About Us
Our Vision
Debra Heights Wesleyan Church exists to make more and better disciples of Jesus Christ in the northwest part of Des Moines, Iowa. We do this by connecting with each other and Jesus, learning his teachings and commands, and serving both inside and outside the church so that we will be the church at the epicenter of a growing community in which there is not one person who does not know Jesus and his life-transforming grace and power.
DHWC is heavily invested in our neighborhood schools because they are on the front lines of ministry in our post-Christian world. And we are active in our neighborhood, driving events such as a massive community Easter egg hunt.
Our Beliefs
Debra Heights Wesleyan Church is a part of The Wesleyan Church. TWC is a Christian denomination. Here are our key beliefs:
- We believe in one living and true God made up of three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
- We believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God, transmitted to the present without corruption of any primary doctrine and containing everything necessary to be saved.
- We believe that God's purpose for humanity is to abide by the two great commandments to love God with every fiber of our being and to love our neighbors as ourselves.
- We believe that, when Adam and Eve disobeyed by eating the fruit in the garden, all creation suffered the consequences.
- We believe that Jesus Christ offered himself on the cross as the perfect atoning sacrifice.
- We believe that, for men and women to be saved, they must voluntarily repent and believe in Christ. At the moment they choose to do that, God extends forgiveness.
- We believe that good works do not save us from God's judgment, but rather, they are the fruit of faith produced by true regeneration.
- We believe that all Christians are called to pursue holiness, which is that state wherein our motives are consistently congruent with those of God.
- We believe that water baptism and the Lord's Supper (i.e., communion) are the sacraments commanded and ordained by Christ as a means to receive grace.
Our Team
DHWC's lead pastor is Jeremy Geerdes. Pastor Jeremy and his wife arrived in Des Moines in 2002 after he graduated from Oklahoma Wesleyan University with a B.A. in Pastoral ministry. In 2019, Pastor Jeremy completed an M.Div. through Wesley Seminary at Indiana Wesleyan University. In his spare time, he enjoys web development, hunting, fishing, reading, and writing. You can check out his blog at https://jeremygeerdes.com
Our History
First Pilgrim Church was founded in January 1939 by Rev. Edward Boone with a passion for sharing the gospel of Jesus in ways that were relevant to the time. Originally, the church met at what is now the intersection of University Ave. and MLK, Jr., Pkwy, but in 1955, the congregation moved to a new, larger facility on Lower Beaver Rd. Unfortunately, after the move and Boone's subsequent retirement, the church entered into an extended period of decline. In 2001, faced with the options of closing the church or stepping out on faith to embrace revitalization and renewal, the congregation opted for the latter. Since then, the congregation has forged partnerships with neighborhood schools, the neighborhood association, and others to minister effectively to the people of northwest Des Moines.