, adam made time for this interview in between church services where he was playing the electric guitar. Just like his guitar transitions, adam easily moves from goofy and light-hearted to earnestly transparent.

“the first week he invited me i was like, ‘i don’t know.’” adam had been invited to red rocks church by a friend named Ben trombley in early 2005. he was hesitant, “i’m not a conservative guy.” he laughs. in addition to his beard, adam has multiple piercings, a full sleeve of ink, and other tattoos representing everything from his love of motorcycles, to Darth vader, to his relationship with god. Despite his reservations, adam went that first sunday. “it was small then. there would be about 20 people, and then the band would get down off the stage and there would be 25.”

to his surprise, adam liked the church. “i started getting involved, and i started playing guitar again.” he attributes his love of music as the way he first connected at red rocks: “for me, music was a way to get back into church.” adam started playing on weekends, and warming up to the community at red rocks. “god was moving in my life in a way i didn’t expect. there were people that were missing in my life that i needed.”

as years went on, adam got involved in the youth group. his high school experience was hard, and he attributed his experience as a teen to his desire to help with the students: “when i was in high school … i didn’t have anything to do with church,” adam remembered. the few times that adam and his family did attend church, he felt like an outcast. the mixed-race, long-haired family had what he calls “a bad experience.” after graduation from high school, adam knew he needed to make a change in life, and decided to venture into a church one more time. he found a connection as a leader at a youth group in arvada, and immediately felt right at home helping with the teens.

“for me, there’s something about the next generation that’s so important. i didn’t have that guidance when i was in high school. and giving back to the youth … i want them to know they’re not alone. when you are interacting, and giving to another person, it’s incredible.”

on top of serving the youth at red rocks, adam also spends a great deal of time playing electric guitar on weekends. the commitment for the worship team is a 12-hour day on sundays, from practice at 7am to the final song at 7pm. But adam never complains. “i just love to play. it’s wonderful to have that outlet.” his love of music and passion for worship are evident with each chord that rings out on sundays.

throughout the week, adam can be found with the students at red rocks. he helps lead small groups at the wednesday night meetings, and helps with the worship at youth as well. adam’s intention is to make sure the kids know they are valued and loved. and, with his fun and amazingly magnetic personality, he does just that. “even if it’s just one student i impact, that would be worth it for me. whether they are going through a great time or experiencing a hard time, i want them to understand that they have a god who is still there for them.”

heroAdam Cedillo

By Jessie Davis

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_____________ h E R O E S _____________

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L I F E I S A J O U R N E Y L E T U S J O I N Y O U

MARRIAGE

PARENTING

FINANCIAL

ELECTIVES

REGISTER ONLINE AT REDROCKSCHURCH.COM/RRU

c h e c ko u t

t h i sm i n i s t r y

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_____________ R E D R O C k S U N I v E R S I T y _____________

“hey dad, come on! let’s go play air hockey!” my son Jude yelled, with the kind of excitement a 4-year-old boy has when he’s celebrating his birthday at chuck e. cheese’s.

“hold on son, i’ll be there in a minute,” i said.

normally, i would have headed over to the air hockey table without hesitation to enjoy a memorable moment with my oldest child on his birthday. But this moment was different. i found myself staring at a television, in chuck e. cheese’s, completely shocked by the images i was seeing on the news. haiti had just been hit with a massive earthquake.

this wasn’t a typical, run-of-the-mill, california tremor. it was an

b y c H A D b R U E G m A N

haiti

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earthquake measuring 7.0 on the richter scale. it wasn’t an earthquake where people ducked for a minute and then it was all over, or where a few buildings have some glass shattered and a local grocery store has some food knocked off the shelves. it was 40 utterly destructive seconds where the earth shook, the ground split, buildings fell, and a country was devastated. the haitian government estimates that roughly 316,000 people lost their lives on that day and approximately 1,000,000 people became homeless.

