Where the western suburbs of Des Moines find a jazz service on Sunday morning
Heartland Presbyterian Church sits on a stretch of Hickman Road in Clive, Iowa, where the western suburbs of Des Moines have been growing since the late 1980s. The building rises at the corner of Hickman Road and 142nd Street, on eight acres that the Presbytery of Des Moines purchased in December 1990, and a congregation of a few dozen people first gathered for worship on Easter Sunday 1992. More than three decades later, the same address still welcomes newcomers with a clear invitation. The church's tagline asks visitors not just to come to church, but to be the church, and the life of the congregation points in that direction: a weekly service anchored by a professional jazz band, a Wednesday night program that fills the building with grade-schoolers and teenagers, a refugee family ministry that has resettled three families from three different countries, and a long-running partnership with a small village in El Salvador.
For people new to the area, or new to church altogether, Heartland presents itself as a Presbyterian (USA) congregation in the Reformed tradition that takes its theology seriously without taking itself too seriously. Jazz is the most obvious surprise. The Heartland Worship Jazz Band anchors every Sunday service, and the music director, Peter Roberts, builds jazz arrangements of traditional Presbyterian hymns, contemporary hymns, and Christian music from Latin America, the Caribbean, and South Africa. The offertory often features a jazz standard or a composition by a legend such as Miles Davis. Heartland calls itself a "jazz service" congregation, and that single phrase tends to be what visitors remember first.
A service with traditional bones and a jazz band at the center
Sunday morning at Heartland is built on a traditional PCUSA pattern. The order of worship is printed in a bulletin handed to each adult as they enter the sanctuary, and the liturgy follows the denomination's theology and practice. At 10:00 AM the service begins with gathering music, continues through the usual movements of Presbyterian worship, and includes a sermon from the pastor, Rev. P. Alex Thornburg. Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of each month. All who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are invited to the table; baptism is not required, and children of any age are welcome to take part.
What makes the service feel different is the music. The Heartland Worship Jazz Band is built around a professional rhythm section of pianist Peter Roberts, bassist Steve Charlson, and drummer Jamie Cord. A rotating group of volunteer musicians adds trumpet, clarinet, saxophone, trombone, violin, and flute. The result is a sound that combines congregational hymn-singing with improvisation, bluesy phrasing, and a real sense of conversation between instruments. Heartland is open about the parallel it draws between jazz and Christian community: both depend on listening, on giving space to other voices, and on trading back and forth between individual expression and shared rhythm.
For first-time visitors, the practical details are simple. Dress ranges from Sunday best to jeans and sneakers, and there is no dress code. Nursery care is available during the service for parents who would like a quieter hour, and children are also welcome in the sanctuary; the church describes a child's voice in worship as a blessing. A staffed sound booth, a printed bulletin, and greeters at the door all help newcomers find their way. For people who cannot be present, the entire service is livestreamed, and an archive of recent sermons is available on the church's YouTube channel.
What Heartland believes and who it welcomes
Heartland's beliefs page begins with a vision statement: a Christ-centered community called to provide opportunities for creative and inclusive worship, spiritual growth, and service. The church is rooted in the Presbyterian Church (USA), the largest Presbyterian body in the country, and identifies with the Reformed family that traces its theological heritage to the sixteenth-century reformer John Calvin.
For visitors wondering what that means in practice, the church points to a handful of essentials. God is sovereign over creation. God calls people into both service and salvation. Human beings are called to be faithful stewards, to work for justice, and to live in obedience to the Word of God. The Protestant watchwords - grace alone, faith alone, Scripture alone - are taken seriously. Salvation is understood as an unearned gift, and the Christian life flows from gratitude rather than guilt. Scripture is read with the help of historical critical tools, and Heartland actively encourages a wide variety of voices in the community to interpret a passage together. Baptism is an act of God done through the community, and the church baptizes infants as a sign that grace often comes before we recognize it. Communion is open, celebrated at a shared table where the body of Christ is present in the bread and cup, and all who yearn for God's grace are invited to take part.
