Christ’s Body Ministries was birthed in the 1990’s by our founder Bruce McBogg. Bruce had a passion for discipling homeless street men towards faith in Jesus Christ. In the early years, many men found new life and purpose through our ministry. They were part of a discipleship community which included day labor and evening bible studies. In the mid 1990’s, Christ’s Body purchased our current campus at 850 Lincoln Street in the Capital Hill area of Denver. It remains the location of our ministry today.
In the early 2000’s, a new leader arrived, Pastor John Moorhead. Pastor John took Christ’s Body in a new and dynamic way, building and growing a day shelter ministry, which was directed primarily towards the burgeoning homeless community in Denver. This new chapter in our history included a day shelter which served 500-700 meals every week, Monday through Friday. There was also a Sunday night church service and dinner. This era was marked by pastoral care services, case management for our homeless guests, a 30-day respite program for homeless men, and a Saturday food outreach into several impoverished Denver communities. These were rich and rewarding years for Christ’s Body, offering great volunteer opportunities and ministry towards desperate and hurting individuals. Christ’s Body hospitality and welcoming spirit was well known and used by the homeless community.
In 2017, Pastor Jim Chapman arrived to lead Christ’s Body, and replace John Moorhead who retired. This current chapter has been marked by COVID and the addition of several new ministries. Due to COVID, our day shelter morphed and was replaced by a new mobile outreach ministry. The unique work is reaching new homeless communities all over the Denver metro area. We are partnering with local churches, community agencies and local officials in effectively reaching these homeless people. Each week, our outreach caravans and teams are ministering to the needs of many individuals through the sharing of the Gospel, pastoral care, shower and laundry services, clothing, and food.
These outreach teams are serving up to two thousand meals each week. The “850” Lincoln Street facility is now being used to house 2 residential programs. The RISE program is a 6 month to 1 year discipleship program for homeless men, who aspire to live in a Christian community. These men are engaged in full time employment or employment preparation programming. Additionally, they are maturing their self-sufficiency and sobriety, locating housing and a deepening supportive community. Our second residential community is CORE, a 90-day community partnership with the Colorado Department of Corrections. These former male prisoners reside at Christ’s Body while engaged in their probation plan, work, permanent housing, and family reconciliation. We are seeing God work in powerful, redemptive ways in these communities.
Christ’s Body has been blessed by God for more than 25 years of transformational work. Our mission is simple- we see the homeless and go to them. We feed, clothe, and share the Gospel 365 days per year to those who are lost, without hope and dignity.
We believe that we have a bright future at Christ’s Body Ministries. God continues to allow us to minister to a growing number of homeless individuals. We are doing this through new and innovative ways yet remaining anchored to our timeless mission of sharing the Gospel, discipling men, and offering transformative services and care to all that seek them. In 2023, we will be working to acquire a local warehouse which will be our hub for our growing outreach mobile ministries. Yet, we will remain anchored to our historic downtown site at 850 Lincoln.
We are honored to be a part of this dynamic, God-centered work every day. We would love it if you would pray for us, volunteer and join our team, and support our work financial.