After almost four decades on this earth, i’ve learned that life is ripe with irony. on this day, January 12, 2010, the irony for my family was thick. here we were, having the time of our lives running around a pizza parlor surrounded by family, friends, endless game selections, and a whole lot of laughter. watching the sheer joy of a healthy, energetic boy living life to its fullest. the way every child deserves to live, right?

And then, in an instant, the world changed. i was smacked upside the head with the sobering realization that only a thousand miles away, tens of thousands of children just lost their parents, brothers, or sisters. perhaps they lost their own lives. if they had survived, their homes, their schools, and their communities were demolished. destroyed. gone.

if the old adage is true, “the rich keep getting richer, ” then you can flip that statement around and say, “the poor keep getting poorer.” haiti, for a long time now, has had the unfortunate distinction of being the poorest country in our western hemisphere. on January 12, 2010, the earthquake made the poorest nation significantly poorer.

i went home from Jude’s party that night and continued to watch coverage about the earthquake. i tried, with little

> rrC has 511 total Compassion international sponsorships

> in one sunday, red rocks Church raised more than $15,000 to

build a cafeteria for sans fil assemblies of god in haiti.

> that same cafeteria now feeds over 250 children a day.

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_____________ M I S S I O N S _____________

success, to process a tragedy of that magnitude. i asked god the questions we all do when things like this happen. why god? why haiti? why those kids and not mine?

i don’t know if your experience with god is like mine. every time i embark on the mission to figure out god’s sovereign mode of operation, i find myself not only coming up short for answers, but i also find god redirecting the questions. in loving fashion, he always seems to get my mind away from all the “why” questions and he turns my heart and mind to the “what” questions. what am i going to do about this? what can i do to help? what do i possess that i can use or give away to be a blessing to this country that finds itself on the brink of total ruin?

i find it interesting that i could spend my whole life trying to figure out why god allows certain things to happen and still never have those questions fully answered before i die. But when i start asking god the “what” questions, i usually have a response from him in minutes. that night, as i was praying and processing the tragedy with god, i had answers to the “what” questions within minutes.

god’s response was simple, yet brilliant in timeless truth. it was a one-sentence answer: “love your neighbor as yourself.” in other words, do for them what you hope one of them would do for you if you were in their shoes. i immediately knew i could help financially. whether i gave 10 bucks to the red cross, 100 bucks to convoy of hope, or maybe even more to another disaster relief organization, that was a no-brainer.

But then i had to look not just at my checkbook, but also at my bank account of influence. i instantly thought about red rocks church. god had given me an influential voice in a congregation of 3,000 people (at the time). i knew i had to go to our directional leadership team and cast the vision for doing our part as a church to rebuild haiti. it came as no surprise to me that the directional leadership team was instantly on board. shawn, our boss and lead pastor, gave me the green light to do whatever i thought was the best way to use our church’s influence and resources to offer an eternal and practical helping hand to earthquake-ravaged haiti.

problem: i had no idea how to best coordinate

God’s response was simple, yet brilliant in timeless truth. It was a one-sentence answer: "Love your neighbor as yourself."

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church resources and influence. problem solver: god. when you get involved in god’s business (make no mistake, reaching out to a third world nation in complete despair is unequivocally god’s business!), god, as i once heard a great preacher say, “gets involved in your business!” that is exactly what he did.

enter Jason graves. we refer to Jason and his wife, Adrienne, as red rocks “original gangstas” (our slang term for the few of you who were at our church from the very beginning). Jason had just taken a job with an amazing and god-ordained not-for-profit organization called compassion international. he was heading up a new child survival department that they were developing. to make a long story short, Jason and i started talking about the opportunities that were available for red rocks to help in haiti. compassion has a program where an individual can provide basic things such as food, water, and education for a haitian child for around $38 a month (or a half tank of American gasoline). the more i talked with Jason about the potential partnership, the quicker it became a simple decision. we had 3,000 people at red rocks, most of whom had the ability to easily sponsor a child for $38 a month.

fast forward several months later and Jason, carson bankord (red rocks’ amazing videographer), and i were on a plane to haiti. we planned to meet some of the earthquake-torn families and kids we were going to help. And we did. the trip was what i expected it to be – sobering, overwhelming, and full of the presence of god. we shot hours and hours of video footage, heard endless stories from the haitians, and were captured by a country i previously knew nothing about.

