Our Mission is to show mercy, build community, and make disciples for Christ in urban Denver as an outreach of Open Door Fellowship Church.
Open Door Ministries exists to provide practical help and hope to people in urban Denver who are homeless or low income. Our primary objective is to move people toward self-sufficiency by helping change the circumstances and life patterns that have held them captive to poverty and addictions. Through 14 distinct programs, we focus on tangible needs like food, shelter, access to education and employment training, as well as intangible needs such as friendship, hope, and Christian spiritual guidance. Since the issues faced by our friends tend to have many layers, Open Door has learned that the best way to help them succeed is to surround them with support, holistically empowering them to overcome obstacles, attain self-sufficiency, and thrive.
Our History
Open Door Ministries has grown over the years as an extension of Open Door Fellowship Church. Open Door Fellowship was started in 1984 for the express purpose of reaching the low-income populations in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. The church has always had a desire to help people with basic needs such as housing, food, clothing, education, job opportunities, etc.
With these goals, it wasn’t long before specific people in the church were starting programs to assist people in these ways. In the early 90’s, a ministry to at-risk youth developed, focusing on tutoring and mentoring. Around this time, TRYAD began as a ministry to the disabled.
In 1996, the Treasure House, a home for single moms, and Teen House, a home for girls living on the streets, began. In 1997, we began serving a weekly meal for the neighborhood. With all of these programs starting in a grass roots fashion, the church realized it needed a structure to manage them, so in May of 1997 Open Door Ministries was created. A board was constituted in December of 1997 and the new organization received its 501c3 in 1999.