Paul Stewart

Matthew Flowers

Last year I performed a wedding at the Living History Farms. I remember being really impressed with the photographer - he handled the rather dramatic bridal party with ease and by the time we arrived at the reception he was already streaming the photos on a large iMac at the back of the room. 

A few weeks ago I ran into him again at the Apple store (surprise) and asked if he would be willing to visit The Gateway Church and capture some of the magic of our last "preview" service. He agreed. 

Yesterday I received a DVD in the mail from Matthew Flowers Photography and was quite literally stunned. These pictures are amazing!

Be sure to check out the entire album and if you are in the Des Moines area and need a photographer for any reason, give Matthew a call. You will not be sorry.

Week Two Review

Yesterday we continued our series Echoes of a Voice - a sermon series taken, in part, from N.T. Wright's Simply Christian. It is a series that explores the universal longings of the human spirit; longings for relationship, for spirituality, and justice. Longings that are within each of us. Longings that we believe point beyond the natural world to a transcendent, personal and loving God.

Yesterday we explored our universal longing for beauty. The way in which we are moved by a sunset, or a work of art, or by looking into the eyes of a little baby.

We all long for and appreciate beauty and yet beauty, like justice, slips through our fingertips.

It seems for every snow-covered mountain there is a hole somewhere being filled with human debris. We are captivated by the sound of waves hitting the shore and yet terrified of hurricanes and tsunamis. And for every beautiful piece of art or clothing or music there is a corporation waiting to strip it down for mass-production or an advertiser anxious to use it to sell us something else.

We are struck by the beauty of our planet but we are also very aware of its ugliness.

Why?

GK Chesterton viewed this world as a cosmic shipwreck. A person’s search for meaning resembles a sailor who awakens on a deserted island surrounded simultaneously by wreckage and treasure.

In Romans 8 Paul helps us appreciate natural beauty. The world is full of beauty, but the beauty is incomplete. The beauty we see in creation is part of a larger whole that will be accomplished when God renews the heaven and earth. The reason the world is so beautiful is that it is straining forward.

We live between creation and new creation, and as Christians we are called to new creativity. We are called to anticipate the new creation; to provide signs and foretastes of the coming kingdom; to add to the beauty. 

Some Photos

     

The Grand Opening

Yesterday was a good day.

It was the culmination of a six-month journey we’ve been on to start a brand new church from scratch. We spent most of that time meeting with a handful of people in our living room dreaming and praying about a new kind of church in the heart of the city.

Our launch team worked hard to immediately begin serving together and to build relationships downtown Des Moines. Our goal was to create a positive image and buzz in the city in preparation for our opening day.

Yesterday we launched with 204 people at our Grand Opening service. People from all over the city, from all walks of life, who had heard about us in all kinds of different ways - outreach events, newspaper articles, websites, twitter, friends and family.

But yesterday was just the beginning.

Those of us who are starting this church hope to continually grow in loving God, loving others and our world. 

Our prayer is that as this new church comes together we will begin to embody the vision and the values the Lord has placed on our hearts. That we would become a life-giving community engaging in God’s life-changing truth and committed to life-long spiritual growth. A church committed to worship and beauty - unleashing the creativity inside the human spirit to change the world. That more and more people will be drawn in by our love, and begin their own journey toward loving God and loving people. And, thus, we will join God’s renewal one life at a time.

How Does a Church Use Social Media?

The good people of Lava Row, a social media consulting firm here in Des Moines, stopped by the Village Bean today during our "great coffee purchase" (more on that later). They asked me to describe how we've used social media to launch The Gateway Church.

Here's how I responded

Special thanks to Nathan and Hillary for stopping by!

The Paper

Yesterday the Des Moines Register ran a nice piece on me and The Gateway Church in their "Get to Know" column. Check it!

The Trailer

Every great film is accompanied by a great trailer - a series of selected shots that lay out the premise of the story without producing spoilers. The goal is to build anticipation by creating mystery.

While the best way to experience The Gateway Church is to come and be a part of our community, we wanted to create a way for people get a taste of our church without ever stepping in the doors.

A snapshot of what God is doing in our midst.

Enter Sam.

Sam is a filmmaker who moved back to Des Moines this summer after completing rehab. He ended up at a tailgating event we put on this summer and caught on to the vision of our church. As his faith grew so did his desire to produce films again.

This is the first work Sam has done since before rehab. It’s a trailer for our church, for the story we are hoping to tell in Des Moines, but it’s also a trailer for Sam’s life. Which is really cool.

Take a look. Pass it on. And come check us out this Sunday @ 10am in the Temple for Performing Arts!

The Gateway Church Promo from The Gateway Church on Vimeo.

A Personal Touch

Over the past few days I have been drinking A LOT of coffee.

I've visited over 20 different coffee shops, quite a few grocery stores, libraries, a university campus, food courts and restaurants and even a handful of bars. 

I've been handing out "rave" cards and putting up posters promoting The Gateway's Grand Opening service on Sunday, September 13th.

A few observations:

• I love this city! The weather has been fantastic and the city looks beautiful. There are so many cool spaces Des Moines. Definitely the best-kept secret in the midwest.

• Local coffee shops are SO much better than franchises. I've always kind of known this, but have always seemed to end up in a chain. This has given me a chance to see the differences up close. Local baristas are nicer, the coffee tastes better, the stores have more character/charm, and they are all excited about promoting community events (even a new church!)

• The word about Gateway is spreading. I've visited a number of places and asked to display our materials and have been literally overwhelmed with how many respond, with a smile on their face, "Oh The Gateway Church! I've heard of you!" One of our main goals over the past six months was simply to build a positive reputation within the city. It's happening.

• Good design matters. I am with Mark Batterson who says, "The greatest message deserves the greatest marketing." No one wants to put up an ugly sign in their coffee shop; and even if they did, no one would look at it; and even if they did look at it, they wouldn't want to come to your church. Most managers took one look at our sign and put it up right next to the Arts Center promo. Nice!

• Despite everything I just said, there is NOTHING better than a personal touch. I tried to introduce myself to every manager or barista I could and ask permission to put up our sign. This goes a long way. By the way, the people in Des Moines are beautiful!

Anyway, if you are in Des Moines, look for these in a coffee shop near you! And thanks again to Chip and Casey at Fearless Films for the design work. They are the best!