On the corner of Grandview Avenue and Field Street in Arvada, Colorado, a Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod congregation has been quietly shaping its neighborhood for seventy years. Peace Lutheran Church, organized in February 1955 by a handful of families and a vicar from Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Lakewood, now stretches across a multi-acre campus with a preschool, a sanctuary, a community center, a columbarium, and a music wing - all built up one phase at a time as the church has grown alongside the city around it. Its mission statement is short enough to fit on a business card: Reaching Our Community with Christ. Everything the church does - from its two Sunday services to its Wednesday-night youth program, from its on-site preschool to its short-term mission trips - flows from that one line.
Reaching the Community, the Simple Way
The pastors describe the church's approach as a three-word discipleship process: Worship, Connect, Serve. The first aim, they teach, is to worship God through Word and Sacrament, prayer, and praise. Discipleship then grows as they connect through Bible studies and small groups, and matures as believers serve their neighbors, both inside the church family and out in the community. Pastor Guy Roberts, who became senior pastor in February 2024, often points to Luke 5 through 9, where Jesus followed the same rhythm with the original twelve disciples: relationship first, then training, then sending.
Seventy Years on Field Street
Peace's story began with a branch Sunday School in the Junior Chamber of Commerce Hall in the summer of 1953, led by Rev. Martin Mayer of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Lakewood. About a year later Mayer began preaching regularly, and on a Friday in February 1955 - February 18, to be exact - the congregation was officially organized. About one hundred people attended the first service. In January 1955 Rev. Eugene J. Jobst was called from Fort Dodge, Iowa to lead the new work. The young congregation purchased a three-acre tract at Grandview Avenue and Field Street for $14,000 and built its first chapel and parish hall for $50,000, dedicating the building on July 18, 1956. (That original structure still stands, now housing the Children's Center and the Music Room.)
Membership grew rapidly with the new housing developments all around Arvada. By October 1961 the church had outgrown its Sunday School space and moved to double sessions. A new sanctuary and educational wing was dedicated on February 13, 1966, the building that is now the Community Center and basement, and membership at the time stood at 650 communicants and 1,000 baptized souls. Over the years Peace has sponsored two mission congregations - King of Kings in Arvada and Shepherd of the Rockies in Bailey - and has continued to expand its campus: an Education Wing in 1980, new offices in 1997, the current sanctuary in 2004, and a kitchen and library in 2012. In 2004 the Education Wing was repurposed to become the Early Learning Center.
Two Sunday Services, One Family
Peace offers two Sunday services each week, both in the main sanctuary. At 8:00 a.m. the congregation gathers for a Traditional Worship service, and at 10:30 a.m. for a Contemporary Worship service led by a worship band. Between them, at 9:15 a.m., adults gather for Discipleship Hour Bible studies, while children head to Kingdom Quest Sunday School. Confirmation classes for sixth graders and above meet at 9:30 a.m., and the senior high Disciples Unlimited group also studies the Bible at 9:30 in the Community Room. Both Sunday services are livestreamed on YouTube, and the previous week's sermon airs at 7:30 a.m. Sunday mornings on 630 AM KHOW radio. A deep archive of sermons, podcasts, and livestreams goes back many years on YouTube, Soundcloud, and through the Peace 2 You podcast on PodBean.
Word, Water, and Bread and Wine
Peace teaches the historic Lutheran confessions in the language of the Reformation. Salvation, the church teaches, is by grace alone, received through faith alone, and grounded in Scripture alone. The Triune God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - is confessed as one God, coequal and coeternal. The Lord's Supper is celebrated as the true body and blood of Jesus Christ under the bread and wine, given for the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. Baptism is taught as a means of grace in which water combined with God's Word gives the forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and the devil, and gives eternal life. Lutherans at the church baptize both infants and adults, trusting that in Baptism God creates faith in the heart. Couples and families preparing for either sacrament are encouraged to talk with one of the pastors or an elder.
