Walnut Creek Church Blog

Mission to the City Kicks Off

A worship and prayer night marks the start of this year's Mission to the City, May 23-26.

Walnut Creek Church’s fourth annual Mission to the City kicked off Thursday evening with a worship and prayer night. During the four-day long event, church members will serve the city with thousands of hours of community service and reach out to many with the Gospel – or, as the name implies, take a mission trip to Des Moines.

Nearly 500 people are participating in Mission to the City this year. For the first time, all Walnut Creek congregations are holding Mission to the City over Memorial Day weekend.

During the worship and prayer night, Pastor Dan Rude shared two principles that have motivated the church to do Mission to the City each year.

Christians are to be the light. “Mission to the City is all about being a light to the city,” Pastor Dan said. “It’s our identity as Christians, and this is an intentional time we set aside to serve Des Moines.”
The good news about Christ is too good to keep to ourselves. “There will be opportunities to share your faith,” he said.

Pastor Dan also shared the five key things we do during Mission to the City:

Serve other churches
Serve ministries
Serve organizations
Serve the city of Des Moines
Serve people

Join the Conversation

Join the Mission to the City conversation by posting on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter and using the hashtag #m2tc. For a live look at the Mission to the City activities happening around the Des Moines metro right now, go to walnutcreekchurch.org/m2tc.

Walnut Creek Church Launches Mobile App

During weekend services on April 26 and 27, Walnut Creek Church officially announced the launch of the new Walnut Creek Church mobile app.

The app contains several resources, including weekly sermon videos, upcoming events, service times and locations, posts from this blog and more.

"One of the goals of the app is to help people stay connected," Pastor Luke Hukee said. "For example, if you miss a message, you can catch up on the app while driving in the car. Not only is the message available, but so are the notes for the sermon."

But that's not all the app is for. "Ultimately, we want to reach more people with the Gospel." Hukee said. "Young people in particular are on their mobile device using apps all the time. This is another way to put Gospel-centered content into the hands of more and more people."

For more information and to download the free app, click here.

Also, be sure to check out our 30 second ad featuring the new app.

By Tim Laehn
Walnut Creek Downtown

A Focus on Fatherhood

Pastor Rick Whitney shares important parenting principles with attendees of the Fatherhood Seminar.

More than 160 men gathered together for a half-day Fatherhood Seminar on April 12 at Walnut Creek Downtown. They were joined by Pastor Rick Whitney of Vintage Faith Church in Manhattan, Kansas, who spoke on “The Importance of Fatherhood.”

“I’m just one father sharing with you some things God has taught me over the years,” Whitney said. He shared seven principles of parenting he and his wife held to as they raised their seven now grown children.

“I thought it was a good time to be together as fathers and learn from those who have gone before us and raised godly children,” said Jason Wicks of Walnut Creek Windsor Heights. Wicks said the most important thing he learned had to do with prayer. “It was good to be reminded of the value of praying and praying often and developing that habit with your kids as soon as they learn to talk,” Wicks said.

Following Whitney’s talk and a Q&A time, breakout sessions divided by their children’s age ranges gave fathers the opportunity to gain deeper insight. The three breakout sessions were:

0-7 years old, led by Pastors Mike Bourland and Tim Rude
8-12 years old, led by Pastors Terry Amann and Bruce Crane
13+ years old, led by Pastors Bob Joy, Joel Swanson and Rick Whitney

Following the breakout sessions, a free lunch provided attendees an opportunity for fellowship and to discuss what they learned.

By Tim Laehn
Walnut Creek Downtown

All Sons & Daughters Provides Night of Worship, Worship Leader Roundtable at Walnut Creek

All Sons & Daughters leads worship at Walnut Creek Downtown on March 11. Photo by Graham Gardner.

As part of their “A Night of Worship” tour, popular Christian band All Sons & Daughters made a stop at Walnut Creek Downtown on March 11. Worshipers from around Des Moines filled the church for not your typical concert.