Hospitality is also part of the theology. The church's stated welcome extends "regardless of age, race, gender or sexual orientation." Heartland's 2023 Strategic Planning Vision committed the congregation to expressing that welcome more clearly to the LGBTQ+ community. The church participates in the Capital City Pride Parade, sponsors the Capital City Pride worship service, and is actively working to develop a network of Open and Affirming Congregations of Greater Des Moines. The Session of Heartland Presbyterian Church has also adopted a formal statement in support of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, calling on the congregation to advocate for just immigration laws and to provide tangible support to newcomers in Iowa.
The people who lead the church
Reverend P. Alex Thornburg is the pastor of Heartland. He was baptized in a Presbyterian church when his mother discovered that Presbyterians love to dance, grew up in a suburb of Dallas, and came to Heartland in September 2015 after serving parishes in Oklahoma and Wisconsin. He is married to Dr. Teresa Bear, a licensed psychologist, and is the parent of three grown children. He reads science fiction and fantasy, loves dogs, and enjoys skiing. His blog, the Ravin Rev Blog, has become a regular part of the church's online life, with reflections on subjects as varied as the Presbyterian disaster response, the gospel and mental health, and the spiritual lessons of hiking in Glacier National Park.
Peter Roberts leads the music program as Director of Music. He is a pianist, vocalist, composer, and improviser who grew up in Independence, Iowa, and holds a Bachelor's of Arts with a minor in Jazz Studies and a Master of Arts in Piano Performance from the University of Northern Iowa. In addition to his work at Heartland, he serves as a staff accompanist at Drake University, teaches at West Music Piano Gallery in Urbandale, composes on commission for Bel Canto Cedar Valley, and performs as a jazz pianist across the Des Moines area. He lives in Urbandale with his wife Joslyn, daughter Claire, and son Ellis.
Mary Vander Velden is the full-time Director of Children, Youth, and Community. A graduate of Drake University with a marketing degree, Mary grew up mostly in Northeast Iowa, the daughter of a Presbyterian pastor, and brings a background in teaching swimming and volleyball to her ministry with young people. Reverend Robert (Bob) Houser serves as Parish Associate. A retired pastor and graduate of Dubuque Theological Seminary with a Doctor of Ministry from McCormick Theological Seminary, Bob began volunteering at Heartland in 2016 after more than two decades of ministry in southwest Iowa and a career in church administration in South Dakota, West Virginia, and Nebraska. He is the primary resource for the Hospitality Committee of the Board of Deacons and a long-time volunteer for the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance program, having responded to disasters in Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, California, West Virginia, Iowa, Arizona, North Dakota, Connecticut, Oklahoma, and Nebraska. Erica Button, the office manager, keeps the building running and is the first point of contact for newcomers.
Music that runs through the week
Music is not something Heartland does on Sunday morning and sets aside for the rest of the week. Three groups carry the program across the calendar. The Heartland Worship Jazz Band rehearses regularly and provides music for weekly worship, with a rhythm section of professionals and a rotating roster of volunteers who play brass, woodwinds, strings, and flute. The experience of playing in the band is open to instrumentalists at any level, and soloing is never required.
The Heartland Singers is a generationally diverse choir that welcomes anyone high school aged and older. The ensemble has performed Renaissance music, Debussy, Beethoven, Mozart, traditional carols, a jazz setting of "I Saw Three Ships," and the United States premiere of Donald Patriquin's Caribbean Mass with a steel drum player. In past seasons the choir has joined with members of the Des Moines Symphony, the Central Iowa Wind Ensemble, the Drake Orchestra, and other local church choirs for major works such as Ralph Vaughan Williams' Five Mystical Songs. Rehearsals run Wednesday evenings from 7:15 to 8:15 in the sanctuary from September through May.
The Heartland Ringers is a handbell and handchime ensemble open to all ages of people who can read sheet music. The group is led by Jeff Gumm, a member of the congregation who has experience teaching music in the public school system. The Ringers rehearse Sunday mornings from 8:30 to 9:00 in the music room adjacent to the northwest corner of the sanctuary.
