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Meeting at
Indian Hills Jr. High School,
9401 Indian Hills Dr., Clive, IA.– Sundays 10:30am.
Come at 10:00 for coffee and fellowship |
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What we are about:
We are committed to being relevant to the times in which we live. At the same time the church is called to be thoroughly Biblical. Much of what passes for Christianity today is "market driven." That is - the message and the method are driven by whatever will keep the seats full and the offering high. At Greater Life Community Church we desire to simply live out the Christian life as we find it in the Word of God. Simple obedience, simple faith, love and respect among the members, personal growth, and care for the community in which we live.
What we believe...
We have included our doctrinal statement for you, but we want to add these comments.
Many doctrines are central to what Christianity is. The birth, death, and resurrection of Christ are non-negotiable issues. We accept these things as facts. The divinity of Jesus, and the authority of the Scripture are in the same category. We have deliberately kept our doctrinal statement brief. We do not wish to unnecessarily raise walls between our people.
Our position on Baptism is the historical position of Believer's baptism. That is - persons being baptized must be believers. They must have had a conversion experience... They must be born again. The method we use most often is immersion. Other methods are occasionally used when the need arises. We believe it most closely fits the Bible passages that define the ordinance. We do not believe that you must be baptized to be saved. All converts in the Scripture, however, were baptized so we expect that all those who respond to the gospel under our ministry will do likewise.
We partake of the Lord's Supper at least once a quarter. These are precious moments to "remember the Lord's death until He comes." The Lord's Supper and Baptism are the two sacraments of the church.
ü Those who have never attended church much in their lives.
ü Those looking for a relaxed atmosphere, relevant message, refreshing style and real people seeking to become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.
ü Those new to the area.
ü Born Again Christians looking for a church home, and a place to serve.
ü Those who were raised in a church but do not now attend one.
ü Young families wanting to get grounded in a solid spiritual life.
ü Single adults looking for a place to connect relationally in a positive environment
The growth of our area is phenomenal. Every day, the quality of life in the western suburbs of Des Moines area attracts new families. New homes and businesses are going up all over the area.
Jesus Himself said, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest." [Matt. 9:37-38] Greater Life Community Church will be a witness for Jesus Christ. We believe that lost people matter to God and therefore, they matter to us. We also, believe that there is a greater life to be lived in Christ than simply finding forgiveness. We believe people can and will be transformed to become what they otherwise would not be outside of Christ and the daily, vital presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives. We are taking the life in Christ to the next level!
About our Leadership...
The Bible prescribes a team style of leadership for the local church. We operate with a team called the Church Board made up of leaders from the congregation. We are pastoral staff - led and lay - ministry driven.
Our pastor is Leray D. Glendenning. Leray and his wife, Lesa, have three children. Leray comes to
us with over twenty years of pastoral
ministry in two states. His ministry
has had
an emphasis on reaching lost people and providing an environment of life
transformation. He opened a Family Life Skills Learning Center in Chariton,
Iowa. He has been the featured speaker on a live radio broadcast for nine
years. Leray graduated from MidAmerica Nazarene University and Nazarene
Theological Seminary in Kansas
City. He was ordained in the International
Church of the Nazarene in 1984.
Stephen Sickels is our Pastor of Creative Arts. He and his wife Nicole have
three children,
Austin
(10), Katherine (7), and Mackenzie (6). He is a graduate of Southern
Nazarene University in Bethany, Oklahoma with a degree in Church Music. He
also attended MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe, Kansas, where he met
Nicole. Pastor Stephen has been a worship leader of ten years and has also
worked in Youth, Education, administration, and multi-media areas of church
ministry. He loves jazz, food, and fellowship with friends. Stephen loves to
play baseball and golf, and has been know to even make par on a hole or two.
Stephen says that his one desire is to lead people to the throne of God and
join them in worship of the Savior. With every thing set aside Stephen
personal motto is: To God Alone Be the Glory!
Small Groups...
Small Cell Groups occupy an important place at Greater Life Community Church. We believe that involvement in a small group is essential to real and sustained life change and spiritual growth. We have groups meeting each week in various locations. The format is a one and a half hour Bible study, topic study, or book study based on Bible in a home followed by a light dessert. We have found these to be great opportunities for developing friendships while learning how to apply God’s Word to real living.
We meet at Indian Hills Junior High School located at 9401 Indian Hills Drive in Clive, Iowa. This school is just one block north of Valley West Mall off of University Avenue. There is child care for our children of all ages. For information call 554-1604.
Declaration of Faith of
Greater Life Community Church
A. God is a Person Who has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
B. We accept the Bible as God's infallible word, inerrant in the original manuscripts and our final rule of faith and practice.
C. We accept Jesus Christ as God's divine Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit, virgin born, who died on the cross in our place for our sin. He arose bodily from the dead, and ascended into heaven where. He will come again in Person to judge the living and the dead.
D. Man was created in the image of God but fell into sin. We have all sinned in our own right and need a Savior to save us from the penalty for our sins. Salvation is by God's grace through faith in Christ.
E. Every believer in Christ is called to be entirely surrendered to the Holy Spirit, filled with the love of Christ and equipped for ministry.
F. The Church is an elect company of believers, who by the influence of the Holy Spirit were baptized into one body. We accept as Christians those who have been born again. We baptize most often by immersion. We receive into our membership those who have been born again by faith in Christ, baptized, and who are willing to commit to the covenant of the church.
Vision:
Surveys in the western suburbs show that most residents (65%) remain unchurched. Our vision is to plant a series of Christ honoring, self-reproducing, life transforming churches in the Des Moines metropolitan area. Greater Life Community Church is the first effort.
Commitment:
We are devoted to several things – core values - about which we feel strongly.
We are committed to Life Transformation in:
G rowth to Personal Maturity
R elationships with Lost People – through reaching to people locally as well as internationally in missions
E xpressive worship – “contemporary” style that connects people with the living God
A ggressive Prayer – that does not ask God to do what He has called us to do, but that finds out what He is doing and then joins him in believing for the impossible.
T ruth of God’s Word in preaching and teaching.
E mpowered Leadership – Every believer finding their giftedness and and unique personality mix and becoming involved in life- changing ministry.
R eproducing ministry – Discipling new believers and training others in ministry and living life for Jesus Christ.
Life
In
Community – doing it all to together, learning to care for each
other and encourage one another.
We further value:
- People above Programs
- Multiplication above Maintenance
- Ministry above Meetings
- Worship above the work of organization
- Relationships above Rituals
Strategy:
We began in July, 2002 with a core group of 100 people from the Des Moines Area. Since then we have grown to a core group of 150 people. Our average weekend attendance has grown from 74 to 107. Our small group participation has grown from 40 to over 100 people involved.
So where are we now? What’s planned for the future? We are currently expanding our ministry to families. Our goal is to add pastoral staff in the next year to lead the ministry to families and children.
We are also looking to open a church office in the area. Along with this has begun the search for land that would allow for a campus for ministry.
We are planning to begin a Celebrate Recovery Ministry and a Family Life Skills Learning Center in the near future. These ministries will specifically provide a safe place and life-changing learning tools to deal with many of lives most stubborn problems in personal lives and in families. Opportunity will be given to connect with the power of God in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ!
The long range plan at Greater Life is to start several new churches in the greater Des Moines Metro area in the next five years.
We are committed to being Family Friendly. The pressures faced by young families today were unknown to former generations. Everything we do at Greater Life Community Church will reflect our commitment to the success of your marriage and the spiritual life of your children. We promise!
If you have any questions please feel free to call our pastor, Leray Glendenning. He can be reached at his office at 554-1604 or by cell phone: 490-5228.