Warren United Methodist Church
A Brief HistoryWarren UMC started at the current 14th and Gilpin location 110 years ago. Dedication Sunday was January 20, 1901, with Chancellor Buchtel of the University of Denver preaching. The church was then known as the Capitol Hill Methodist Episcopal Church. The current sanctuary, designed after an English style chapel, was built in 1909, at a cost of $35,000 including furnishings. The architectural effect is to convey simplicity and serenity. The leaded glass windows carry this same theme with pebbled amber glass throughout. The Estey 18-rank pipe organ was installed in 1913, a gift from Andrew Carnegie and other donors. The current console is a Reuter.
The same year the congregation merged with Warren Methodist Episcopal Church, which was located on the corner of 8th and Ogden. "This union was accomplished in the summer of 1913, and Capitol Hill played the role of the bride at the ceremony by dropping her own name and taking that of Warren," as one early member commented. It became Warren Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church, named after the recently deceased Bishop Henry White Warren, d. July 1912. His widow, Elizabeth Iliff Warren, attended the dedication ceremony.
The spirit of the church's namesake continues to this day, as Bishop Warren was a progressive leader committed to the well being of the civic as well as the religious community. As a strong believer in an educated faith, he was instrumental in the founding of Gammon Theological Seminary in Atlanta, Georgia, and Iliff School of Theology in Denver, and later provided significant leadership as the president of the Trustees for the University of Denver.
The education wing of the church, built in 1952 in memory of the Reverend Frederick J. Cox, was renovated in the summer of 1993 to become ADA compliant with an accessible elevator, ramp and toilet facility. The chapel was also built in 1952 with leaded glass windows installed in 1961. Duane Johnson of Aspen used bold colors and traditional symbols to create a striking effect within the intimate setting. The windows in the entryway, installed in November 1993, were designed by Liz Mapelli from Portland, Oregon, in memory of her aunt, Hannah Erikson. The artist chose a contemporary theme as a transition between the chapel and sanctuary windows. The sanctuary windows were recently restored in 1998 with the assistance of a grant from the Colorado Historical Society. The restoration replaced the mismatched panes with amber glass to match the originals, and the woodwork was restored and refinished.
At the time the education wing was built, the front of the sanctuary was altered by placing the organ console on the side and lowering and enlarging the choir loft. The stained glass window and large cross above the altar were installed then as well. Of earlier furnishings only the pulpit remains, a gift received in the 1940s in honor of Dr. Cox.
Warren UMC has had a strong history of social involvement beginning with early ecumenical dialogues in the 40s under the pastoral leadership of Dr. Frederick Cox (1928-47). Warren Village, a nationally acclaimed program for single parent families, was formed under the pastoral leadership of Dr. Lowell Swan (1947-61) and the Reverend Ed Beck (1968-1974), as well as strong lay leadership within the congregation. The church continues its tradition of social involvement with an ongoing active participation in Warren Village and, since 1985, in Capitol Hill United Ministries, an interfaith coalition of 18 churches. In November of 1999, Warren UMC voted to become a member of the Reconciling Congregation movement, which welcomes all people to become members of the church; the invitation explicitly mentions gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons because the United Methodist Discipline singles out people in those categories as `incompatible with Christian teaching.' There was a challenging yet prayerful dialog for several years prior to the vote.
Reverend Eun-sang Lee, pastor from 1997 to 2009, studied as a student pastor at Warren under Paul Kottke (1988-1994). Many other student pastors have worked in the Warren setting.
In September 2002 Warren was approached by Denver New Church (a Korean church), and members of a new church, Amazing Grace Mongolian Church, who wanted to meet in the Warren Building for worship. In November 2002 Amazing Grace Church had its opening celebration, which was attended by Warren, Denver New Church, and Amazing Grace folks. The service was in three languages (Korean, Mongolian, and English). On Christmas Eve, a joint service was held with all three churches participating. THe service was in four languages (Korean, Mongolian, English, and AMESLAN -- American Sign Language). Denver New Church later in 2003 found a place more convenient to their members and moved their services there.
In January 2003 Warren was approached by a group who wanted to start a church called Open Door Community Church. They were associated with Open Door Community Church in Little Rock, Arkansas, and wanted to bring the good news of that congregation to Denver. It would be a community which sought to be a bridge-building place where gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and non-gay people could worship together and praise God together.
The addition of two new worshiping communities to the Warren building brought new energy, activities, and a greater sense of ministry and stewardship to us in the Warren Community. We were excited to be a part of the process of reaching out to new communities who need to hear the Good News of God's Grace.
A team participated in the Glide Empowerment Journey in 2004. Out of this came a food pantry, a "Healing Story Circle," and a new way of seeing ministry.
In 2009, Pastor Eun-sang left Warren for First UMC Salt Lake City, and Pastor Mariah Hayden came to Warren from Grant Avenue and Goode Centennial churches.
Sunday, January 30, 2011, Warren celebrated 110 years of worship, fellowship, service, and witness on Denver's Capitol Hill! Read our Core Values. Listen to a 1947 sermon by Fred Cox, and a flute solo by Elizabeth Howard and Raf Lopez from the service. See a few photos from the day.
History from 50th Anniversary Booklet (scanned images):
