“The joke is I didn't do the laundry at my own house before we bought this business, and now I'm responsible for over 30,000 pounds of laundry every week.” Matt Barnes is the owner of Professional Touch Laundry Services, the most trusted commercial laundry and linen service in the city. Matt communicated in our conversation a compelling vision for how a blue-collar business does the ordinary work of a laundry service while seeing the sacred in the everyday. 

On the corner of 25th and Washington sits a humble yet historic structure: Denver Fire Station No. 3. It may appear only a neighborhood firehouse, but this building holds stories of service and sorrow, of race and redemption, of faith lived out amidst the flames.

In the heart of the Sunnyside neighborhood is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the well-being of youth in Denver. Save Our Youth was founded in response to the tumultuous "summer of violence" in Denver in 1993. It provides one-to-one mentorship to young people ages 10-17 as a pathway to help them overcome adverse experiences and learn to embrace hope. To cultivate the belief that they can have something better, and they have a role to play in making it better. With over three decades of faithful presence and practice, Save Our Youth has walked alongside thousands of youths, providing mentoring relationships that nurture spiritual, emotional, and economic hope. 

The Colorado State Fair has been a place where agriculture, community, and celebration converge since 1872. It began as a gathering of farmers bringing their best crops, swapping tips for difficult Colorado soil, sharing the latest seed innovations, and competing for bragging rights. Pueblo’s fair wasn’t just a momentary reprieve; it was a lifeline. A place where scattered communities came together to learn, connect, and thrive. Over 150 years later, that spirit of community celebration endures.

A mountain town is a sacred place. At the western edge of Rocky Mountain National Park is the mountain town of Grand Lake. It sits on the banks of Colorado’s largest and deepest natural lake, covering over 500 acres and reaching nearly 400 feet deep. It boasts the highest elevation yacht club in the world, and yet there is little polished about this mountain town. The one block of shops, called “The Boardwalk” by locals, is a collection of locally owned shops and diners without a single chain store or restaurant in sight.

Chick-fil-A may be best known for its chicken sandwiches and hospitality punctuated by “My pleasure,” but the foundation beneath the company serves as an intentional platform for leadership development. Daniel Andrews, a Chick-fil-A owner-operator in Denver, shared how his journey and the company’s culture intersect to create what he calls a “leadership factory.”

The counseling office is a sacred place. It is sacred because it provides a place to uncover past pain, practice health, and reenter relationships and the world around us with increased stability and clarity. “It’s a confessional,” says Kelley Gray in our conversation about her counseling office as a sacred place. With conviction and compassion, she continues, “People say things they’ve never said out loud—things they’ve maybe been haunted by for years. I hold it with them and the unburdening I see people experience in here is sacred.”

The local brewery is a place to share beer and share life. It is a place for people to gather and a place for people to be alone with others. The local brewery operates at a pace that provides a bit of respite from hectic and hurried life. People go to a local brewery for a variety of motivations: to unwind, to watch a game, to celebrate, to mourn. What they all have in common is an appreciation of the craft of good beer.

Describing a generative place like Grow + Gather isn’t easy, even for founder, George Gastis. “I always had this idea of an urban farm, part restaurant, part coffee shop, part gathering space that hosts things that bring people together.” George shares where the seeds of this came from, “Food was the natural hook. My dad was a big gardener, and my mom was an amazing cook. They both grew up in farming families in Greece.” “The simple version is, Grow + Gather is an urban farm and food-centric marketplace.” The goals of Grow + Gather are in plain sight. It’s all in the name—a place to grow food and for people to gather.

When I think of someone who embodies this rhythm of tending, both to land and to life, I think of Helen Skiba, the renowned Colorado flower farmer behind Artemis Flower Farm. The flowers at Artemis Flower Farm are unparalleled…dainty, boasting, and colorful. Recently I took the drive to visit Helen at her farm outside Longmont. While I was technically there to pick up a dahlia tuber order (she has the best around), we both knew the real reason was to meet her almost eight-month-old baby girl. We wandered through the farm and into her cozy home tucked right on the property, where her daughter waited…another tender life being lovingly grown alongside the flowers.

The thrill of thrifting and the warmth of connection are palpable when you enter a Habitat for Humanity ReStore. It is a sacred place where community and commerce converge.

Red Rocks Amphitheatre is an internationally acclaimed iconic concert venue in the foothills of Morrison, Colorado. It is known as the only naturally occurring, acoustically perfect amphitheater in the world. Red Rocks is a stunning setting where natural beauty and human creativity combine to create lifelong memories for millions of people. Before any notable musical artists performed on the stage at Red Rocks, a tradition began that has lasted for over seven decades—the Easter Sunrise Service at Red Rocks.

Mile Hi Cycles is owned and operated by a father who has a passion for cycling and fixing broken things. Chris Fanckboner has worked in the bike industry since 1993. He first worked at a southwest Denver bike shop while in high school. Chris would race downhill mountain bikes and became a professional bike mechanic to stay connected to his love of the cycling culture and industry. Mile Hi Cycles opened in the Washington Virginia Vale neighborhood in 2023. The desire was to open a neighborhood bike shop in close proximity to the Cherry Creek Trail.

The theatre is a sacred place. The word theatre is from the Greek meaning "seeing place." It is not only a place to watch a performance, but a place to see more deeply into the human story. Theatres were elaborately constructed to form the imagination of those under the rule of the Roman Empire. It is likely the Apostle Paul spoke to audiences in Roman theatres about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

A columbarium is a sacred place. Communities have had places for burial near places of worship for centuries. A cemetery located on the same property as a place of worship is not uncommon in older cities or rural communities. Crypts, cemeteries, or a columbarium provided the living regular reminders of those who had gone before them.

CrossPurpose is a place where lives intertwine, barriers dissolve, and deep, authentic relationships are formed. At CrossPurpose, people from vastly different backgrounds—former gang members, single mothers, wealthy business leaders, refugees, and longtime community residents—gather at shared tables. They come together not as beneficiaries and benefactors, but as family.

A sledding hill is a sacred place. It is a place of winter play where children and adults alike experience the thrill of speeding down a snowy surface. Many winter sports can be exclusive based on finances, but a sledding hill is an inclusive gathering. A sledding hill is an open invitation to anyone willing to risk.

Nestled in the heart of Denver’s historic Five Points neighborhood, the Welton Street Cafe is a sacred place, a cornerstone of culture and resilience, particularly in the Black community. It is a restaurant where stories are shared, and legacies are preserved. Its doors have been a gateway for over two decades, welcoming all who seek the warmth of community and the flavors of home.

The kitchen is a sacred place. It is a place of nourishment and creativity, provision and connection. It is where meals are made for family and friends, and where countless conversations occur that connect us to one another.

An observatory is a sacred place. The night sky when viewed through a powerful telescope is an invitation to witness the mystery and majesty of the cosmos. The vastness of the universe provides a different perspective to the scale of our cities and civilizations. When we look at the stars, we realize how shared our worlds are.