Music for Every Voice
Music has been a hallmark of Peace Lutheran since the early days. The Adult Choir rehearses each Wednesday evening from September through May in the Music Room and anyone is welcome to join. The Ringers of Peace, an adult handbell choir, rehearses twice a month on Monday evenings. The Worship Band leads the contemporary service, and instrumental ensembles - brass quartets, woodwind choirs, and a full orchestra for Christmas Eve and Easter - accompany the traditional service. Soloists and small ensembles regularly offer vocal and instrumental music during First Fruits Communion services, and accompanists are available to help others prepare their own musical offerings. The director of worship arts, Dr. Jill Schroeder-Dorn, is a vocalist and conductor whose doctoral research explored music in the churches of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
From Crib Through Kindergarten at Peace ELC
One of the most visible ministries of Peace is its on-site preschool and kindergarten, the Peace Early Learning Center. Housed in the 1980 Education Wing, the ELC serves children from one-year-olds through kindergarten, with classes meeting two, three, or five days a week. Drop-off begins at 8:15 a.m., with half-day pickup at 12:30 p.m. and full-day pickup at 3:00 p.m. Aftercare extends the day until 4:00 p.m. Drop-in care is available for currently enrolled families who need an extra half day, full day, or aftercare block. Each classroom is built around play-based learning with art supplies, instruments, dramatic play, sensory tables, climbing structures, and age-appropriate playgrounds. Every week the children gather in the main sanctuary for chapel, with active music and a Bible story led by a pastor or staff member. The Brightwheel app keeps parents in touch through photos, curriculum updates, and touchless check-in.
The ELC is nondiscriminatory in its admissions, and Colorado Universal Pre-Kindergarten tuition assistance is available to four-year-olds. Peace Lutheran members, siblings, and staff receive discounts. Director Angelica Gile and Assistant Director Amy Bomareto lead a teaching staff that includes Miss Kendra, Miss Peyton, Miss Lori, Miss Coty, Miss Lachelle, Miss Alma, Miss Sara, Miss Monique, Miss Angela, Miss Lou, and Miss Laura.
Sunday School, Midweek, and the First Communion Class
Children age three through fifth grade are welcome at Kingdom Quest Sunday School from 9:15 to 10:15 a.m. on Sundays, with lessons that use puppets, music, crafts, and small-group time to teach the story of God's saving love. A staffed nursery is available for children under three. Vacation Bible School runs the second full week of June each summer, with separate programs for three-year-olds (potty trained) through entering fifth graders. Midweek Connect on Wednesday evenings brings adults and youth together for a light meal at 5:30 p.m., followed by Confirmation classes, an adult Bible study, and the Children's Ministry from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Fifth and sixth graders can take a four-session Early Communion class each spring.
Disciples Unlimited and Peace Juniors
The middle school ministry at Peace is called Peace Juniors, or PJ's. It meets Wednesday nights from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. during the school year for Confirmation, Bible study, fellowship, and a steady calendar of special activities throughout the year. The senior high ministry is Disciples Unlimited, for grades nine through twelve. The group meets Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m. for Bible study and Sunday evenings at a host home for fellowship, service projects, and spiritual growth. Lauren Von Rentzell, who grew up attending Peace and now directs the NexGen ministries, leads both groups, along with regular mission trips, summer gatherings, and the National Youth Gathering in selected years. College-age young adults are welcome at events and Bible studies hosted through the NexGen team as well.
Life Together for Adults
Adult formation at Peace is built around a wide mix of Bible studies and small groups. On Sundays, Ron Schuldt leads a Lifelight Bible study in Conference Room A while Gloria Patton leads a women's study called Knowing Him Better, Loving Him More and Beth Nagy leads The Secret of Being Content on Philippians. A Tuesday morning men's breakfast study walks through 1 Kings, and on Wednesday evenings an adult study called Dear Corinth follows the confirmation meal. A young adult Bible study for adults in their twenties and thirties meets on the second Thursday of each month to study the Book of Acts. Life Groups bring smaller circles of adults together around a common interest, and Friends! 55+ offers fellowship and outings for the church's older members every other month. Adult choir and bell choir practices round out the week for many.
Walking with the Hurting
Caring for one another is taken seriously at Peace. Stephen Ministers are trained laypeople who walk one-on-one with people going through a life crisis. GriefShare meets on Saturday mornings at 10:00 a.m. in Conference Room A and offers a thirteen-week program of support for those who have lost a loved one. DivorceCare meets Thursday evenings at 7:00 p.m. and follows a similar thirteen-week format. A team of Care Callers visits and phones shut-ins and ill members. There is also a Social Ministry fund, administered in strict confidence, for members facing temporary financial hardship, and an on-site food bank that helps families in need. Pastoral Assistants bring Holy Communion to the homebound in coordination with the pastors and office staff.
Women of Peace
Three women's circles have been a fixture at Peace for decades. Library Circle meets the second Monday of each month at 9:00 a.m. and maintains the church library - more than 4,000 volumes of Bible reference, fiction, nonfiction, and DVD resources, with a small sale of religious books, greeting cards, and gifts on Sunday mornings. Lydia Circle meets the first Tuesday of each month at 1:30 p.m. (no meetings in July, August, or September) and delivers church flowers to shut-ins, helps with Social Ministry families at Christmas, and holds bake sales to support missions. Ruth Circle meets the first Tuesday of each month at 11:00 a.m. and maintains pencils, hymnals, attendance booklets, and church pews. Advent by Candlelight is an annual evening of devotion and dessert held each December, and women's Bible studies meet on Sundays throughout the year.