“I thought All Sons and Daughters did a fantastic job of leading worship, and not putting on a show,” said Darrin Miedema of Walnut Creek Downtown. “Honestly, I expected it to feel like a concert. And while the quality of music was professional, the flow and feel of the event was that it was a worship service. It was a very enjoyable and refreshing time.”

Alex Mentzer, also from Walnut Creek Downtown, said it was unlike any concert she’s ever been to. “I appreciated that they recognized people worship differently – there were communion tables, a table with sketchbooks for people to write or draw, a table for people to give financially to an organization called Feed One. If people needed space or a place to kneel, they encouraged us to find some space,” Mentzer said.

The worship duo, David Leonard and Leslie Jordan, were joined by their pastor and friend Jamie George. Between songs, George gave a message on Luke 7 in which he shared the gospel and talked about how God meets us in our loneliness.

“I sat in the front row and got to watch people take communion,” Mentzer said. “It was beautiful knowing they were all taking time to remember what God had done in their lives, and it was a great time for me to reflect on how God redeemed me and revel in the deep love God has for me.”

Miedema said one of his favorite parts of the night was seeing so many Christians from different churches in Des Moines worshiping together at one event. “Different churches have different visions, different stances on certain issues, and different cultures, but ultimately we should look for opportunities to love and serve one another and be united in the advancement of God’s Kingdom,” he said.

Worship Leader Roundtable

Worship leaders from Des Moines area churches were invited to take part in a roundtable discussion with All Sons & Daughters at Walnut Creek Downtown prior to the show on March 11.

“It was encouraging to see other people’s passion for music and leading their congregation into greater affection for Jesus,” said Miedema, a worship leader at Walnut Creek Downtown. “It was also encouraging to know that there are many other people faithfully serving in this area and managing the sacrifices that it requires.”

By Tim Laehn
Walnut Creek Downtown

Upward Season Ends With a Spin

The Crevier family performs their Spin-tacular Basketball Show before attendees of the Upward Awards Ceremony on March 8. Photo by Audrey Van Lohn

Another successful season of Upward basketball through Walnut Creek Church closed Saturday with an exciting awards ceremony. The Crevier family, who travels the world with their unicycle-riding, basketball-spinning Spin-tacular Basketball Show, performed and presented the gospel before a packed gym of Upward basketball players, cheerleaders and their families. Also during the ceremony, all the Upward players were announced, and all cheer squads performed a cheer or dance.

More than 650 basketball players and 100 cheerleaders from grades kindergarten through eighth participated in this year’s season, making it the biggest season to-date. “The season went very well for us,” said Kyle Kurtenbach of Walnut Creek Downtown, who serves on the Upward basketball board. “The Lord provided all of the volunteers we needed,” he said, adding that there was more emphasis placed on lining up community groups to provide volunteers for refs, concessions, and scoreboards at weekend games.

Throughout the nine-week season, games were held at three different Des Moines area locations: Merrill Middle School, Walnut Creek Downtown, and Walnut Creek Windsor Heights.

As in previous years, a devotional video was shown during halftime of each game. The theme of this year’s devotionals was “The Validity of the Bible.” Each week, a Walnut Creek pastor provided a brief video presentation on topics such as the Dead Sea Scrolls. The pastors also used the opportunity to share the gospel with the kids and their families and to tell them how much God loves them and what it means to be a follower of Christ.

“Upward brings a Christ-centered league to Des Moines and a major opportunity to reach kids and families with the gospel,” Kurtenbach said. “It also teaches kids the fundamentals of basketball while keeping in perspective the role sports should play in comparison to God.”

In addition to Kurtenbach, other Upward basketball board members include Dave Rude, Chrissy Bloom, Rachel Bohacek, Becca Close, KayDee Cross, Jen Engdahl, Jordan Harlow, Blake Kruger, Ricki Meyer, Leah Wake, Joel Winters and Marc Wright.

