Story of the Week: A Place For You

Their story shows that meaningful community doesn’t always begin through a formal program or carefully planned gathering. Sometimes, it begins organically when one person looks around on a Sunday morning and notices that someone else needs a person to talk to and a place to sit.

The pew isn’t special. It’s not the front row. There’s no extra padding or legroom.

But each Sunday morning, someone arrives at Woodmen Rockrimmon early enough to claim the familiar row of seats. Before long, a picture of the empty pew appears in a group chat, letting everyone know there’s a place waiting for them.

The friends jokingly call themselves the “Pew-Pews.” It’s a playful nod to their seating tradition and the humor they share. For the Pew-Pews, saving seats is about more than securing a spot for the 9 AM service. It is a simple way of saying, You belong here.

The tradition began years ago when a few unmarried members of Woodmen started sitting together during worship. What began as a small gesture between friends gradually grew as they invited others to join them.

Jonathan Perry was one of those early Pew-Pew people. Before COVID, Emily Hanenburg, who teaches at the same school as Jonathan, invited him to sit with the group. Having recently moved to Colorado Springs, he found more than a seat in the pew; he found a community.

“There’s a core group, but the pew is always welcoming,” Jonathan shares.

Over time, their regular row became a place where people knew they would be seen, welcomed and given a seat.

STAYING CONNECTED

When COVID temporarily paused large, on-campus services, the friends were determined to remain connected. They began meeting in one another’s homes to watch Woodmen online services together each week.

For members of the group who didn’t have family nearby, those gatherings offered a much-needed time of face-to-face connection during a season of deep isolation. Even in the midst of a challenging year, group members made it a priority to continue pursuing Christ alongside one another. When Woodmen reopened for weekend services, the group returned to its familiar pew.

A PLACE TO BELONG

When Kayla Burns moved to Colorado in 2021, she left behind the community she had known in South Carolina. A connection through a friend eventually led her to Lindsay Driscoll, one of the Pew-Pews.

Lindsay wasn’t able to attend a Woodmen service when Kayla planned to visit, so Lindsay gave Kayla another group member’s phone number to be sure Kayla would have someone to sit with her. Kayla recalls, “They were all just very welcoming right away.”

That welcome gave Kayla an immediate connection in an unfamiliar place. She soon discovered that the group’s friendship stretched far beyond Sunday mornings.

Over the years, the Pew-Pews have celebrated birthdays, shared meals and gathered for game nights. They show up for one another’s activities and cheer as a friend crosses the finish line of a race. During busy or difficult seasons, they make a point of checking in to remind one another that they’re not alone.

For a time, their conversations after the 9 AM service regularly continued until the next service was well underway. Today, several members serve during the 11 AM service, putting into practice the same heart for others that first shaped their group.

AN OPEN INVITATION

The makeup of the pew has also changed over the years. What began with a few unmarried friends has grown to include people in different seasons of life. Leah and Dylan Morris, a newly married couple, recently began sitting with the group, a reminder that the invitation is not limited by age or relationship status. There’s always room for someone new.

Recently, several high school girls began joining the Pew-Pews. The students attend the school where Jonathan and Emily teach, allowing relationships that began in the classroom to grow within the church.

For Jonathan and Emily, it’s been meaningful to watch other members of the group get to know the girls, encourage them and pour into their lives. Jonathan knows that when one of his students sits down in the pew, they’ll be welcomed into conversations and treated with kindness. The relationships have created natural opportunities for mentorship while also showing the students what Christian community can look like across generations.

SAVING A SEAT

The Pew-Pews may not have found one another in another setting. They represent different ages, interests, schedules and seasons of life. What unites them is their desire for community and their shared love for Christ and His Church.

Week after week, their friendship has been built through small acts of faithfulness: arriving early, saving a seat, staying around for an after-service conversation, showing up for the moments that matter and making space when someone new walks in the room.

Their story shows that meaningful community doesn’t always begin through a formal program or carefully planned gathering. Sometimes, it begins organically when one person looks around on a Sunday morning and notices that someone else needs a person to talk to and a place to sit.

It’s a quiet but powerful reminder of the kind of church we seek to be — a church that’s not a building, but rather a family where no one has to sit alone.

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