In most communities in America today there are young families struggling to make ends meet. These are essential workers, first time home buyers and two income families juggling childcare who are new to their careers and often the first to go when companies struggle.
Right now lots of companies are struggling and so are these young families! What can we do to help? School systems are financially strapped! City governments face other pressing needs. These fragile families need help so they, their children and their community can thrive!
When the government shut down hit November 2025 families in Lakewood, Colorado had already been stressed out for weeks. In a perfect world no child would grow up watching their parent’s worry about putting food on the table but this year those fears were realized at the worst possible time…just before the holidays!
Foothills Elementary school https://foothills.jeffcopublicschools.org/ enjoys the support of concerned teachers and staff as well as a network of community partners including churches, businesses and neighborhood associations. Just before Thanksgiving break school staff member Katy and two teachers, Erica and Emma circulated a sign-up sheet for families who were afraid of running out of food that week…52 responded!
Lutheran Church of the Master https://www.lcmonline.org/ is a fellowship of 80-100 members and sits just 1 mile from Foothills. The partnered with a neighboring Christ on the Mountain Catholic church to provide 52 food kits that included fresh baked goods, fruit bread and the most important ingredient: love! Community love is a vital antidote to fear!
Here’s a picture of the Thanksgiving food bags at Foothills
52 families living on the west side of Lakewood enjoyed Thanksgiving week this year because 52 bags of food and love were shared with them by a caring network of community members and educators who made their compassion tangible just in the nick of time!
We hope this Thanksgiving story encourages you to look around, notice need and seek appropriate ways to encourage others and grow the joy in our world one relationship at a time!
Cloverdale Church of God is a 60+yo neighborhood church in a gentrifying area of Lakewood, Colorado. For 10 years Michael and Tina Hooven have led this church to love their neighborhood by organizing community events, serve their local school and helping this aging church find ways to connect with their Hispanic neighbors. Just like many other churches across America, Cloverdale isn’t going to make it unless they make radical changes! The kind of change they need has to be profound, strategic and will require expertise and knowledge beyond their normal support networks. What should we do? We can’t afford to lose the building or the church community partnership momentum! In June 2024 Pastor Mike gathered a group of neighborhood pastors for prayer. For months they prayer-walked the neighborhood, sought God’s direction and tried to encourage Mike and his members as they sorted through various “next step” ideas and plans. At the same time just 5 miles away The Bridge Church at Bear Creek https://bridgebc.org/ is booming! They have the same passion and vision as Cloverdale and have been praying about “adopting” a struggling church and helping “re-plant” them to give them new life! August 10, 2025 Cloverdale and the Bridge Church formalized their path together. Cloverdale celebrated their 6 decade history and stepped into their future! The path ahead is risky but is being built upon prayer and partnership! (https://www.facebook.com/CloverdaleChurch/)
Lakewood Connects is proud to support churches like Cloverdale and the Bridge as they lean in to new strategies to advance faith in our modern age.
Pastors from 5 different churches praying for Cloverdale
CAFÉ
For over 18 years Lakewood Connects has helped Under-Served Schools identify community partners to support school activities, needs and programs. Today’s dual income parents face long work days, tough commutes and high financial stress. These parents lack the ability to be engaged in their student’s school and their school and student suffers as a result. What can we do in the local community to help the school thrive and the families reconnect to the school? Establishing partnerships between a community and their school requires building relationships with dozens of organizations and helping educators develop a year-long calendar of activities, volunteer and resource-need forecasting. Partnerships and support don’t “just happen!”
The “CAFÉ” model, developed by School Connect https://schoolconnectaz.org/cafe/ stands for; “Community and Family Engagement.” Using the “CAFÉ model,” School leaders invite dozens of local organizations; churches, service clubs and local businesses to a meeting where they’re introduced to the school culture, calendar and community then invited to pick from a list of volunteer or partnership activities that they want to partner with the school and support. Lakewood Connects supports several of these CAFÉ’s in Lakewood, Colorado. Long time “connection” work here has helped us build relationships with groups who we can recruit to join their local school’s CAFÉ! We have found that there are dozens of organizations unreached by the local school in their area yet want to help! Every year we find new ideas, improvements and innovations linked to creating thriving and flourishing for underserved communities and schools. The suffering in our communities is very often solvable when relationships are formed, a challenge is understood and a “together visioning” process is created! This is our future! This is our opportunity! This is something we are able to lead into because of your support! Thanks!