Education for every age
Children, youth, and adults each have a clear place in the educational life of the church. The Sunday morning Education Hour at 9:00 AM is a longstanding feature, with nursery care provided from 9:00 to 11:00 so that parents can attend either the adult class or the worship service. Periodic Sunday morning classes for adults have ranged across the Bible, theology, art, ethics, prayer, and contemporary books, often meeting for a six- or eight-week run.
EPIC, or Everything Possible in Christ, is the Wednesday evening program for children and youth in grades K through 12. From September through April, students gather at 5:30 for a shared meal, then split into age-based groups to explore the Bible, play games, and build relationships. Younger elementary students use the Spark: Classroom curriculum. Middle schoolers work through the Spark re:form series, which is built around the questions teens most often ask about faith. High schoolers use Alpha: Youth, with discussion built around the issues and challenges of daily life. Older youth also have additional opportunities for service, fun, and fellowship outside the church, and the program includes a Children and Youth Christmas Pageant that is one of the highlights of the year.
Confirmation at Heartland is an intentional step for seventh and eighth graders, with a focus on compassion, generosity, healthy risk-taking, and a faith that lives for the sake of the world. Mission trips, summer camps, and youth conferences extend the program beyond the building. Vacation Bible School is a free summer weekend event for children from preschool through exiting fifth grade, with Bible stories, music, crafts, snacks, and a short musical performance during Sunday worship on the final day. The church also runs periodic mission trips, summer camps, and youth conferences for middle and high school students.
Small groups and a busy fellowship calendar
Beyond the formal programs, Heartland runs a wide range of small groups that meet in homes, in the church, and around town. Presbyterian Women gathers on the third Monday of each month at 7:00 PM at a member's home for a lesson, fellowship, and a sweet treat, and the group also coordinates many of the church's mission events. Women of JOY (Jesus, Others, and You) meets the first and third Thursday of each month at 10:00 AM at the church, working through a book study chosen by the members. The Monthly Book Club meets on the second Sunday of each month at 5:00 PM at a member's home and welcomes a wide range of genres and authors.
Other groups include the TGIF Morning Coffee, an informal gathering at 9:00 AM for coffee and the folding of bulletins in the Community Center; the Heartland Prayer Group, which lifts up prayers and thanksgivings by email once or twice a month; Extended Table, a network of small groups of eight who share meals either in homes or at favorite restaurants; Prime Timers, an energetic gathering of older adults who meet for lunch and fellowship the last Wednesday of each month at 11:30 AM at a local restaurant; and Calvin & Hops, a casual conversation-and-community gathering on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM at Rookies Sports Bar & Grill on NW 156th Street in Clive. Musicians of any kind are encouraged to join the Jazz Band, Singers, or Ringers.
A long reach into the community and the world
Heartland takes seriously the call to serve beyond its own walls. Locally, the church supports CROSS Outreach, a Des Moines-based ministry focused on homelessness prevention, through regular budget giving and special fundraisers such as a Back to School Backpack giveaway and monthly collections of personal hygiene items. Every Christmastime the congregation adopts thirty to forty children through Waypoint Resources (formerly Waukee Area Christian Services) and provides them with holiday gifts. Heartland also partners with the Food Closet at New Beginnings Christian Church in Urbandale, a 24-hour, no-questions-asked pantry where members drop off non-perishable items year-round. The Des Moines Area Religious Council receives support through the church's annual budget and through special collections.
