Location: Westminster, Colo.

Presbytery: Midwest

Organization: 1973

Membership: 58 communicant; 26 baptized

Pastors: Shane Sapp

Website: westyrpc.org

Westminster, Colo., RPC has a long history that testifies to God’s faithful provision and care through times of joy as well as times of difficulty.

When the First RP Church of Denver, Colo., was disorganized after a long ministry from 1890 to 1970, the Midwest Presbytery called Paul McCracken to start a new work in the Denver suburbs. He chose Westminster, and the McCracken family moved to the area in Sept. 1970. On Mar. 31, 1973, the congregation, which had worshiped in a school gymnasium, was organized with 36 members. In 1974, the congregation purchased a large, ranch-style house with six acres on a country lane. We converted the garage into a meeting room and used the house for classes, fellowship, and the pastor’s study. The church house was often called home by members of the congregation or community needing assistance.

In 2003, the congregation completed a seven-year building project. The new building has served as the worship center for 17 years, and classes continue in the church house next door. Today the country lane is a busy thoroughfare, and a thriving community college and city library have been built next door to the church. In 2011, several families moved away for family or employment reasons, so we faced a significant financial need. At that time, the City of Westminster approached with interest to buy some of our land to preserve it as open space. This sale of property paid off the mortgage of our building and provided for our financial needs. In 2019, God provided funds to remodel the church-house basement through help from several RP congregations. The congregation completed the project in time for Garrett Mann and his family to move into the basement apartment for his 2019 summer internship. The congregation will offer the basement apartment to families to help them become established in Denver.

God has provided a series of faithful ministers. All three former pastors were called to shepherd churches that were daughtered from WRPC. Paul McCracken moved to Colorado Springs, Colo., to serve the Springs RPC after 16 years at WRPC. Marty Wilsey became the first pastor of the RP church in Longmont, Colo., after serving WRPC for five years. In 2007, Bob Hemphill moved to Laramie, Wyo., to plant the Laramie RP Church after 16 years at WRPC. After two years without a pastor, in 2009 Shane Sapp (our beloved current pastor) was called to WRPC.

We have hosted three interns under our current pastor—Derek Moore, Patrick McNeely, and Garrett Mann. Their preaching and service were outstanding. Derek Moore is now pastor of the Laramie RP Church. Patrick McNeely is pastor of the Coram Deo (Squamish, B.C.) RP Mission Church. Garrett Mann recently passed his exams to be eligible to receive a pastoral call. God has also blessed us through the privilege of hosting eight Theological Foundations Backpacking (TFB) trips, and we have been encouraged and blessed by our interaction with the youth who become part of our lives for 10 days of theological study and backpacking in the Colorado mountains.

This year, six families, who have been dear friends of our pastor and congregation, have moved away for various reasons—mostly a booming but inflation-filled Colorado economy. These families included an elder and a deacon/treasurer; so we ask for prayer for God to raise up new officers. However, we remember God’s provision for us in the past, particularly the land sale to the city, and look to Him in these times. God is blessing us right now with the many babies that He is bringing into our families. It is good for us to remember that God grows His Church through covenant children.

We praise God for His work over the last 48 years—really, the last 130 years—starting with the former Denver congregation and now expanding His church up and down the Rocky Mountain Front Range. We are thankful for God’s care—from buying a house to serve as our first building, to adding a sanctuary 30 years later, to selling land 10 years after that, to blessing our church through covenant children, to a faithful gospel ministry. Christ has taught us dependence upon Him to sustain and build us. Please pray with us as we continue to trust Him. To Him be the glory!