In 2006, the dream of Denver United was planted in the heart of Pastor Rob Brendle. While reading a popular news magazine, he was struck by an alarming statistic — Denver had the highest incidence of any US city of old churches being converted into nightclubs, climbing gyms and mosques. Over the next two years, that seed would germinate and begin to sprout into the vision of planting a church in Denver. One that would unite believers across cultural, social, economic, denominational, racial and other typical dividing lines found in homogenous churches across modern America. It would be a church that strove to worship authentically in the presence of God, as well as one that would seek to reach out to those living in the darkest and most unreached areas of the city.
As the vision began to become a dream, God called together three families to take this leap of faith. Rob and Mauri Brendle were joined by Justin and Gaby Spicer and Andrew and Darci Mondy to become the founding members and pastors of Denver United. And God soon added Austin and Blanca Pyle, who provided their musical talent to help nurture the heart of worship within the church. Together these families set out to gather 100 families to help start Denver United Church.
In 2008, what began as a God-ignited spark in the hearts of those founding pastors spread like wildfire in the a small army of believers. This group of visionaries met every Friday night from July to October in a basement on the north side of Colorado Springs. Known as the launch team, they grabbed hold of the dream and faithfully committed to establishing an outpost of God’s church in the city of Denver.
During the same season, United Kids was launched by Mauri Brendle and Gaby Spicer. With the adults meeting each week, they wanted to do more than just keep the kids occupied. Believing that kids are not the church of tomorrow, but the church of today, they set out to provide a sound Bible teaching each week. Over these few months, United Kids grew quickly, overtaking nearly every room in Pastor Rob’s house. Children’s ministry was off to a booming start.
On October 17th, 2008, with the basement bursting at the seams, stepping out in faith, the Friday night meetings were relocated to Denver. Over the next few months, God continued to call new families to join in the vision and the team grew rapidly. Outreach events were hosted, small groups were launched, and friendships continued to build the foundation for the family-like community of Denver United. On Sunday, January 25th, 2009, the team rolled out the black road cases for the first time, transforming Sturm Hall into a place of worship. With a passion to be God’s light in the city, we eagerly waited to see the unfolding of all God had in store.
Then on March 15th, 2009, the dream became a reality as the church officially opened its doors for the first time. Denver United was born.
Over the past few years, we have witnessed Jesus building His church in our midst. We’ve continued to grow steadily in number as our passion to be a light for Christ in the city has remained our clarion call. We’ve rejoiced at the opportunity God has given to serve our city through Thanksgiving outreaches, student move-in days, The Thorn Easter production and more. We’ve sent missions teams to China, Haiti, India and Cambodia, and we’ve partnered monthly with strategic ministries at home in Denver and in some of the darkest regions around the world. We’ve been humbled by God’s presence during worship, as well as how He’s brought people from all walks of life to create one united body of believers. We’ve been amazed at the blessings of God as we welcomed another local congregation, Denver Church, into our fold, allowing for strengthened vision and experience in local outreach. And in 2012, we celebrated the birth of the Denver Dream Center.
The dream of Denver United is alive and well. We welcome you to join us in the adventure of building God’s church in the heart of Denver.
To find out more about Denver United Church,
click here.
