Paul Stewart: The Big Move

Yesterday we made a big announcement that The Gateway Church will be moving locations this fall.

Since its inception, the dream of Gateway has been to create a life-giving church centered in and committed to the city of Des Moines. We began meeting in a living room in March, 2009. We were a small, ragtag community asking God to stir us in word and deed with his love for Des Moines. We started by loving our city in whatever simple, strange, street-level ways his Spirit would lead us to imagine.

When the church grew, we asked that Jesus would position us in the heart of the city, where the call to love Des Moines would be a daily opportunity. The Lord answered our prayers and for nearly three years, we’ve existed in the Temple for Performing Arts. Meanwhile, we have never stopped praying ‘Lead us to the heart of the city, Lord’ and I believe he has spoken once again.

On September 30, The Gateway Church will begin meeting Sundays at 10am in the auditorium at Central Campus on 1800 Grand Avenue. Central Campus is a regional academy of the Des Moines Public Schools providing unique learning opportunities to students around our city.

We envision this new facility will help us to even more effectively exhibit, proclaim, and live out the gospel in the heart of Des Moines by providing a number of key benefits:

Location - we will remain a church centered in and committed to Des Moines
Affordability - more resources available for ministry
Space - room to grow into who we want to be and where we want to go as a church
Availability - more opportunities for ministry throughout the week
Relationship - opportunities to build upon existing partnership with Central Campus
Safety - safe and secure space to disciple and reach out to children and students
Values - mission of the school aligns well with the values of our church

We believe that worshipping in this unique school rooted in the center of Des Moines will give our community the chance to be even more present within our city in the love, service, and proclamation of Christ.

We expect that even as God is moving us physically, He will also be moving among us in new and unexpected ways. With this new facility we are free to dream in new ways. Artists will have the freedom to reimagine our Sunday worship space. Youth leaders will have the chance to reach out to students. There will be more opportunities to offer classes for our community, after school sports leagues, and much more.

Our prayer is that through the power of the Holy Spirit we will move forward with remarkable boldness and a deep sense of unity to make an even greater impact on our city this Fall.