What is Elevate?
Who We Are
You may be wondering, what Elevate is exactly? We get it. Our name doesn't say everything. Here's a simple way to break it down.
While Elevate is growing into its own community of believers, it's also a ministry of the Keene Seventh-day Adventist Church and connected to the heart, mission, and vision of all that is Keene Church.
We meet every Saturday at 10 AM CT in the Keene Church for worship, deep Bible study and fellowship. We call that our gathering.
What We Believe
We Believe in
God's Church
As followers of Jesus, the church is called and inspired to act like Him: selflessly serving others, relying on God for strength, absorbing God’s Word and telling the world about God’s love. Male and female, rich and poor, people from all backgrounds or ethnicities are all equal in Jesus.
We Believe in
Christian Living
God’s law in the Ten Commandments show us how to live and make clear our need for Jesus. Though the law shows us the path to follow and convicts us of sin, it’s about more than just toeing the line. The commandment’s principles outline a holistic relationship with God, self and others.
We Believe in Restoration
The unconscious nothingness of death separates us from God and those we’ve lost. Only God is inherently immortal, yet the free gift of salvation is eternal life. We look forward to Jesus’ Second Coming, when Jesus will resurrect His saved from the dead so they can live forever.
Where We've Been
Elevate started in the fall of 2013
It started in 2013 with a small group of young adults seeking to develop a close-knit young adult community grounded in fellowship, worship and deeply connecting with God. This small group of 10 people began meeting in a small room at the Keene Church every Saturday. In a few short months, this group began to grow and multiply. Soon, over 75 people would gather weekly in that small room that comfortably seats 35. God was moving in our small community.
Growing in to Fellowship Hall
Under the leadership of Albert Handal (Pastor for Young Adults, Keene Church, 2015-2017), Elevate continued to grow and expanded into the Keene Church Fellowship Hall in the fall of 2015, where it served as a stand alone worship service for young and old alike. It was particularly geared for Southwestern Adventist University students and community young adults. For the next several years, Elevate would continue to build community and be a safe space for collegiate and young adults to gather and ask tough questions of faith, doubt, and religion.
Growing in to the Sanctuary
In the fall of 2018, Michael Gibson (Pastor for Young Adults, Keene Church, 2018-2022) came on board and Elevate continued to grow in its Fellowship Hall space. With much prayer, many conversations and the blessing of the church at large, Elevate transitioned to its current location in the Keene Church Sanctuary in the fall of 2019. There, it complimented a more traditional early service and contemporary, family style late service. Elevate has grown to be a community of around 500 people and continues to seek new ways to reach others with the hope and calling of a man named Jesus who was and is the embodiment of love.
Where We're Going
We seek to be a safe space for collective growth, where we are individually challenged to answer our call from God. You can call that our vision.
We are inviting our community to develop authentic relationships, to grow through genuine engagement, and worship passionately with all our hearts. You can call that our mission.
At the end of the day, if you hang around long enough, you'll definitely come to find that there’s always room for one more.