First CAFÉ meeting at Rose Stein Elementary!
Faith and Education
It is a common belief that Faith and Education have a tenuous if not caustic relationship. For the past 18 years Lakewood Connects has worked hard to dispel this misconception! We believe that local faith communities and churches are the “healing hub” for underserved schools! Last May we reported about the development of partnerships between Faith & Education.
Recently Lakewood Connects Executive Director, Reg Cox has made presentations to service clubs, church leaders and individuals in an effort to build new partners for these opportunities. You might call these meetings and partners “bridges” spanning the divide between Faith and Education. This divide doesn’t have to exist and, we believe, we can be part of building this bridge in our community!
Principal Michelle and office manager Blanca from Rose Stein Elementary at a recent prayer time.
When a church builds relationships with a local school and reaches beyond service into prayer we believe deep long lasting healing transformation is possible. Faith leader! We encourage you to become a “Healing Hub” in your community!
YIGBY
In most cities nationwide there’s an Affordable Housing Challenge. We know that many of our “downstream” societal problems like mental health, family degradation, personal debt and chronic social disconnections are related to the lack of affordable housing. When a family has affordable stable housing many of their life challenges diminish or disappear. In Lakewood our affordable housing shortage affects +2,000 households who currently overspend on housing, or are currently homeless or are making an untenable lengthy commute for work or school. We’re concerned about affordable housing for educators, first responders and law enforcement but we must also find housing solutions for every community member! How do we move forward on this challenge? We believe that Education + Communication about finding options to solve this challenge will help us find pathways for Community Transformation!
YIGBY means, “Yes in God’s Backyard.” It’s a conviction that faith must become a partner in finding solutions to this challenge! A first step in seeking solutions is partnering with experts, one of our faith based development partners is Abundant Ground https://www.abundantground.com/ Their expertise is making this dream a viable option in communities across the Front Range! Recently Lakewood Connects was honored to support our civic and faith leaders as they leaned into research and conversation around this topic at a recent YIGBY informative event at the Bridge Church at Bear Creek. At the event presenting and answering questions was Abundant Ground and one of our City Councilors. Over 50 faith and community leaders attended the event. When 1000’s of members of our community suffer we all suffer! Thanks for supporting our work to find solutions to suffering!
YIGBY community and Faith meeting at the Bridge Church at Bear Creek
Unity is our Hope and Healing Power!
For the past 20 years my passion has been focused on supporting the Lakewood Faith community’s response to the John 17 prayer of Jesus that his followers “be one.”“I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. John 17:20-21 That support has led many of us into “unity building” activities such as Interfaith Coalitions, Government-Faith service projects, Public Education support and partnering with Business to improve community health. Faith unity is the launch pad for community healing.
Love Lakewood Weekend started Saturday 9/20 with Love Lakewood Day, a citywide day of service sponsored by Serve Spot Lakewood https://www.servespotlakewood.com/. On the Serve Spot website there are pictures and stories about the 20+ service projects.
Sunday 9/21 was Love Lakewood Sunday as +7 churches gathered for unified worship. The unified worship event began as Pastor Hoxworth from the Bridge Church at Bear Creek prayed for Mayor Wendi Strom and government leaders. Mayor Strom shared about our city’s needs and encouraged us to see all others in our community as “human beings.” What a poignant invitation to love and seek unity!
Pastor Schmitz of Westwoods Community Church preached Jeremiah 29 inviting us to make “love your neighbor” real by striving to “love our city with a costly love!” He challenged; “seek the wholeness and prosperity of others!” Together we “commit” to find and support those who are not prospering in our city!
Pastor Summers from Lakewood Vineyard ended the service inviting Educators for prayer. All of this felt significant and an answer to 20 years of prayerful efforts to remove the barriers that divide us. I believe our unity is key to national healing and removing suffering in our world. Thanks for supporting this vision!
2025 started off hard for us! Late this past December a local school administrator was fired. Few details about his case are available but his abrupt departure suggests a serious failure. This man was a friend and partner to Lakewood Connects and we feel his loss personally.