At the end of our time in haiti, we boarded the plane with full hearts, five jars of spicy peanut butter (a haitian specialty you can bank on being in heaven), and an anxious excitement to present the vision to the church.

A few weeks later, i had the privilege of standing before the congregation and asking many of them to sponsor a child. honestly, i had the number “300” in my mind that day. that’s how many kids i was hoping and praying we could sponsor. At the end of our third (and last) service, we didn’t meet our goal. we blew it out of the water. Almost 600 kids got sponsors that day!

We can be a church that spends an

endless amount of time swimming

(or should I say, drowning) in the

pool of the "why," or we can be a church

that is compelled by the "what."

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_____________ M I S S I O N S _____________

now, i’m no mathematician (shut up, shawn!), but 600 sponsorships at $38 per month equals $22,800 given each month. multiply that by 12 months in a year, and that’s $273,600 given in a year. that sunday, i did what you just did. i got out a calculator and made sure those numbers were accurate. we committed to giving beautiful kids in haiti a quarter of a million dollars for the year – in just one sunday!

it didn’t end there. since our last compassion sunday, we have sponsored a child survival program in haiti that helps single mothers get the basic things they need to mother their children well. we have taken on a church partnership through compassion’s c2c (church to church) program where we provide pastor “g” and his rapidly-growing church with a filtration pump system for all the kids within the church to have an endless supply of clean water. we are financing a project for them to build a brand new cafeteria to feed the 400 kids who go to the compassion school every day. Additionally, we have sent a team to haiti to visit their sponsored kids and do practical ministry with our partner church. i wish i could tell you all that we have in the works for 2013 because it’s about to go to another level! however, you’ll need to wait until our next compassion sunday.

As i reflect upon all god has done in and through this church since we stepped up to help our haitian neighbors, i have a distinct takeaway. we can be a church that spends an endless amount of time swimming (or should i say, drowning) in the pool of the “why,” or we can be a church that is compelled by the “what,” what do you want from us, god? what can we do to help make heaven more crowded and earth more whole?

if these types of questions are our driving force, the possibilities are endless! not just in denver, but around the world.

> through Compassion international sponsorships, red rocks Church members have sent over $273,600 to children in haiti and in other countries around the world.

> We raised $78,020.63 for Michael Mcnamee and his ministry with Convoy of hope

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_____________ M I S S I O N S _____________

> > R E D R O c k S R A N D O m < <

S tat SA N D

Fa c t S

98 LIFE GROUPS LAUNCHED IN

2012208 Total Life Groups

N E W S AT T E L I T E C A M P U S

THIS PAST YEAR WE

LAUNCHED

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1,431PEOPLE JOINED

lifegrouPsIN2012

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the nuMber of Videos Made by

red rocks in the Past year

2,274NEW BELIEvERS

in 2012

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_____________ S T A T S & F A C T S _____________

14SPORTSLEAGUES

30OUTREACH

EVENTS1 ,4 7 3 S P O R T S PA R T I C I PA N T S( )511 CITIES

REPRESENTED @RRC

14X CHAD HAS LOCKED HIS KEYS IN HIS CAR

152,000cups of coffee

IN TWO THOUSAND TWELVE

RED ROCKS CHURCH SERVED

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8,795people attended christmas @

red rocks church over 2 days and

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t h r e ed e s i G n e r s

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1,700 PeoPle attended the littleton CAMpUS LAUNCh

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175host volunteers & 197 kids rock volunteers to run

every sundayPeople were baptized in 201236

2

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_____________ S T A T S & F A C T S _____________

Charlotte was energetic as she entered my office,

set down her coat and bag and happily chatted about

her day. She laughed as I hit the “record” button. “I’m nervous!

