Jesus on Colfax is a sacred place. The organization, Jesus on Colfax (JOC), began with an unexpected invitation. Shawn Sikkema had been a pastor in southeast Aurora for 25 years. As he was riding his motorcycle down Colfax, he felt God inviting him to simply show up and love people. It was a present day invitation to the Biblical narrative of caring for the neighbor in need. To join Jesus on Colfax.

A fireplace is a sacred place. It is a place of ritual and reflection, providing warmth and light from its flickering flames. Fireplaces were historically used for heating and cooking, but also as a place of social connection and spiritual reflection. Almost every civilization has an association with a fireplace. 

For centuries, stained glass windows have been synonymous with sacred places. They are ornate creations of color and light. Stained glass windows are created by craftsmen for cathedrals and chapels to transform sunlight into a “divine light,” inspiring reverence and worship, contemplation and compassion. 

A jazz club is a sacred place. The roots of jazz music are imbued with the reason why these soulful and stirring music rooms matter. Jazz has been called an American institution. It was birthed in Black communities as a musical language of expression and freedom. Jazz clubs were places where musical artistry could flourish even when the dominant society denied dignity and opportunity. That history still hums in every jazz club.

A history museum is a sacred place. It is a place that holds both the joyful and painful, ordinary and extraordinary stories of the past. It is a place to learn from different perspectives and grow through collective memory.

The neighborhood is a sacred place. We too often come and go from neighborhoods without intention or attention. Our sidewalks can become ordinarily familiar, the houses and people passing by in a blur. But our neighborhood—our block, our street, or our apartment building—is sacred. It’s where the story of God, people, and place intersect.

A frozen lake is a sacred place. Evergreen Lake was created with the construction of the Evergreen Dam between 1925 and 1927. Originally created to provide the utilitarian role of a water source for the town residents and fire protection, it now serves as a symbol of the heart of the community. The 40-acre lake is encircled by picturesque mountain views that shift hues throughout each season of the year. In winter, the frozen lake becomes a magical winter place of play as the largest Zamboni-groomed outdoor ice-skating rink in North America. 

There is something unexpectedly sacred about sitting down to a prix fixe meal. Long before the first dish arrives, the experience offers an important invitation: slow down. Be here. The meal will unfold at its own pace. In a moment marked by choice, efficiency, and immediacy, a prix fixe menu moves at a different rhythm—one shaped by presence, patience, and delight. It creates, in a simple and tangible way, a place where we become more aware of our senses and the people sitting beside us.

The dining room table is the center of my home. It holds the constant reminder of the centrality of provision, welcome, and belonging nestled into the presence of God who is with me.

Hammond's Candies is a sacred place. There are few things on earth that can craft a sweet smile like old-time candy, and for over a century, Hammond’s Candies has been a cherished part of holiday celebrations, stretching smiles from ear-to-ear on the young and old. From peppermint candy canes on Christmas trees to giant lollipops on a summer afternoon, their confections evoke sweet memories of festive gatherings and family traditions. 

The tomb of Julia Greeley holds the bodily remains of the only person in Colorado who has an open case within the Roman Catholic Church for sainthood. It is not the tomb of a bishop or priest, clergy or civic leader, but a woman whose life reflected the selfless and sacrificial love of Jesus. 

Fr. Samuel Morehead is the former Rector of the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, where Julia’s tomb is located. He describes Julia as “a strong woman of faith fueled by her love of Jesus and Jesus’ love for her.”

A city council chamber is a sacred place. The architecture is distinct—the wooden dais, with a raised crescent shape to both facilitate conversation and differentiate the elected council from community members, and the podium for citizens to take the stand to make public comment. What makes it sacred, is the work neighbors do to shape the future of their neighborhoods. A city council meeting is where an elected group of neighbors come together with the responsibility to care for both people and place. 

CAFE 180 is a sacred place. For fifteen years, this light‑filled corner cafe in Englewood has welcomed neighbors to share good food with gracious hospitality. The promise of the cafe is profound: the way a meal is served with dignity cultivates belonging. “We’ve been really careful to never change the way we serve people or the way we present food depending on how much someone’s paying for it,” says Sarah Lesyinski, Executive Director of One Good Turn, the parent organization of CAFE 180.

“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.”