In 2013 this leader was a local elementary school principal and we supported efforts to raise money and community partnership to renovate school grounds into a neighborhood gathering place. Within a couple of years this man was promoted to a top school administration position.
New Year’s Day 2025 he ended his life leaving his family and community in shock. This man was a mentor, a leader’s leader and force for good who failed publically. In late January Lakewood Connects Director, Reg Cox partnered with his Rabbi to conduct his memorial.
What should we do when a friend fails? Should we hide from the fact of our relationship as negative narratives swirl around the tattered reputation of a fallen leader? Is there any way to “redeem” a loss as consequential and devastating as this? Is despair our only option?
A foundational organizational value for Lakewood Connects is “Compassion in Action.” Compassion dictates that we enter into pain regardless of the circumstances, consequences or cost. That conviction led us to participate in his memorial but also to seek ways to redeem the “good” in his life for positive means. You may ask; “How in the world could that happen?”
As the result of this tragedy, Lakewood Connects has partnered with government, faith, business and education leaders across our community to find pathways to greater leadership support, transparency and healing. Winston Churchill famously said, “Don’t let a good crisis go to waste.” In that spirit our friend’s death spurs us to healing action. Here are three things happening now:
Healing Action Plans – Building Pathways to Equip Hope and Healing:
Faith-Educator Prayer: Partner with School and Faith leaders to build/support meetings between local pastors and their neighborhood school leaders for regular times of prayer.
Mental Health-Leader Seminars: Support local Hope and Healing seminars and equipping events at local churches and at the school district.
Hope and Healing Event: Partner with Jeffco School’s “Family and Community Partnerships” office to plan an event that helps unite community support to and for education leadership.
The goal in these “Healing Action Plans” is to build events, opportunities and equipping so healthy connection and relationships can flourish in our community among leaders of all organizations. Lakewood Connects is blessed to support and lead in this work. Our conviction is that Faith and Education can work together to create healthier relationships and more hope.
Our friend’s death shocked us but it also compels us to find and forge new pathways for healing and partnerships. When Faith and Education forge appropriate ways to partner and connect more than just “repair” can occur, we can forge a thriving and flourishing future together. That’s what Lakewood Connects is all about. Thanks for your love and support!
Thank you for your support! Whether you’ve supported a teacher affirmation event, been a tutor, helped with “Love Lakewood Day” or supported this work financially or prayerfully you are a BIG DEAL! Thanks!
What is Lakewood Connects (LWC) focused on in 2025?
1) Enhance the philosophy and plan of Faith/Church as a community-healer. For 19 years Reg has supported, designed and lead faith-heals-community programs such as;
a. After school tutoring programs
b. Neighborhood community parties/connection events
c. Faith support for Community Resource Centers at underserved schools
d. Faith sponsored teacher appreciation events at underserved schools
e. Faith support for underserved school events, PTA’s and educator needs
f. Faith partnership with city health programs/teams
g. Faith partnership with nonprofit organizations who serve the city well
h. (see Collective Impact notes below)
We believe that a church exists to bring healing to their local community by developing partnerships with residents and organizations in order to build goodwill and health. We think this is key to advancing the Gospel. For examples check out: https://lakewoodconnects.org/blog/
In 2025 Reg will expand 2 pastor cohorts to 4 for prayer, community impact success and friendship.
Collective Impact unites Business, Education, Government and Faith to recognize and find solutions to city needs. We believe society’s challenges are solvable when we work together! Examples:
a. Help Business/government/education leaders build leader resilience through mentoring
b. Build and connect pastor cohorts to local service, diminish competition and expand impact
c. Support the city of Lakewood’s “All American City” presentation plan and presentation.
d. Co-lead a community leader Bible Study designed to strengthen leaders.
e. Recognized as the “go-to-guy” for collaborative program design serving needs in the city
In 2025 Reg will support Leadership Mentoring programs, Pastor Cohorts and citywide collaboration.
3) Support “community center” vision . As school districts close schools a great opportunity opens! East Community Center https://littletonpublicschools.net/ecc is an example how this is a positive change!
Developing a community center in a closed school building involves seeking community input and linking nonprofit partners to offer services to increase thriving and flourishing for physical, mental and social needs. This could include senior adult services, child care, tutoring, health assessments, counseling, food services support and dozens of other programs. We are excited to support this vision in our city that has worked well in other places! Stay tuned in 2025 for more info!