This is so awesome!” In the years I have known Charlotte, she has brought this type of energy and

vitality to every project she was a part of. Nerves aside,

Charlotte was boisterous and sincere in her

answers.

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charlotte began attending red rocks church in september of 2007. a friend and co-worker at wahoo’s fish taco suggested she try the church, a recommendation she appreciated the moment she walked in. “the message was so for me. it was hard hitting.” she immediately started volunteering with the café team. “i wanted to meet people,” she says. so she jumped in, helping and volunteering in any way she could.

over the next 5 years, charlotte helped, served, and aided in nearly every part of the functioning of the church. she brewed coffee, greeted at the front door, and helped in kids rock. in 2010 she went to fuel, the young adults ministry, and became heavily involved there.

creative at heart, charlotte first found a knack for photography her sophomore year of high school. “i took photography and graphic design, and then my senior year i was in a photography competition called skills usa,” she beams. “which i won.” “my senior year, i met a husband and wife photography team. i went to work for them and was their assistant for five years … they taught me everything i know.” in 2010, charlotte formed her own business called red photography. she was 21 years old.

as she became more involved at the church, she poured her creativity into her volunteering. at fuel, she did graphic design and signage, helped create series ideas, learned final cut pro for video editing and helped come up with stage design concepts. she also began volunteering with the weekend production team for sunday services in golden, first as a camera operator, and later as a video director.

all of this she did with a joy and energy that was contagious.

when i ask why she gives so much, and where her endless energy and joy come from, she answers simply: “it’s fun.” she laughs and thinks a bit, “i like to be behind the scenes on things, and to know that i’m helping to make the big picture.” “i like thinking out of the box. thinking big. trying different things. i like expressing myself visually. i think the visual side of things is so important. it takes it to the next level. creating emotion. capturing their heart. creating feeling. having them see something they haven’t seen before.”

charlotte spends a large amount of her free time creating such elements for the church she has come to call home. “i will work a full day, but then i get to come home and create and have fun at night. it’s not like work!”

“Being a part of this church is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” she says sincerely. for the average person, charlotte’s schedule of work, creativity, and service would seem daunting. But charlotte views it very differently, “it’s rewarding, to be a part.” not only that, but she attributes her close-knit friendships to her involvement at red rocks, “the most rewarding friendships i’ve ever experienced have come out of this time.” her optimism, life, and zeal shone through to the very end of the interview. when asked what she hopes people will receive from her service, she smiles: “this church has changed my life. i hope that me giving back will affect people the same way.”

By Jessie Davishero

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_____________ h E R O E S _____________

BECAUSE SOME OF THE

BIGGESTDECISIONS

IN YOUR LIFEA R E M A D E I N YO U R

TWENTIES...DONT DO IT ALONE.

OUR MISSION:

• BECOME THE NEXT GENERATION OF WHOLE-HEARTED DISCIPLES

• ENGAGE THE CITY OF DENVER

• LOVE GOD WITH EVERYTHING

vis it us at :

redrockschurch.com/fuel

c h e c ko u t

t h i sm i n i s t r y

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_____________ F U E L _____________

this is one of Jesus’ most famous sayings. but, when he says he’s come to give abundant life, what exactly is he promising?

“life” turns out to be one of those words that everybody knows, but is surprisingly tricky to define. (you might give it a try yourself!) here is the best definition i can come up with: life is the inner power to make something happen.

put a rock on the ground and it just lies there. put a seed in the ground, and something happens. it takes in nourishment from the ground and begins to grow. it receives from and gives back to the world. something happens because the seed has life in it. otherwise, that would not happen. to be alive is to change the world.

