A Church That Began in a Dentist's Office
Smoky Hill United Methodist Church sits on East Smoky Hill Road in Centennial, in the southeastern stretch of the Denver metro area where the old Smoky Hill Trail once carried settlers westward. The building that stands there now is the product of a congregation that came together long before there were walls around it. Before the church facility was built, the people met in a dentist's office, a school, and even in camp chairs on the church property itself, surrounded by weeds, gophers, and snakes, with a road that was only dirt and gravel. They chose the covered wagon as their symbol because the original pioneers on the Smoky Hill Trail traveled in wagon trains, circling up at night so each family could share its skills for the good of the whole. That image of mutual care still shapes how Smoky Hill understands its calling: every member a participant in a wagon train, using their gifts to serve and to be served.
Today, Smoky Hill stands as a United Methodist Church in the Mountain Sky area, part of the Mountain Sky Conference under Bishop Kristin Stoneking. Its vision is to connect to God in worship and prayer, to be transformed into fully mature followers of Christ, and to serve God in the church and in the world. Those three verbs, connect, transform, and serve, are the spine of everything the congregation does.
All Are Welcome: A Reconciling Congregation Since 2019
Smoky Hill is openly and unapologetically inclusive. In February 2019, the congregation voted to become a Reconciling Congregation, joining the Reconciling Ministries Network, which equips and mobilizes United Methodists of all sexual orientations and gender identities to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.
The congregation's welcome statement is direct: Smoky Hill UMC affirms that God's grace is available to all and prayerfully seeks to openly welcome all of God's children regardless of Christian perspective, education, economic condition, race, gender identity, national origin, physical and mental abilities, sexual orientation, age, or marital status. The church commits itself to be in ministry for and with all persons independent of society's regard, believing that God blesses the community so that together it can be God's instrument of blessing to the world.
A Racial Justice Task Force works to educate the congregation about the realities faced by minorities in America and to help the community actively work to dismantle racial inequities. A Rainbow Alliance serves as the Reconciling Ministries Team. Both groups are organized through private Facebook communities where members share resources and stay connected.
Sunday Mornings in English and Spanish
Worship is the heartbeat of the week at Smoky Hill, and it happens in two languages under one roof. During the school year, two English-language services are offered on Sunday mornings at 8:30 am and 10:00 am. From Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend, the schedule condenses to one English service at 10:00 am. The 10:00 am service is livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook, so members and friends near and far can join whether they are traveling, homebound, or simply prefer to worship from their living room. A Spanish-language service, "Enciende Una Luz," meets at 10:00 am year-round under the leadership of the Spanish Ministry pastor.
The worship style is blended. The Director of Music Ministries directs the Chancel Choir and Handbell Choir, plays keyboard with the Praise Band, and organizes special musical events throughout the year, giving the congregation a wide musical range from traditional hymns and handbell pieces to contemporary praise music. The sanctuary is described by members as very spacious, with abundant natural light and stained glass windows on all sides. There are no assigned seats.
Adults can also attend Sunday School between services. The Open Door class meets at 9:00 am in Room 218 and relates scripture to everyday life with lively, open discussion; newcomers can drop in any week because each lesson stands alone. The Way of Faith class meets at 9:00 am in the Upper Room and on Zoom, using films from The Work of the People to spark conversation. The Grounded class meets at 10:00 am in Room 210 and focuses on support, fellowship, and spiritual growth for adults and parents. Grounded does not meet every Sunday in summer.
A Place That Loves Children
Smoky Hill is known to be a child-friendly church, and the whole congregation is oriented around making room for young families. Worship bags with coloring and activity sheets, crayons, and markers are available for children who need something to keep their hands busy. Children are invited forward for Children's Time, and adults are welcome to join them. There is a Cry Room in the back of the sanctuary for parents who want a quiet space, and the church is understanding when children simply make a joyful noise.
On Sunday mornings, the Nursery is open from 8:30 to 11:00 am for children from infancy through kindergarten. During the 8:30 am service, Children's Church runs from 8:30 to 9:30 am in Room L32, where children hear a lesson and do an activity, or they may stay in the sanctuary. Sunday School classes for ages 3 through 5th grade meet from 10:00 to 11:00 am. On the fourth Sunday of each month, the whole congregation observes "Worship as a Family," with no Children's Church or Sunday School, and the fifth Sunday of the month is celebrated as a fun day in Sunday School classes.
Children's spiritual milestones are marked through a program called Faith Passages, which includes Baptism, a God Walk, a God Talk, Third Grade Bibles (celebrated on Bible Sunday), 5th Grade Continuation, Confirmation, and Graduation. The church partners with parents in celebrating these moments. A Children's Library called Bears, Books, & Bibles in Room 212 lets kids check out books to take home and offers a bear to snuggle if they need a moment. A posted message to parents captures the tone: "Relax! God put the wiggles in children; don't feel you have to suppress it in God's house."