A Season of Rhythms-They say, our habits form us! The things we do day after day, year after year are what we become. Lakewood Connects is making the habit of showing up, supporting others, gathering, connecting, appreciating, dreaming about what is possible, partnering, giving credit away and building relationships. Here are some snapshots of what we are becoming!
May 2 – Jeffco Schools Foundation Gala-Lakewood Connects and Benefits in Action purchased a table to support the Foundation. City Council woman, CCU education professor and a pastor joined us. You advance good by supporting others!
May 15 – Power of Partnership-Reg presenting to over 60 faith, nonprofit and government leaders on using “Care Portal” a tool linking community needs to those who want to financially meet verified opportunities. The Power of Partnership builds collaboration across all of Jefferson County so that the faith community and government can serve side by side.
May 24 – Appreciating Teachers at FHE-Lakewood Connects and Thrivent Financial set up teachers and staff at Foothills Elementary with an Old Chicago end-of-the-year party complete with finger food and treats. Their appreciation was electric! We are inspired when others believe in the work we do.
May 29 – Building CRC’s with Serve Spot Lakewood-Lakewood Connects is partnering with Serve Spot Lakewood on a program to support the Community Resource Center at Westgate Elementary this year. When we make it easy for families to connect with resources everyone wins! Stay tuned for more info!
June 6 – Jeffco Prosperity Partners Graduation-Yearly 30+ families who start at a place of desperation “graduate” from needing government support and start to thrive and flourish. When we celebrate the small wins we have courage to dream big! Lakewood Connects is a vibrant supporter of Jeffco Prosperity Partners!
June 7-9 Lakewood’s All American City Award presentation-Reg served on the City of Lakewood’s All American City presentation team for the second time. Lakewood received a “runner up” recognition as one of 20 cities across America that is leading the way in collaboration.
June 25 – Envision Lakewood – Housing and Economy study group-The City of Lakewood asks city leaders to serve on groups to study and recommend plans for future development. Reg served on the Housing and Economic study group. Showing up matters!
July 7 – Southwest Community Church Ministry Fair-Southwest Community is a solid partner church serving the Westgate Elementary neighborhood in dozens of ways. Their “ministry fair” features over 30 different “community service” options to members. When churches partner with their local schools communities change!
July 26 – Hosting a table at the Longer Tables 528 dinner event-Longer Tables hosts groups of 100 neighbors to a night of dinner and connection. Reg and Amy hosted a table during a summer event where 528 strangers met for a dinner downtown. It was amazing! We are better together!
July 31 – August 8, Cox’s trip to Hawaii!-The Cox family got to spend a week in Kauai together enjoying connection, love and some amazing Hawaii beach activities! Relationships are our anchor!
August 10 – Supporting “Love Lakewood Day” at the “Jeffco Back to school Bash”-Reg represented Love Lakewood Day at the huge Back to School Bash as Jeffco stadium where over 50 groups met with over 1000 families and students!
August 14 – Abundant Ground event at Revive Church Arvada-Reg brought several Lakewood church leaders to an event examining how a church transformed into a mulit-use facility serving 1000’s of families and affordable housing on their campus. This is the way of the future.
September 4 – Foothills PTA-For 15 years Reg and Amy have supported the Foothills Elementary PTA from a size of “2” to now 35 members! Lakewood Connects now has non-parent PTA members at 3 schools! Seeds that are watered grow!
September: Sheridan Shepherd’s prayer-Reg is now grouping pastors in areas of the city for times of prayer. The “Sheridan Shepherd’s” are pastors of churches along the Sheridan corridor who now enjoy rich connection, hope and partnership! We are better together!
September 12 – School Board commendation-Lakewood Connects was recognized for over 15 years of partnership building and program development at over 20 schools reaching and serving something like 40,000 students and families over these years.
September 19 – Recovery Works/Supporting programs for the Unhoused-Reg serves on the Healthy Alliance linking Government and private health organizations. A program success is a Navigation Center (day only) serving the homeless in Lakewood on Colfax. Collaboration moves our community forward in compassion!
