<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2IpY2B_1H1hwuI000" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2IpY2B_1H1hwuI000" width="1662" height="1247" ><figcaption>Members of Activation Church gather for their first parade float entry during Sioux Center Celebration this year. The church, which has grown in its five years, is seeking a building of its own to call home. Photo submitted</figcaption></figure>Michael De Jong is used to building people up as he seeks to ensure that all hear the gospel of Jesus Christ; now, he and a team at Activation Church are seeking to build a new home for the growing body of believers.Activation Church began in 2020 as De Jong and his wife, Jenna, felt the prompting of the Holy Spirit to host gatherings in their living room. As those gatherings took place, many people began encountering the Lord like never before and experienced the nearness and presence of God through baptism in the Holy Spirit, deliverance, prophecy and healing.Soon, the home gatherings turned into public gatherings as revival meetings were held in backyards and on farms across the region. Over time, they began to meet once a month and then every Sunday as an established church. Its first official meeting as a church body was Oct. 31, 2021.Ever since then, they’ve held their services at the House of Missions and Equipping at 101 19th St. SW, found behind Culver’s. A prayer service is held every Sunday there at 9:15 a.m. before the main service at 10 a.m. Anyone wanting to learn more can visit the church’s website, activationchurch.life.Over the course of the last five years, this body of believers has grown fast. These days, a typical Sunday will see about 150 people, including children, gather to worship.“The Bible says, ‘Don’t despise the day of small beginnings,’ right? Everything starts small and with time and energy and commitment and faithfulness, God will make it grow,” De Jong said. “What you figure out through all of this is the people are the church and the most important thing in the church is the people. It’s not the building. The thing we really continue to focus on is the people in the church, helping them build their spiritual life, raise their families and strengthen their marriages.“There is the focus on teaching believers that the kingdom of God is inside them. They are the temple of God. But collectively, we do need places to gather in worship. The building serves as a house of worship, a place we can gather and lift up the name of Jesus together as a family and pray.”And a part of that calling is now providing for a new place of worship for Activation Church. To that end, Activation Church has worked to launch a building campaign called “A Home for the Family,” to spread the word about the church’s goal and raise the needed funds to purchase a building.The capital campaign seeks to raise as much as $3 million for that purpose so that the church can make the move debt free in the end. As seen on the website’s building campaign section, it outlines different ways to partner and give.“I always say every family needs a house to get established in, to grow up in, to raise children and to send them out in the world,” De Jong said. “We rent here at the House of Missions and Equipping, and we love it. We’re so grateful for this ministry and for the people here. It’s been awesome. We’ll stay here as long as the Lord leads us to stay here. It’s been such a blessing, but there is a desire to own and occupy and put our DNA into the ministry and the environment.”The vision is to provide not only a place of worship but a place open throughout the week to foster relationships and serve the community. That’s why the plan is to have a coffee shop, an indoor playground for children and a bookstore, all open on weekdays for people to enjoy, regardless if they have a connection to Activation Church or not.De Jong said the church is looking at an existing building in Sioux Center, but it’s much too early in the process to say anything more.No matter where Activation Church ends up, De Jong is proud to say the mission will remain the same.“It’s to reach people with the good news of Jesus Christ,” he said. “The mission of our church has been, ‘Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe and obey everything I have commanded you.’”Through the establishment and growth of Activation Church, De Jong has been grateful to be a part of the Sioux Center religious community for the friends he’s made in ministry, particularly through the partnerships with HOME.“To the House of Missions and Equipping, a huge thank you and a continued thank you for the open door. To be able to meet here on Sundays was answered prayer,” De Jong said. “And to the city of Sioux Center, Sioux Center is a magnificent looking puzzle, and I’m glad we get to be a part of the city’s puzzle. There are so many great churches and pastors, great people of Christian faith in Sioux Center. Such a rich heritage and a great city we have fallen in love with.”He connected that richness to a slightly different take on one of the city’s mottos, growing bright.“Sioux Center’s motto is ‘growing bright,’ but Christ is what makes the city grow bright,” he said. “I think the Christian foundation of faith from the people has made the city shine so bright. We’re happy to be here as a part of it.”</div></body>

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Michael De Jong is used to building people up as he seeks to ensure that all hear the gospel of Jesus Christ; now, he and a team at Activation Church are seeking to build a new home for the growing body of believers. Activation Church began in 2020 as De...

Activation Church kicks off building campaign

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Michael De Jong is used to building people up as he seeks to ensure that all hear the gospel of Jesus Christ; now, he and a team at Activation Church are s

Activation Church kicks off building campaign

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