Our Story

New Life Community Church emerged out of God’s heart for the lost and broken in the Greenvale neighborhood.  Marilyn Denson, a teacher at Greenvale Elementary School, carried a special burden for this area and recognized the need for a genuine Christian community to serve, love, and connect with people in this section of Oklahoma City.  Marilyn brought this need to her local congregation and they began to pray.  

Prayer has been the foundation of New Life Community from the very beginning.  The church was birthed through prayer.  In the spring of 1999, a small group began gathering in the Denson’s home to pray for the Greenvale neighborhood.  That small gathering grew and soon became too large to meet in one home.  Pastor Darren Reed then came to lead this gathering and on Easter 2000, New Life held their first worship service in the Greenvale Elementary School.  

Jerry Appleby also came at this time to establish Reaching Our City (ROC), a non-profit compassionate ministry, which was developed to meet the immense physical, financial, and social needs in the Greenvale area.  New Life and Reaching Our City work hand-in-hand as the Body of Christ loving, connecting, and serving the people in this area.  

In the fall of 2001 both New Life and ROC moved into our permanent facility, the Greenvale Family Center.  It is a large warehouse that has been renovated and now hosts a Child Development Center with day care and after school programs, one of the largest free medical clinics in the city, a food pantry, a women’s support group, legal aid services, a dental clinic.  ROC also runs an off campus resale shop.  New Life facilitates worship, prayer, discipleship, youth and children gatherings in the Greenvale Family Center as well.  

Kevin Rodgers, ROC’s Executive Director, has said, “They tell me airplane wings were once constructed in this old warehouse.  Different parts were put together to create the miracle of aviation – something heavier than air can fly.  The drafty old warehouse is still building wings.  Many parts, put together by careful and skilled hands, join together to lift the heavy burdened and give people wings of hope.”

A few people gathered to pray and God moved.  A few people had faith and God exceeded all of our expectations.  God’s heart still bleeds for the lost and broken in this neighborhood.  We still gather together to pray and we can’t wait to see how God’s going to surprise us next.  Won’t you join us in this exciting faith journey?  There’s never a dull moment around here… so come on over, but make sure you hang onto your hat, it’s a wild ride!