Change! When compassion moves us to invest in our community we have to consider the Long Game. Sustainable positive impact is vital if we’re going to make meaningful change. But the key word here is “change!” When we aim at change we HAVE to be prepared to spend years aligning partners, programs and plans in order to be prepared to deliver ongoing positive results for the foreseeable future!
Collaborations! In 2014 Lakewood Mayor Bob Murphy envisioned building a “super collaboration” between the mayor’s office and organizations. The first of these was the Lakewood Faith Coalition linking all faiths together for partnership with the city. It was chaired by Lakewood Connects ED Reg Cox.
Then the Coalition to End Hunger in Lakewood linked +50 different food service organizations. Finally, the Lakewood Service Organization Coalition linked Kiwanis, Rotary, Optimists and Elks in the city.
Serve Spot! January 2021 Reg along with the chairs of the other two coalitions formed Serve Spot Lakewood merging these Coalitions into one. Serve Spot’s first area of focus was aimed at understanding and supporting elementary schools during the pandemic.
Need! We discovered 5 schools where food, clothing and basic things like laundry detergent were needed. Families at the school couldn’t access other sources of help and the “Community Resource Center” (CRC) concept was born. A CRC is a “food choice” pantry allowing patrons to pick what resources they want including food, clothing and some support classes and programs.
Examples of a CRC:
At Westgate Elementary their CRC was set up in a detached portable classroom. Immediately families began accessing support daily.
At Foothills their CRC was originally set up in a portable classroom but has been moved into a large hall closet! The CRC is called “Foothills Foodies” and as enrollment grew space limitations have created challenges for supporting family needs there!
At Rose Stein the CRC is just the Family Engagement Liaison’s office (see pictures below)! Schools are doing the best they can!
Facing and Fixing our Challenges! As staff rotates at schools the CRC concept required constant reorientation to new faces and partners. Serve Spot would build out a portable or closet only to lose it and all the infrastructure investment. How could we build a sustainable outpost for thriving and flourishing with so many constantly changing variables? The need wasn’t diminishing, in fact, it was growing!
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)! Summer 2022 Serve Spot began a process of securing an MOU with the school district so that long term CRC program success could be established. We are excited to announce that early 2024 we signed the MOU and we’re ready to build out the CRC model in Lakewood!
What took so long? You may have asked the same question about making some kind of positive change in your life too! Here’s what we believe; The Long Game is the only way to make sustainable positive change! 2 years of patience built a foundation for a generation of students and families in underserved communities that will last for decades! Lakewood Connects is all about the LONG GAME! We supported building city coalitions, then the building of Serve Spot and then the Community Resource Center project!
Get ready to help us! In upcoming newsletters we will update you on opportunities for helping support and lead the CRC’s in our schools in Lakewood and beyond! We expect this work to multiply to other cities in other states! Thanks for your encouragement and support!
Remember… change moves at the speed of relationship! Invest in the long game in your city today!
Rose Stein Family Engagement Liaison Terry Pauley
Terry’s current Office / Community Resource Center (CRC)
The story of how a city-wide day of service was envisioned and initiated in Lakewood, Colorado in less than 1 year starts with an Idea, a Friendship and an ambitious plan to address a Perplexing Challenge!
The Idea: In 2014 Mayor Adam Paul recruited leaders from Faith, Service Clubs and Food Service Organizations to build connections within their area of expertise then link with city leaders to build “Greater Good” Coalitions. The mayor called this, “Lakewood Linked” and the idea took off! Pastor Reg Cox built the Faith Coalition. Nonprofit leader Jane Barnes of Benefits in Action built the Coalition to End Hunger in Lakewood. Several service club leaders including Kiwanian Steve Otto built the Lakewood Service Organization Coalition. In less than 16 months Lakewood Linked was leading change in the city!
The Friendship: By linking like-organizations together we now had a platform to build and grow a “volunteer culture.” But cultures like this are built upon friendships before they actually do things! Faith groups who had previously not spoken to one another partnered to serve neighborhood schools! Food service organizations began sharing resource information and delivery services with each other! When service clubs linked together their cumulative capacity for making a positive impact exponentially increased! Friendship, it turns out, is the foundation for grander vision, possibilities and action! Positive change in a city moves at the speed of relationship! Any fool can criticize or complain but it takes courage and humility to make friends, share vision and link arms in a spirit of common cause!