Animals can perceive the world and move about; therefore, they can make more happen than seeds can make happen. when it comes to human beings, it becomes astonishing. we can accomplish amazing things when we set our minds to it. this drive to make something happen is present and precious in every person. it is why little kids love activity boxes, legos, or kitchen sets. they want to push buttons, turn dials, spin wheels, and open lids. they want to draw and invent and create. they want to make something happen.

god placed this in us. it is part of being made in his image. he created Adam and eve and gave them a creation mandate: “here is your activity box. have dominion. sow a seed. tame an animal. plant a garden. make some-thing happen.” it is the glory of a living thing to make something happen. it is the glory of a human being to make great things happen -- for god, with god. when circumstances or failures beat this quality down inside of us, we feel dead and lifeless. this explains why passivity can be so de-humanizing.

Jesus came to give you power far beyond your own ability to make wonderful things happen in the world. this power begins to come to fruition when our thoughts and desires become rooted in him, just as a seed becomes rooted in the ground. then, out of the abundance of confidence and joy in this inner life flow creativity and strength to make good things happen around us.

so today, be a ‘make something happen’ kind of person. invite Jesus to do this with you. when you’re in a meeting and an idea comes to you; say it. when you’re with someone who is discouraged; encourage him or her. write a note, say a prayer, tell someone thanks, call a friend, notice beauty, challenge your mind, solve a problem, give a gift to someone who needs it, take someone to lunch, build a business, plant a church, volun-teer, sow a seed, or plant a garden.

Be aBundantlY alive. make somethinG happen.

“I have come that they might have life, and have it with abundance.”

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_____________ J O h N O R T B E R g _____________

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11 SURGERIES

WATCH-A-HOLIC

TANNING BED GOGGLE LINES

“GO AS WHITE AS YOU CAN GO”I WEAR A HARLEY HELMET TO HIDEMY GREY HAIR

I ACTUALLY THINK I’M PARTOF THE L.A. LAKERS

ROBUST BOOT AND SHOE COLLECTION

I ARE FROM KANSAS

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_____________ C h A D v S . S h A W N _____________

LIVE TO EAT

I SPEND 90% OF MY LIFE IN AIR JORDAN SHORTS

I’M A BELIEBER

RUNNING SHOE AFICIONADO

FAKE GLASSES TO MAKE MELOOK AND FEEL

SMARTER

DRINK TO LIVE

I REALLY DO SHAVE MY LEGS

GOT THIS TATTOO JUST FOR A SERMON ILLUSTRATION

GOD, FAMILY, 9’ERS

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_____________ C h A D v S . S h A W N _____________

If you met Malena today, you would

immediately pick up on the fact that she is not your average high school senior.

She is obviously and refreshingly different.

She exudes self-confidence and yet is

approachable and sweet.

hero

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the thing i notice first is her amazing personal style. it most certainly isn’t trendy in a high school sort of way. it is actually completely unique and often includes Decade-inspired accessories selected from the local thrift store. she is most certainly an old soul; appreciating things often missed by her generation, like vintage records, great music, old photos, sewing – you get the point. what is subtle at first, but quite beautiful when it comes into focus is the very real, authentic way that Jesus is using malena’s life to impact his kingdom.

malena grew up in spokane, washington. the summer before her sophomore year, her family moved to golden. she spent the remainder of her summer dreading being the “new girl” at golden high school. she hated the idea of moving and admits, “i was lonely and scared.” she spent the first few weeks of school eating lunch in the library. she and her family had attended a church in spokane, so when they arrived in golden, she, her mother, and her stepfather began the process of finding a church. when she recalls her first experience at red rocks, she mentions, “i remember it being different. chad was speaking and he was funny. and there was a rock band. and a lot of people my age. we could tell right off the bat that this church was going to be a place we wanted to be a part of.”

she wasn’t as sure about youth group. “youth group was still a weird idea for me, “laughs malena. although everyone at youth was really happy and friendly, she was getting weary of always being the new girl. still, her parents made her go, and it paid off one evening after kristine powell, one of the female youth leaders, took her out and they were able to get to know one another over smoothies. “it was nice, because she had been 'new' before”, so she could identify with me and there was finally someone who i could talk to about it.”