By Tim Laehn
Walnut Creek Downtown

Rend Collective Comes to Des Moines

Rend Collective performs before a full church on February 14 at Walnut Creek Downtown.

Rend Collective, an eclectic Christian band hailing from North Ireland, and Christian rock band Bellarive, performed two sold-out concerts at Walnut Creek Downtown February 13 and 14.

“Rend Collective had a lot of great energy. They seemed really genuine, and I appreciated their emphasis on community,” said Brett Stewart of Walnut Creek Downtown. “I loved the music, atmosphere, and people. It was great seeing so many people from our church and so many people not from our church.”

Part of their Campfire tour, the two concerts provided the more than 1,200 attendees with upbeat, new-folk music reminiscent of worshiping God with a group of friends around a campfire.

“I thought what they said about the campfire and what it symbolizes was very meaningful,” Stewart said. “We’re all God’s children and equally important. It doesn’t matter if we’re musicians, pastors, or missionaries. We’re all equidistant from the fire – no one is in the center.”

Audrey Van Lohn of Walnut Creek Windsor Heights said she has experienced the campfire atmosphere before and thought it was a great concept for the concert. “It really is a time to be real and share what is going on in life. To have that not only with the Lord but also with close friends is so important, because we can do so much for each other,” Van Lohn said.

Van Lohn added that her favorite part was when Patrick shared about the band’s partnership with the child sponsorship ministry Compassion International. “I think it's fantastic that they support children all around the world,” she said. “He brought to reality how blessed financially we are and how much we have to share.”

The following excerpts are from an Integrity Music review of Rend Collective:

With Campfire, a 12-track collection recorded live on a beach in Northern Ireland, Rend Collective Experiment dares us to re-imagine worship and community.

As Rend's Gareth Gilkeson states: "There are no outsiders in the Kingdom. That's part of why we chose to record around the Campfire. Worship is not exclusive or confined within the walls of a church. It's a flame for everyone to gather around."

Sonically, Campfire is a fresh and innovative take on the new-folk and indie genres, an acoustic project by virtue of the fact that there are no electrical sockets on the beach. The album is entirely driven by classic, retro folk instruments that could be played by the fireside and by the ocean. The result is an album that captures the raw, rootsy, foot-stomping energy of the Irish worshippers, which has been infectious among audiences across the globe, as well as the vulnerability and intimacy of home group worship.

By Tim Laehn
Walnut Creek Downtown

Walnut Creek Windsor Heights Throws Community Super Bowl Potluck Party

Walnut Creek Windsor Heights hosted a Super Bowl party as a unique opportunity to unite members from across congregations and invite people in to enjoy community and a meal together.

“This party was a great opportunity to fellowship across services and locations, and reach out with your kids,” said Jessica White of Walnut Creek Windsor Heights.

The focus wasn’t only on the game. Instead of watching the Superbowl halftime show, Pastor Terry Amann introduced a video produced by the Seattle Seahawks called, “The Making of a Champion.” In the video, numerous Seahawk players and coaches share their testimonies and the gospel in a clear way.

Jessica said her favorite part of the party was its goal, to reach out to people together: “The party offered a door to meet new people who might not come to church for any other reason,” Jessica said. “You tell people there’s food and football, and they’re interested.”

While most of the kids spent the evening jumping in the castle-themed bounce house, Superbowl fans gathered around the full food tables throughout the game. Guests were asked to bring a side to share, and Jon Touchette of Walnut Creek Windsor Heights was encouraged by everyone’s willingness to contribute. He made his own crowd favorite, fried spinach.

“We were concerned about not having enough food, but as always, we had more than enough,” Jon said. “It was a cool reminder of the generosity of people. People always want to come together to help with events like this.”

To watch the video, visit makingofachampion.org.

By Jackie Wallentin
Walnut Creek Windsor Heights