Perplexing challenge: For generations “sustainedmeaningful community service” has been spotty in Lakewood. Some areas of need are addressed while others go ignored. Compassionate coalitions start with an ambitious “bang!” but soon fizzle. Good-intentioned initiatives are activated only to create more problems than they solve! How can we truly partner, listen and learn before-we-act and create sustainable organizations? Does service to neighbors-in-need “have to” rob them of dignity or the motivation to improve their lives? Fact: “Need” will never go away…but good-will, compassion and conscientious strategies of building pathways for sustainability must be constantly rebuilt, reimagined and reengineered! We need coalitions like Lakewood Linked so greater-good continues!
With aims like “sustainable” and “meaningful service” the “Lakewood Linked Initiative” is now called; “Serve Spot Lakewood” and what began as an idea is now a movement! Serve Spot is led by Jane Barnes and is focused on building a volunteer portal that promotes service opportunities in our city. Serve Spot merged the three Lakewood Linked coalitions into one that can now focus on accomplishing the greater-good across the city with new found motivation and energy!
Where is this leading us? October 2022 Serve Spot leaders dreamt of creating a city-wide day of service that identified and served needs that never seemed to be addressed. On September 23, 2023, less than a year later, “Love Lakewood Day” mobilized +230 volunteers to 10 different projects in the city. College students, church members, neighborhood association members…it was Lakewood’s first attempt to address the needs of the city under the leadership of Serve Spot and it was an incredible success!
It is ambitious to envision, organize, communicate and activate hundreds of volunteers to work in 10 different service sites in a city of 155,000 in less than 1 year! Great work Serve Spot Lakewood! Lakewood Connects is proud to support this organization and the culture of volunteer “greater-good” partnership that is growing in Lakewood! We hope that this story inspires your efforts to lean into relationship building, movements of service and greater-good action where you live! Let’s do good together!
Over 100 volunteers for Love Lakewood Day at Southwest Community Church!
Students from Colorado Christian University painting at South Lakewood Elementary!
Colorado Christian University is a century old private liberal arts University in Lakewood, Colorado. Each year, 1,500 students from all over the country and world study there. Community service is a CCU priority at the school and giving back is a core component of the culture there. However, it isn’t as easy as you would think to find local, effective service opportunities that offer real help to people for almost 2,000 students and staff every year.
In 2017 student government leaders reached out to Lakewood Connects Director, Reg Cox to brainstorm the development of a new program for student community service. “CCU 4 Lakewood” was initiated and over fifty students served food at a church at a program for the community, led activities and programs for older adults at a senior living center, met with our unhoused neighbors at a local shelter and served children at a local underserved elementary school. The program has since continued and expanded!
Philosophically you create future community servants by mentoring and modeling. Lakewood Connects supported campus student government leaders who then planned service opportunities, recruited other students and then led their projects. If we want a new generation of servant leaders we build them!
On Valentine’s Day, 2013, Lakewood Mayor Adam Paul joined Reg at Chapel at CCU to invite students to participate in; “CCU Loves Lakewood” day! The invitation for students that day was to step out of their “comfort zone” and into the “compassion zone!” At the end of the talk Reg invited students to join Lakewood Connects in ongoing service, and students responded!
Why is this story and effort important? Three reasons:
1) We don’t just encourage a culture of service, we must model it!
2) If we want healthy partnerships between Faith and Government, we need to build it!
3) Our next generation’s leaders are open and accepting of older mentors and meaning-making models! Become that mentor! Initiate that partnership opportunity! We can change the future by investing in the life of a young adult today!
Thanks to your support this kind of effort is what Lakewood Connects is leading in our city and inspiring others to copy nationally. Help us create a future of community servant leaders through your mentoring and modeling! Together we change the culture of tomorrow!
Lakewood Connects board member Diane Rhodus and Lakewood Mayor Adam Paul
Lakewood Connects establishes strategies and programs for supporting Faith, Government, Education and Business leaders because strong cities require strong leaders! Philosophies influencing our Lakewood Connects leadership health support efforts include:
The health of a community depends on the health of its leaders!
Mental, physical, social and spiritual health is learned, grown and nurtured through relationship.