Serving in the Neighborhood and Around the World
The congregation supports a long list of local, regional, and global ministries. Locally, members volunteer at the Arvada Community Table food bank on West 57th Avenue, serve meals at Denver Rescue Mission, drive for Meals on Wheels with Volunteers of America, mentor single moms through Hands of the Carpenter, mentor at-risk youth through Save Our Youth, and assist at Ralston House, a child-abuse investigation center in Arvada. A small community medical equipment lending library called Dave's Locker loans walkers, wheelchairs, and other items free of charge. Alternatives Pregnancy Center has a mobile clinic serving the Arvada area. Hope House in Westminster offers a residential program for single teen mothers and their children. Congregants serve lunch to preschoolers at Jeffco Head Start's Allison Street site, and a Creation Evangelism team hosts an annual Creation Sunday Bible study each September.
Regionally and globally, Peace partners with Lutheran Family Services of the Rocky Mountains, Lutheran Hour Ministries, Lutherans For Life, Lutheran Women in Mission, and the Lutheran Church Extension Fund. The Orphan Grain Train, a disaster relief organization, meets regularly at Peace to collect food, clothing, and supplies, which are shipped from Norfolk, Nebraska, to those in need around the world. Quilters for Missions sew quilts for distribution through Orphan Grain Train. Peace also supports LCMS missionaries through Together in Mission and partners with Prison Fellowship for mentoring, Angel Tree, and re-entry ministry.
Going to the Ends of the Road
Short-term mission work has become a defining part of Peace's year. Most recently nearly ninety people from Peace traveled to Guatemala to build four homes through Casas por Cristo in a single week. Each home - concrete foundation, metal roof, windows, and door - costs about $11,400, and Peace's congregation funded the houses while participants covered their own airfare. The team shared devotionals and built alongside the families who would live in the homes, and one trip participant, Debbie Miller, wrote afterward of the moment when a Guatemalan mother looked at her and saw a fellow traveler and kindhearted person who had also raised three kids. Fundraising covered extras like paint, mattresses, and water filtration systems for each family.
A Campus Shaped by Generations
The Peace campus reflects the church's growth in brick and mortar. The original 1956 chapel and parish hall is now the Children's Center and Music Room. The 1966 sanctuary and educational wing is today's Community Center and basement. The Education Wing added in 1980 became the Early Learning Center in 2004. The current sanctuary was dedicated in 2004, and new offices followed in 1997. A new kitchen and library were completed in 2012. A columbarium on the grounds provides a place for the inurnment of ashes, and a Columbarium Ministry team assists families with the process. The campus is kept up by a security team led by Jay Steele and an Adopt-An-Island program that lets member families tend to the parking-lot landscaping.
Giving and Supporting the Ministry
Online giving is offered through Vanco, with options for one-time and recurring donations, and members can choose to cover the transaction fees so that more of each gift supports the church's ministry and missions. Members and friends can also register their King Soopers Community Rewards card to direct a portion of their grocery spending to Peace, and Thrivent members can direct Choice Dollars to the congregation. The Mission Trust Fund oversees a dedicated endowment whose interest supports missions, and the Mission Committee prepares an annual mission budget with recommendations for Synod missionaries and outreach partners.
Pastors and Ministry Team
Pastor Guy Roberts came to Peace as senior pastor in February 2024. A disciple of Jesus and a husband and father of two sons, he oversees staff leadership, preaching, teaching, and strategic planning, with a particular heart for reaching those who do not yet know Christ. Pastor Tim Lindeman, ordained in 2011 after nearly thirty years as a Director of Christian Education, has served Peace since 1990 and now focuses on Congregational Care. He and his wife Lisa have three grown children. Together they lead a ministry team that includes Director of Worship Arts Dr. Jill Schroeder-Dorn, Director of NexGen Ministries Lauren Von Rentzell, Children's Ministry Coordinator Amy Bomareto, Early Learning Center Director Angelica Gile, and Director of Ministry Dawn Lubker.
From a hundred worshipers meeting in a borrowed Grange Hall on Wadsworth Avenue to a seven-decade ministry that touches every corner of Arvada, Peace Lutheran Church continues to live out the same simple phrase that has defined it from the start. Reaching Our Community with Christ - in worship, in the classroom, around the table on a Wednesday night, on a work site in Guatemala, and at the bedside of a homebound member. The building has changed, the names have changed, but the mission has stayed.