The Heartland Refugee Family Ministry is one of the most distinctive expressions of the church's mission. Since its founding, the ministry has supported three families on their journey to resettlement in central Iowa: an Afghan family of six in 2022, a Congolese family of seven (soon to be eight) in 2023, and a young Nicaraguan family of five in the summer of 2024. Volunteers have met arriving families at the airport, stocked their apartments, taught them to navigate American kitchens and public transportation, driven children to school and parents to medical appointments, helped with SNAP benefits, Social Security paperwork, and vehicle registration, encouraged youth participation in sports, and stood with families through births, graduations, and losses. The ministry is supported by the staff and resources of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, and Heartland volunteers also assist First Arabic Presbyterian Church, a Sudanese ministry housed at Cottage Grove Presbyterian Church in Des Moines, with financial support and childcare during worship.
Internationally, Heartland maintains a covenant relationship with the cantons of Tablón Centro and Cerna in El Salvador through the organization Our Sister Parish. The relationship is built on prayer, friendship, and financial support, and the church sends a delegation to visit the village roughly every eighteen months. The delegation stays at the Pastoral House in the nearby town of Berlín, shares meals prepared by the local Pastoral Team, and travels into the villages to visit partner families, deliver food and medical supplies, and learn from the community. Donations raised by the congregation support scholarships, fertilizer, water collection tanks, food relief baskets, roofing, and latrines. The partnership is theologically framed by Heartland as one of accompaniment: "we love and accompany - even from a great physical distance."
The church's commitment to migrants, refugees, and immigrants has also been written into formal policy. In a statement adopted by the Session on March 27, 2025, Heartland pledged to welcome migrants, immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, to advocate for more just immigration laws and adequate support services, to oppose policies that criminalize or dehumanize newcomers, and to reject divisive rhetoric and racial slurs in public discourse.
The building, the grounds, and how to use them
Heartland's current home is the result of a construction project that broke ground in May 1996 and culminated in the first worship service in the new sanctuary on the Second Sunday of Advent, December 8, 1996. The building was designed as a dual-use facility, paired from the start with what is now Cadence Academy Preschool (formerly Apple Tree Children's Center), so that the structure would serve the church on weekends and the fast-growing western suburbs with much-needed childcare on weekdays. A stained glass window in the tower was dedicated in March 1997 in memory of charter member Donald E. Morrison and designed by his grandson Dellos Morrison. The lawn and trees came the following spring, when the congregation planted shrubs and sod all over what had been bare earth. The property's signature outdoor worship tradition began even before the building was finished as Worship in the Weeds, moved to Living History Farms in Urbandale as Worship Under the Oaks, and now lives on as Worship Under the Tent.
Today the building is open to the wider community for weddings, family reunions, nonprofit meetings, scout troops, support groups, and music concerts. The sanctuary seats up to 400, the community space with a kitchen seats up to 300, and there are three small meeting rooms (capacity 20) and a larger meeting room (capacity 40). Wedding packages for members and non-members include the worship space, bride and groom preparation rooms, approximately 180 chairs in the sanctuary, the pastor's time, a wedding coordinator, a sound booth operator, and custodial services. Fees, deposit schedules, and policies (including the requirements that all wedding services be considered worship services, that only flame candles be used in the chancel, and that the grand piano not be moved from its place on the chancel) are spelled out in the church's facility rental information.
Getting involved, giving, and staying connected
People who want to plug in can fill out the Connect form, which goes to the office and lets a pastor or volunteer follow up by phone, text, or email. Volunteer needs are published in the weekly Heartland Happenings email, and the church maintains a Signup Genius link for current worship volunteer opportunities such as reading scripture, greeting, and serving communion. The music program always welcomes new instrumentalists, singers, and ringers. Small groups are easy to step into, and the Refugee Family Ministry, mission committees, and adult education program are always looking for help.
Heartland gives in three ways: in person on Sunday morning, online through a Stripe-hosted giving page, and by check mailed to the church office. The congregation's directory and shared church life are coordinated through Realm, with both a web sign-in and a mobile app. For people who want to keep up between Sundays, the church posts weekly to a YouTube channel with livestreamed services, sermon archives, and event videos, runs an active Facebook page, and maintains a members-only Heartlanders Facebook group for day-to-day conversation. A weekly email newsletter, an online church calendar, and a printed bulletin round out the regular channels of communication.