Downtown Community Church

Leaving is hard. Change is hard. Even doing what you are called to do by Jesus is hard. So, how do we handle that well? When change is imminent and unavoidable, how can we face it head on and trust that everything will be okay? It really is easier than it seems, we trust the Lord. All He wants for us is good, he has so much in store for us that we can not begin to comprehend His plans. Sure, it is hard, but to follow Jesus does not come without sacrifice. So, in the midst of change, we trust God. When we are called to go and make disciples of all nations, we must go. Jesus has our backs and since it is in His will, all things are good. Join Pastor Ben Kaempfer as he helps us learn how to send and separate well through Acts 20.Support the show

How can we have hope in times of mourning? This year, Easter feels heavy. We may feel desperate, lost, or even angry. We live in a broken world, and to grieve is normal and good, but we must grieve with hope. Hope that our Lord is going to take our pain away. This Easter is still a joyous celebration of the Risen King. He will take our pain away. He will wipe away every tear from every eye. He is Risen! The Easter story of our Lord is one of hope! Join Pastor Ben Kaempfer as he retells the story of the Risen King.Support the show

In a world where we can get instant satisfaction with a click of a button it is hard to be servant-hearted. We often look to God and want him to serve us when we are meant to serve Him. For Him to build our kingdom instead of us building His. The story of Palm Sunday is a celebration of Jesus entering Jerusalem. So why were the people of Jerusalem so quick to turn on Jesus? Join Pastor Ben Kaempfer as he walks us through this story of celebration in Mark Chapter 11.Support the show

We wrapped up our series in Jonah by looking at Jonah's heart posture in chapter 4, seeing that he was really more concerned about his own kingdom than about God's kingdom. On Palm Sunday, we saw the crowd with a similar heart posture, and when we look inward, we see that we often have the same problem. But through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we have been invited into the Kingdom that will last forever so we can lay ours down.Support the show

In a world of temptations it is difficult to know what the Lord desires for us. We are being constantly pulled in every direction with each pull being from desire and passion. Within all of us however, we have a decision. We can feed the godly self or feed our flesh and give into the world. Tune into what Pastor William Colle offers about the beginning of James chapter 4 as he tells us the reality of what following Jesus looks like.Support the show

When life challenges you it gives you the opportunity to seek wisdom. A word that is so robust in its meaning that it is almost overwhelming. So, what does the Bible say about wisdom? It is a popular topic in the Word but how do we go about seeking it out? Through Jesus! What Jesus tells and shows you is the wisest council you will ever need. Join Pastor Ben Kaempfer in the study of James 3:13-18 as he guides us on the wisdom we seek out in the Bible and through our peers.Support the show

In Jonah 3, we see the Ninevites turn from their evil ways and repent, but what led them to that point? What leads us to repent from our evil ways? Only God's love, shown through His grace and His mercy and sometimes even His wrath, can truly change a heart and turn a life around.Support the show

“Faith without deeds is dead.” This is a sobering phrase that we all can struggle with especially in our walks with Jesus. When we face life together with Jesus it is so hard to obey what the Lord wants us to do. What we can constantly take comfort in is that He is trustworthy and will use us to perform miracles. To be faithful is to love Jesus with all our hearts that our faithful deeds, or obedience, flows through us as we walk this life hand in hand with Jesus. Join our guest pastor, Pastor John Parker from Summit Church in Orlando, FL, as he talks on James 2:20-26 and help us further our understanding of God’s word.Support the show

"So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead," (James 2:17). This verse directly addresses a key message communicated by James throughout his book, but it's one that can be so easily misunderstood. If followers of Jesus are saved by faith alone, what do our works have to do with it all? Join Nate Schaidt in our ongoing study through the Book of James as we learn about the relationship between our faith and the things we do.Support the show

Favoritism. What is it really? We know that it is showing one person more attention than the others but how does that relate to Christians? It is a secret and constant battle that everyone struggles with. In our day to day life we show people favoritism. But why is that the topic of this sermon? Because it is a sin, a complex but real sin that every single one of us battles with. Join Pastor William Colle in our continuing study of James on chapter 2 verses 1-13 and walks us through what scripture says about favoritism.Support the show