Seasonal family events include an Easter Egg Hunt, Vacation Bible Camp (held for one week, usually in June in the evenings), a summer family camping trip, Trunk-or-Treat in October with food trucks and a pumpkin patch, and a Christmas Program.
Youth Ministry for 6th Through 12th Graders
Smoky Hill's youth ministry is built around the conviction that faith can help young people navigate their teen years. All 6th through 12th graders are welcome at any time of year, no matter where they are in their faith journey, and the church affirms all youth regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, faith background, or abilities.
During the school year, Youth Sunday School meets Sunday mornings during the second worship hour in Room 216. Youth Group meets on Sunday evenings from 6:00 to 8:00 pm, sometimes splitting into separate Middle School and High School groups. The youth calendar is filled with character-building traditions: Slimy Sunday (a Sunday morning experience that "just has to be experienced"), Youth Sunday, a Winter Retreat, summer mission trips, Confirmation for 7th and 8th graders offered every other year, time at Grand Mesa Methodist Camp, an annual Oscars Party, mission work, and service projects. Music opportunities in Sunday morning worship let youth use their gifts in front of the whole church.
Music Ministry Across Many Instruments
Music is a central expression of the church's life. The Director of Music Ministries leads the Chancel Choir, directs the Handbell Choir, plays keyboard with the Praise Band, and organizes all musical events. The music team is supported by the broader congregation, and instrumentalists of various kinds regularly take part in services. Members who play or sing are encouraged to find a place in the music program.
Missions and Outreach in the Wider Community
The Missions Team works as a liaison between community nonprofits, outreach agencies, and the congregation. It meets on the second Sunday of the month at 11:45 am, and all are welcome to join. Smoky Hill's mission partnerships include:
- Aurora Interfaith Community Services (AICS), a non-profit agency that provides emergency assistance to residents of Aurora and Denver. The church collects nonperishable food items, especially canned chicken, tuna, powdered milk, peanut butter, rice, pasta, spices, granola bars, nuts, soups, stews, chili, whole grain cereal, toilet paper, and paper towels.
- Colorado Feeding Kids, a local non-profit that packs meal kits each month for local food banks and countries in need around the world. Smoky Hill members go down to help assemble the packs.
- Colorado Village Collaborative, which bridges the gap between the streets and stable housing by creating and operating transformational housing communities in partnership with people experiencing homelessness. The church collects donations for people accepted into Outdoor Safe Spaces, including coffee, creamer, sugar, snacks, cereal, oatmeal, female hygiene items, plastic cups, disposable plates and bowls, personal wipes, small end tables, bike locks, power strips, bottled water, vinyl and latex gloves, winter clothes, and coats.
- Outreach of Love: Sandwich Ministry, in which church members donate food and assemble sack lunches for day laborers every Sunday morning.
- UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief), which comes alongside communities suffering from famine, hurricanes, war, floods, fires, and other disasters, providing relief, response, and long-term recovery grants.
Throughout the year, members can also raise money for the church while doing their regular shopping. By linking a King Soopers SooperCard to Smoky Hill UMC as the Community Rewards beneficiary (organization code WS802), up to 5% of what shoppers spend is donated back to the church each quarter, at no extra cost to the shopper.
Adult Formation on Weekday Mornings
For those who want to grow between Sundays, the church offers a Midweek Classes program. Tuesday Morning Theologians meets on Tuesdays from 9:00 to 11:00 am in Room 214 or on Zoom for in-depth study. The Tuesday Lunch Bunch, an arm of United Women in Faith, gathers from 11:30 to 1:30 for a book study and lunch. The Justice & Joy Readers meet on the fourth Monday of each month from 1:00 to 3:00 pm in the Upper Room, January through October, to discuss books from the United Women in Faith Reading Program and titles chosen by the group.
Other adult offerings include the Abundant Health ministry, which meets on the third Sunday at 11:30 am and develops resources for mental, physical, and spiritual well-being, and a long-running series of articles called "Let's Talk About," which engages topics ranging from Poverty and Language Barriers to Ableism, Interfaith Dialogue, Black History, Allyship, and Trans Rights.
Men's Group and United Women in Faith
The Men's Group brings men together for meaningful projects and fellowship in service to Christ, meeting at 7:30 am on the second Saturday of each month (except June and July). Members support the annual Smoked BBQ Brisket Grill Team, coordinate other service projects, and run the King Soopers Community Rewards program for the church.
United Women in Faith (UWF) at SHUMC meets quarterly on Sundays from 12 to 2 pm with a pot-luck brunch and a guest speaker. Its ministry is organized into small circles:
- Chapter Chicks Book Club meets monthly at members' homes for faith-based discussions of chosen books.
- Crafts & Fellowship meets the second Saturday of each month from 10 am to 1 pm in the Craft Studio (Room L26).
- Justice and Joy Readers meets the fourth Monday of the month from 1 to 3 pm in the Upper Room.