You don’t become a healthier leader by reading a book! Leadership health comes from being mentored and challenged by healthy leaders!
Relationship building is a key to what Lakewood Connects is all about, so it’s no surprise that a significant portion of each week is invested in this core effort. We encourage everyone to grow their relationship pool, because the person you don’t know right now may lead you to transformational insight, conviction or understanding! Each week, Lakewood Connects executive director Reg Cox meets with someone he doesn’t know! Our community has experienced numerous strategic breakthroughs across the past eighteen years; nearly every one of them has begun at a coffee shop across from an unfamiliar face.
This year, a new opportunity for positive influence was facilitated by a new relationship! A key community and business leader in Lakewood is LaDawn Sperling. Reg met her for coffee a couple of times in 2022, and at one meeting, LaDawn proposed her idea of a business leaders Bible Study. She envisioned an experience where she would feel comfortable learning, sharing and growing with others.
The pandemic has broken down connections between us all, and LaDawn was interested in finding new relationships, knowledge and leadership health through this study. She resonated with the idea that we learn and grow best when we are sharpened by the thoughts, reflections and insight of other leaders!
This past spring, Reg led the study at the Union Business Centre where local partner; Clarity Wealth Group Thrivent, offices. Thrivent has supported several community service programs; when leaders like this converge, transformational energy abounds!
Leadership requires thriving through challenge. The eight week Bible study series studied the leadership challenges Moses faced. Topics such as the “danger of pride and impulsiveness”, the “strengths and weaknesses of humility”, the “crucible of staying the course through criticism”, “leaders advance through setbacks and struggles” and “convictions and non-negotiable principles” were processed by the group. Another philosophy held by Lakewood Connects is that leadership health is a “team sport.” This means that you become a healthy leader by surrounding yourself and learning from other leaders!
Challenge: If you’re a leader, who can you connect to in order to improve your leadership strengths? What you learn from another leader is often unattainable from a book or podcast! Healthy leadership is usually built through establishing and nurturing relationship connections with healthy leaders!
Lakewood Connects is invested in leadership development because we believe a strong community is forged from leader to leader relationships and connections! A healthy community is born out of the health of its leaders! You can’t lead and influence positive change in a community until you lead and influence positive growth in that community’s leaders! Thank you for investing in leaders with us.
The Bridge Church at Bear Creek is located in south Lakewood next door to Bear Creek High School and across the sports field from Bear Creek K-8. The church was born out of a merging of an older Presbyterian church and a young Evangelical church plant. Together their unifying aim was to “make much of Jesus and grow disciples!” How this mission was activated in the new church is seen through their efforts to equip their members for connection, friendship and community service.
Most churches have a mission statement that says something like the Bridge so what makes them special? From the get-go church leaders rethought how their building could be used. If they were going to “make much of Jesus” surely that meant that their facility should be used daily! They asked; “how could their facility and programs really serve their neighbors everyday year round?” These dreams and discussions led to a “Community First Focused” approach to facility and ministry use.
The Front Porch Coffee Shop is how most people in the neighborhood get to know the church. The old sanctuary was converted into a community space with tables, soft chairs and art. Baristas work with professional equipment to offer coffee, tea and food to over 100 patrons daily! Outside, the lawn was converted into a patio with tables and chairs and it has become THE community meeting place! “Church” can be intimidating, but it’s not off-putting to walk into a coffee shop!
As students from local schools started spending time at the Front Porch, church staff and ministry leaders thought through ways to make connections with them. This led to the transformation of the church basement into the Underground Teen Center! The center offers a supervised safe place for teens to hang out and connect, and hundreds spend time there daily during the school year!
When a church focuses on serving and loving their local neighborhood, every ministry, program and message will be filtered through the lens of this goal! This summer, Bridge youth Minister Scott Hunter developed a neighborhood soccer camp for 75 students ranging from K – 8th grade. The goal of the camp (pun intended) was to serve and connect to their community and the Bridge used their staff, facility and expertise to accomplish this in the soccer camp!
Community First Focus is the aim of influence for Lakewood Connects and the Bridge at Bear Creek is making this dream a reality in Lakewood, Colorado! This is what the goal of the church should be and we are excited to partner with faith leaders like those at the Bridge to make much of Jesus!
Lakewood Connects 