In March of 2006, God began burdening Jason and Jennifer Janz to start a church in downtown Denver. They had been serving at a suburban church for over a decade. In May of 2007, their home church sent them out to plant a church in the city. The Janz family enlisting 1000 prayer partners, financial support and a core team. Several informational meetings were held in the fall of 2007 and then weekly organizational meetings began in January. At that time, around twenty adults made mention of their desire to help start this new work.

One of the ministries that Jason wanted to start was a Christ-centered addiction recovery program. After working in that area for several years, he had seen radical life change happen through exposure to the Word of God. He had been encouraged by several others to start this ministry even before starting church services. In looking for a facility to rent in November of 2007, he stumbled upon Central Baptist Church. He enquired about rental space for a Friday night addiction recovery program and they took him over to their old sanctuary. Little did he know that God was not leading him to rental space for the recovery program only, but also the meeting place that the church would call home. The moment the doors opened on this vacant sanctuary, he asked if it was available not just on Fridays but on Sundays. A relationship began to develop between the two ministries and in May of 2008, a lease was signed between Central and Providence.

While the lease was signed, the building was in great need of repair. Ceilings were falling, the carpet was tattered, and the whole place needed a facelift. Providence immediately began forming a plan to renovate the old facility, but they had no funds to do so. The bid for the needed overhaul came in at $110,000. Jason challenged the core group to do what they could through volunteer help and donations. Over the next three months, over 100 people volunteered their time and donations flowed in. On September 21st, a building dedication was held with the people of Central and Providence. The total bill was 1/3 of what was expected and every dollar was supplied with no debt.

In the Spring, Jason began teaching on the core values of the church and what the church would be and do. In June of 2008, twenty-five adults went on a three-day leadership retreat to plan the launch of the church and to undertake ministry responsibility. What was planned to be a time to discuss strategy and timelines ended up being a three-day prayer and worship retreat as the members bonded with one another, confessed sin to one another, and prayed for God to work in their lives. It was evident to all who attended that God was beginning to form a congregation that would be committed to Him and to each other.

Providence held some preview services on several Sunday mornings in the summer of 2007. By this time, about fifty adults had started regularly attending the core group meetings. Providence hosted their Grand Opening on September 28, 2008. During that month, the first six small groups were launched and the long-awaited addiction recovery ministry was finally launched. Over the past year, we have seen God birth a congregation in the heart of the city. We are seeing a budding new community of Christ-followers grow in their love for their God and their love for their neighbor. We praise God for all He has done.

The church operates on the idea that basic Christianity demands a life of discipleship. This includes gathering with the corporate body; participating in community; growing in our knowledge of and love for God; giving of our time and resources to the people and work of God; and reaching out to the community with the love and message of Jesus Christ.

We are humbled at what God is doing. It is His work and it is marvelous to watch.