Grace & Life Church

The Vision Statement for Jesus of Nazareth Compassion Ministries is: To Inspire our Community to be Catalysts for our Inner-City's Renaissance. We are located in the heart of the Westwood Neighborhood, one of the 3 poorest neighborhoods in Denver according to many poverty indicators from the 2000 Census. This ministry is led by the board of Iglesia Gracia & Vida (Grace & Life Church) which is a Spanish language church.

To love and inspire hurting inner-city people to believe in God, themselves, and a community of faith is a kingdom work. It requires an abundance of “second mile love” and a concertedly sharp focus on our goal from every level and each human part of our organization. Thus, to meet the real needs of our community we have created an after school arts, technology & sports program called the Mauricio Saravia Academy for kids ages 5 - 12. This program offers two days of homework help, a healthy snack, an optional devotion, an art, computer or sports class, and prizes given every day for good behavior. At the end of every 10 week session we display the kids and their work in two community exhibitions.

We have also created a ministry that reaches out to single and battered women in the Spanish community called Para Ti Mujer. Through this effort we bring medical clinics, counseling, and leadership development to Latina women throughout the Denver area.

We have also established a partnership with Mountain View Community Church that has expanded our outreach to include an AWANA program for kids and a food box ministry for the needy in our church and in the community. We are very thankful for the good people from Mountain View for sharing their hearts and resources with us.

However, our vision does not end there. We are also dreaming and planning for the creation of a youth leadership school, a college scholarship fund for youth enrolled in higher education, a community internet cafe, and even a community development project that would sell furniture to raise funds for multiple ministries.

Many of our program leaders and volunteers are people who live in our neighborhood and have found Christ through our ministry. We believe in the God-given worth of every person we serve and come into contact with. We strive to honor their intrinsic value in the very real way of raising them up to serve the King of Kings, the Church and their community as indigenous leaders. This is an essential part of what makes us unique from many other urban or compassion ministry centers.

Should the Lord Jesus lay on your heart the desire to minister with us for a fleeting moment in time know that you will leave a lasting imprint for eternity in the lives of many. Visit our website to find out how together we can see Jesus Christ "Bringin' Good Outta da Hood."

www.joncompassionministries.org