things started to change for malena, as she began to adjust to her new school and home. she got involved at red rocks youth and joined a sophomore girls life group. she had always believed in god, but it was at youth where her faith began to grow. one night during worship, she raised her hand to accept christ and be saved. she says, “i knew i already believed in god. But i thought, "this is what i am going to do. i am going to be a christian now. i am going to stand up for my faith.’ when people ask me what i am, i’m going to say, 'i am a christian.’”

like a small seed that grows into a beautifully large plant, malena’s faith grew. she didn’t even realize the ways she was changing in the moment. god was such a natural part of her life that she began talking about him more at school, talking about church, and inviting friends to come. and they did. one friend, elijah, visited, and the message seemed to really speak to her. so malena kept inviting her. she was becoming bolder and less afraid and knew that elijah needed god. soon, elijah too gave her life to the lord. and elijah invited her sister. and elijah’s sister invited her friends and their boyfriends. and it continues on. even elijah’s parents are giving church a try. “it was contagious. it was cool because the people i saw at church were also the people i went to school with. those two groups kind of merged. it was like, ‘if you’re friends with malena and elijah, you have to at least try church with us,’” says malena.

malena also began volunteering her time at red rocks youth. after attending a workshop for weekend service production volunteers, she approached her youth pastor, JB powell, and asked if she could help with sound and slides at youth. the following week, she was sitting in the back in the sound booth. later, when an opportunity came up to play guitar in the youth band, malena jumped at the chance. although she had always suffered from severe stage fright, she felt like youth group was the perfect opportunity to get some experience on stage and get over her fear. malena serves in other ways too – on the student leadership team, on annual youth mission trips to mexico, and by opening her home and baking treats each week for her girls’ life group. when asked why she serves, she answers simply, “it is more fun for me.”

i’ve had the opportunity to know malena the past three years, and if you know her for any time, you will hear her life plans: graduate, get a degree in music, and start a rock band. i am fairly confident she will do this. and like her favorite rock star, grace potter, i think malena will make beautiful music. i am confident of this because of the way i have seen god use her life to orchestrate a beautiful symphony of his own.

By Cori CookMalena

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_____________ h E R O E S _____________

c h e c ko u t

t h i sm i n i s t r y

facebook.com/redrocksyouth

1 youth group // 2 locations

Red Rocks Youth is a vibrant group of students that meets weekly to grow closer in their relationships with God as well as other students in the area. RRY aims to reach students through relevant videos, games, life-groups, teaching and worship. our goal is to reach students who don’t know Christ, as well as develop students into passionate followers of Christ. We meet for youth services and life groups in addition to quarterly retreats, camps and other activities. If you are a teenager, come be a part of this fast growing and exciting environment!

For more information or questions about RRY, contact andrew matrone: andrew@redrockschurch.com

at the golden & littleton campuses

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_____________ R E D R O C k S y O U T h _____________

By scott Bruegmani w a s a s k e p t i c t o o .

Monsters, aliens, and Multi-site churches

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_____________ M U L T I - S I T E _____________

when it comes to churches that use video technology for teaching at multiple locations, it can feel a little bit like a big foot sighting. we’ve all heard the stories and maybe even seen a picture, but remain skeptical that it’s real. i have yet to meet anyone who was more oppositional to a church with video teaching than i was. i was also skeptical of the first wave of cell phones, itunes and social media. the multi-site church model may never become as ubiquitous as facebook, but i have been proven wrong about its usefulness and effectiveness. i have seen it with my own eyes and it’s real.

