Tim Jones has spent the last decade with a dream of a mile-long table. That passion led him to become the founder of Longer Tables, a local nonprofit developing partnership in Denver, across Colorado, and now cities around the country to gather people together for shared meals at longer tables.

I step down into the brisk current of the river, wondering if I will be able to stay upright while the rushing water tries to push me downstream. I’m a year older than last season, and walking on snot-covered bowling balls against the chilling current of spring runoff is not a job for amateurs or old men. Fortunately, my dog and I make it across the river without incident. I shuffle ahead and begin casting flies upstream in pursuit of the wild brown trout that inhabits the river.

A campground is a sacred place. It provides a sacred shift from the places we regularly inhabit. There is a voluntary vulnerability in camping. A campground is where we increase our exposure to the elements and refocus on the basic human experiences of shelter, fire, and food. Camping creates a container of time distinct from our regular schedules. The pace affords deeper personal and relational connection. It is a place where we choose to live closer to the earth and each other.

A coffee shop is a sacred place. It is a story of family and community, culture and care. Founded by brothers Hani and Zahi Yaafouri, Steam has created a special place of loyal business and natural beauty.

Inspire Ranch is a sacred place. Located near Mount Blue Sky, Inspire Ranch is the vision of Millie Cline, a woman who courageously re-risked in her second half of life to create a place for others to be inspired. The word “Inspire,” Millie shares with her effervescent passion, is the story of both the tattoo on her wrist and the story of creating a retreat center. “In-spire is to breathe in,” it is the origin story of God breathing life into humanity. “Inspire Ranch is a place to breathe—to really breathe deeply.” Millie shares her hopes for this place as a place where people come to breathe deeply, as we walk through the dense forest of towering pine and aspen trees. 

A plant sale is a sacred place. It is a convergence of care that cultivates plant life in a particular place. It is an intersection of community activation, education, and commerce—all to connect people more deeply with plants and place. 

The artist’s studio is a sacred place. For Kim Morski, her studio is a product of decades of dreaming and the patient process of collecting printmaking equipment. Kim’s studio is outside her back door in a detached garage in the Harvey Park South neighborhood. It is a nexus of community and creativity, a place of artistry and generosity, home and hospitality.

Frances Xavier Cabrini first came to Denver in the early 1900’s. It is only in Colorado that she is affectionately known as “Mother Cabrini” for her compassion and care of children in our city. Her life and legacy are honored at the Mother Cabrini Shrine, located on the land outside Golden she purchased to establish the Queen of Heaven Orphanage. It is in this place she purchased that pilgrims are invited to follow in the footsteps of Mother Cabrini.

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.