Our Message
We are committed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ
The gospel is the good news of God’s grace invading the darkness of this world. It is the grand narrative of creation, fall, redemption and consummation ordained by God and orchestrated through the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. Christ’s crucifixion is the heart of the gospel. His resurrection is the power of the gospel. His ascension is the glory of the gospel. Christ’s death is a substitutionary and propitiatory sacrifice to God for our sins. It satisfies the demands of God’s holy justice and appeases His holy wrath. It also demonstrates His mysterious love and reveals His amazing grace. Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and man. There is no other name by which men can be saved. At the heart of all sound doctrine is the cross of Jesus Christ and the infinite privilege that redeemed sinners have in glorifying God because of what He has accomplished. Therefore, we want all that takes place in our hearts, churches and ministries to proceed from and be related to the gospel.
Our Mission
We exist to bring glory to God
by making disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ
through gospel-centered worship, community, service and multiplication
Our Roots
A short story of our beginnings
The story of God bringing Karenni Christian Fellowship to be what it is today is all about His love, His glory and His grace! Throughout the last 7 years we have seen God's power and sovereignty in beautiful ways as He has moved among the Karenni people here in Des Moines, Iowa. Pastor Mike had been leading Bible studies that included Chin, Karen and Karenni people. These Bible studies grew and saw Burmese men and women that were hungry to study God's Word and learn more about Christ. Paw Dee Nya (a Christian woman from a people group in Karenni state called "Manumanao") told Pastor Mike in 2012 that there is no local church for the Karenni people in Des Moines and "Karenni Christian Fellowship" began meeting in homes. As the grace of God was reaching more and more people and the church grew, Freedom for Youth ministry opened its doors and welcomed the church to use it's worship center and campus which was perfectly located in the heart of where most Karenni were living in Des Moines. God continued to change lives as we saw many Karenni born again to living hope in Jesus Christ! From the very beginning Karenni Christian Fellowship has been blessed to be a part of the larger Karenni body of Christ, and to this day it continues to resound to the glory of God as we are connected to other Karenni believers throughout the US and world. John and Brooke Bryant (long time Wycliffe Bible translators working on the Karenni NT) and many of the Karenni believers from Winston-Salem have been an incredible resource and support to the work in Des Moines. In July of 2015 Tim and Jody Cross brought the Winston-Salem New Start Karenni youth team on a mission trip to Iowa to bless and encourage our fellowship and well as reach out to Karenni in Iowa, God used this mission trip in enormous ways as the Gospel continued to reach more Karenni! As the church literally "grew out of the building" at Freedom we saw God's timing in the move to the Walnut Creek Downtown church (323 E Locust St, Des Moines, IA 50309). The Downtown location is a beautifully renovated building in the heart of "East Village" in Downtown Des Moines. It is our eager expectations that in all that God has ahead for us as a church that CHRIST will be magnified!