it stands to reason that a multi-site church with video teaching shouldn’t work. how could we expect people to attend, enjoy and benefit from a church where the teaching is projected on screens and amplified over a pA system? furthermore, how could we expect people to put up with a church where they couldn’t actually have a conversation with the pastor every week? this whole approach to church expansion seems kind of pretentious and arrogant, right? As a leader, my mind went even further with this frustrating new concept of church. “this model will actually halt the potential of young, developing pastoral leaders,” i said. the reasons for not expanding into a satellite model church were abundant and clear.

in August of 2012, the leadership network released a report stating that over 5,000 churches are now multi-site churches (churches that meet in more than one location for worship). red rocks church is now part of this statistic. i’m sure that the reasons for starting a multi-site model are numerous. it’s innovative, it’s efficient, it’s trendy … and the list goes on. the leadership of red rocks church decided to embrace a multi-site model because we just plain had to. we are compelled to expand and make heaven more crowded. we were out of room and needed to create more space for people to discover god, grow in their faith and knowledge of god, and then be empowered and equipped to do god’s work. As

We are compelled to expand and make heaven

more crowded.

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_____________ M U L T I - S I T E _____________

long as people continue to invite others, and as long as god continues to show up and change lives, we will continue to create space.

there were and still are a lot of notable changes that the church had to go through while becoming a multi-site church. first, we had to place an emphasis on organization. this meant that we had to create a centralized structure to support the ministries at each location. this allowed for the churches to work independently while maintaining a vital connection to one another. second, we had to enhance our focus on technology. the potential for problems and margin for error increased substantially the day we decided to connect our two locations via video. finally we had to place a strong emphasis on the red rocks church culture. how in the world were we going to be able to replicate the experience of red rocks church? is there another theme park around? it was at this point that we were once again reminded that church is not a building or even a location. the venue would change, but the culture, the teaching, the worship, the ministry to children, and the emphasis on reaching the lost and lifting up the name of Jesus would not! finding an abandoned, run-down dinner theater for our second location didn’t hurt either.

on easter sunday of 2012, red rocks church officially became a multi-site church with the launching of the littleton campus. not only did this create room to grow at the golden location, but it created opportunities to involve more leaders, volunteers and ultimately to reach out to more people.

As of this writing, there are over 6,000 people attending red rocks church each week. over 1,600 of that number attend the littleton campus. needless to say, growing to this size at the golden site alone would have been impossible, or at least unhealthy. expanding the church

We were once again reminded that Church is not a building or even a location.

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_____________ M U L T I - S I T E _____________

to multiple locations has proven to be a health benefit. in addition to making heaven more crowded, there is a high value placed on making sure everyone is needed and known at the church. expanding in this way lends itself to reaching this goal. there are more staff pastors, more volunteers, more life group leaders and a greater chance to meet the felt needs of each church community.

in a recent survey taken at the littleton campus, we found the results to be a confirmation of the decision to expand to a new location. when asked if a person or family considered the littleton campus their home church, 93% said yes. when asked why they chose to make it their home, 75% said it was because of convenience.

for those who may still be a bit skeptical of the multi-site experience being legitimate, just take time to talk to some of the regulars at the church. the teaching experience is the same. i mean, they watch the screens at the littleton campus the same way the screens are viewed in golden. the worship experience is of the same caliber and style, the family ministries departments feel and work the same. And, the people who attend the littleton campus converse with their pastoral staff just as much if not more. this is just one more reason that spreading out to smaller venues around the metro area is a benefit to the church. each campus is specifically designed to have a gifted pastoral leadership team to meet the needs of that local church body.

what is the long term expansion plan of red rocks church? creating more space in more locations for more people to put their hope and faith in Jesus christ. that’s it! so to all who are skeptical of a thriving multi-site model of church, just remember what your response was when you first heard about a church meeting in an old, quirky, run-down amusement park. in this coming year, we invite you to join us as we move forward with our vision, and find campus number three. if it’s anything like our foundations, the new site will be quirky and fun, and will convert even the strongest of skeptics.

Each campus is specifically

designed to have a gifted pastoral leadership team

to meet the needs of that local

church body.

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_____________ M U L T I - S I T E _____________