Our Story

In August 2000, Sam and Leanne Downing moved to Denver with their four children. They came from northeast Mississippi with a dream to start a new church in the city of Denver. Although the recent trend for many churches had been to leave the city in favor of the suburbs, God had given the Downings a different passion. They saw needs that could only be addressed by churches and Christians located in the city. They sensed that Denver needed a church that adhered to historic Christianity yet loved its city and sought to be a good neighbor in it (rather than being suspicious of the city and living in isolation from it). They also believed that the city is the most strategic place in which to live and minister. Cities are the “gatekeepers” of society; as goes the city, so goes the larger culture. From the beginning City Pres’ vision has been to create a community of believers, seekers, and skeptics who come together around the timeless good news of the grace of Jesus who loves us and calls us to serve our city.

City Pres held its first worship service on September 16, 2001 (five days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks). What proved to be one of the greatest tragedies in our nation’s history proved to be a difficult time to start a new church. City Pres had a humble beginning with about 35 people. From the earliest days, City Pres has been made up of a diverse population, many of whom are not Christians or are “de-churched” and re-exploring Christianity for the first time in their adult lives. The church has continued meeting at the Tivoli and has always sought to be a place where people can encounter the Living God wherever they may be on their journey.

In July of 2010, Pastor Sam and the church realized that City Pres needed a different type of leader to better become the church that everyone desired her to be. In June of 2011, City Pres hired Rev. Dr. John David “JD” Punch to be the new Senior Pastor of City Pres. As we continue to grow and change, we admit that we are not a perfect church; however, we hope to faithfully live out God’s desires for us and we pray that God will continue to bless our humble efforts to serve Him, so that we can be his servants in the city.

To be continued…