It is so easy to be angry. We get in traffic jams, angry, stub our toe, angry. There are so  many things tat make us mad and cause us to make poor choices in this world. How can we be slow to anger and hold our tongues when there is so much malice in the world, and potentially in us? The short answer, we listen. Join us in our study of James 1:19-27, as Pastor Shannon Butler walks us through each verse and offers insight on what James is teaching us about being quick to listen.Support the show

We all struggle in life. From anxiety to grief, we all experience a multitude of trials. It is easy for these trials to consume our lives too. To let them coerce us into temptation time and time again. Trials are a part of life, but God uses them to deepen our faith! Without trials, life would not be as sweet! When we live a life with Jesus, He will guide us through these obstacles and into a richer life with Him. Kicking off our new series James, tune into how Pastor William Colle guides us in the study of James 1:1-18 explaining what trials can bring us. Support the show

Jump back into Jonah with us as we study chapter 2 where we see what Jonah does in his rock bottom moment and ask ourselves what WE do in a similar place. Will we cling to worthless idols or choose to accept that grace that God freely gives us?Support the show

It is so hard to be silent nowadays. To just sit still and be quiet seems almost impossible in the busy and fast moving world we live in. But that is exactly satan wants, to make us too busy for the Lord. When we sit and be with Jesus and Jesus alone is when we can deepen our relationship with Him. The Lord will talk to you in some way! Whether it is a verse or a name or just one word, the Lord is there with you. Join Pastor Shannon Butler as he explains the importance of silence and solitude as a spiritual rhythm and steps on how we put this into practice.Support the show

Food is a wonderful and precious thing in life. Every day, in and out, we eat to satisfy our bodies. The Lord provides, for us, amazing feasts every day alongside His many blessings in life, but what happens when we purposefully take that commodity away and fast? What even is fasting? What does it mean? These questions are some of what Pastor Shannon Butler answers in todays sermon. Join him as he reads through the story of Jehoshaphat and explains what the spiritual rhythm of fasting is, what it can do for us and how it can be done.Support the show

As a follow up from Sundays Sermon on Sabbath, join William Colle, Grace Markwell, Nate Schaidt & Nolan Cannon as we discuss what Sabbath looks like for them in different stages of life. Support the show

Sabbath, what is it exactly? We have heard this word over and over again in the church. The idea is neat, taking a full day of rest? How could we not like that? But what does Sabbath really look like? Yes, it is a time of rest, but not only that, it is how we can further build our relationship with Jesus. But sabbath is hard. That is the reality. To stop our busy lives on purpose is difficult, but it is worth it. Join Pastor William Colle as he studies Sabbath and guides us through the meaning and weight behind this Rhythm.Support the show

Prayer is a foundation of the church and faith as a whole. Even though we know this, praying is hard. How do we do it? Why do we do it? If we know Jesus already has everything planned out for us, why do we pray? We pray because we depend on the Lord. He gives us the hope and comfortability to talk with Him, and gives us the steps on how to do it. Join Pastor Ben Kaempfer in his study on Matthew 6, reading and analyzing The Lord Prayer and guides to a better idea of the Rhythm of Prayer means.Support the show

How do we know that God is with us? We all wrestle with the idea of God, and desire for his presence more. We go to immense lengths to feel the presence of Him, but question if that sensation we felt was real. But God is always with us. How do we know this? Through scripture we can see how much Jesus lives in us and how much He loves us. Join Pastor Ben Kaempfer as he studies scripture and reads just how often Jesus is with us.Support the show

Join us for College Nights this semester as we dive into the book of Jonah! As we began in chapter 1, we saw that like Jonah, we run from God far more often than we care to admit or than we even realize. However, when we finally admit that rebellion, we'll see that God is far more merciful than we could ever imagine and that He will stop at nothing to pursue us with His love.Support the show