- Mission Crafters sews and crafts items for mission at home and abroad, including blankets made from donated flannel, meeting the second and fourth Thursdays from 9 am to noon in Rooms L26 and L27.
- Paper Crafting meets the first and third Thursdays in Room L26, alternating between daytime and evening sessions, to make cards for UWFaith Gift in Mission and other projects.
- Quilting Group meets the second Wednesday of each month at 10 am in Room L27 to sew quilts for congregation members with health issues and for mission projects.
- Sparkle Llamas is an active outdoor group that runs, bikes, and climbs together, including stair climbs for the American Lung Association.
- Yarn on a Mission meets the second and fourth Wednesdays at 7 pm in the Upper Room to knit and crochet prayer shawls, baptism blankets, and plarn mats for the homeless population.
Caring for One Another
A Spiritual Support Team is ready to visit members who are in the hospital, facing surgery, or going through a difficult season. The team can offer support over the phone, in person, or simply through prayer. Prayer requests, praises, and concerns can be submitted through a Prayer Request Form and routed to pastors only, the prayer chain, or Sunday morning announcements, depending on the requester's preference.
The Care Team also supports a Prayer Chain, and members are invited to join this ministry of prayerful presence.
Honoring the Earth
A Green Team at the church provides tips to help the congregation be good stewards of the Earth and its resources, and members can join by calling the church office. The Smoky Hill Garden offers quiet places around the building, and volunteers help care for the plants, flowers, and trees on the property.
The Staff and Pastoral Team
Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. Patti Agnew grew up on the beaches of southern California, has lived in Colorado for many years, and recently returned to the state after five years in Montana. She has served 14 churches since 1994 in southeastern Colorado, the suburbs of Broomfield and Aurora, Colorado Springs, and in Helena and Livingston, Montana. She earned her Doctor of Ministry from Fuller Theological Seminary and served on the New Church Development committee for the Rocky Mountain/Mountain Sky Conference for over 15 years. Her vision for the church is to follow Jesus together, and she is passionate about Smoky Hill's vitality and outward focus.
Rev. Glen Wood joined Smoky Hill as the part-time associate pastor in July 2024. A graduate of Saint Paul School of Theology and an ordained elder on honorable location from the Missouri Conference, he and his partner Robert Wagner have lived in Aurora for 20 years. His hobbies include traveling, supporting the arts, singing with various choirs, cooking, and spending time with family and friends.
Pastor Lucia Correa provides spiritual leadership to the Spanish-language congregation, praying for everyone and ministering with a deep commitment to her church family and the world. The Director of Music Ministries, Dr. Dan Nebel, is a multi-instrumentalist and educator who has served in music ministry for over 20 years across five different denominations, with a Doctor of Music in Horn Performance from the University of Northern Colorado. Angelique Airington, the Director of Youth Ministries, brings years of experience designing meaningful experiences for young people, including time as a Scout leader and as a homeschool enrichment program leader. Crystal Duncan, the Director of Children & Family Ministries, began working in the nursery in 2008 and has served as Children and Families Director since 2015, overseeing the nursery and Sunday School programs and partnering with parents through Faith Passages. Colleen Perez serves as the Digital Ministries Coordinator, and Lynne Kersten is the Administrative Assistant and Communications Coordinator.
Visiting Smoky Hill
Smoky Hill is easy to find at 19491 East Smoky Hill Road in Centennial, with a large parking lot that includes several handicap accessible spaces and an accessible entrance. When visitors walk through the front doors, they are greeted by welcoming members at the Welcome Center who can answer questions and direct them to the Sanctuary, Celebration Hall, and Sunday School classes. Bathrooms are just to the left of the entrance. The Sanctuary is upstairs and can be reached by elevator or stairs, with the Nursery, Cry Room, and several Sunday School classrooms on that level; additional classrooms are located downstairs.
The congregation invites people to dress in a way that makes them comfortable for worship, Sunday School, and small groups. Children are welcome in the worship services with their families. Worship is offered in English at 8:30 and 10:00 am during the school year and at 10:00 am in summer, with a 10:00 am Spanish service all year, Sunday School for all ages between services, and a 10:00 am livestream for those who prefer to join online. The church office can be reached at (303) 690-9816 or churchsecretary@smokyhillumc.org.
Worship, Community, and Mission on the Smoky Hill Trail
From camp chairs in a field of weeds and gophers to a stained-glass sanctuary on a busy Centennial road, Smoky Hill United Methodist Church has grown into a community that takes its wagon train symbolism seriously. Its English and Spanish worship services, its children's and youth ministries, its music program, its adult formation on Tuesday mornings, its United Women in Faith circles and Men's Group, its Racial Justice Task Force and Rainbow Alliance, and its partnerships with organizations that feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, and respond to disasters all grow from the same conviction: every person has something to offer, and every person needs the community to thrive. Whether someone arrives as a visitor on a Sunday morning or logs in from home to watch the livestream, they are met with the same words that have defined this church for decades, "All are welcome."