What We Believe
There's a God. Only one God, in fact, and He is the creator of everything. We're made in His image, which means we're like Him in many ways, except that He's God and we're not. He's loving and just and desires a relationship with us. As individuals with free will, we have the freedom to respond to the relationship God's initiated with us, or not.
God loves us so much, in fact, that He sent his only son, Jesus, to die so the rest of us could live. The cost of sin was separation from God-spiritual death-until Jesus came and His death paid everyone's debt. That's serious love. Because of that serious, perfect love, this gift from God is waiting for anyone who wants to receive it. This is called Grace. God gives grace freely and abundantly.
As for us, we need only to decide whether or not to believe and receive this wondrous gift-His Grace. If we decide to believe and receive it, we have available to us a new, full life that can start now and never stop. And it's OK to have a lot of questions along the way. Although God reveals things to us-including what He's revealed about Himself in the Bible-he remains mysterious and wonderful.
Our Organization
Experience Church is a part of Open Bible Standard Churches which originated from two revival movements: Bible Standard Conference, founded in Eugene, Oregon, under the leadership of Fred Hornshuh in 1919, and Open Bible Evangelistic Association, founded in Des Moines, Iowa, under the leadership of John R. Richey in 1932. Similar in doctrine and government, the two groups amalgamated in 1935, as "Open Bible Standard Churches" with headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa.
Historical roots of the parent groups reach back to the outpourings of the Holy Spirit in 1906 at the Azusa Street Mission in Los Angeles and to the full gospel movement in the Midwest. Both groups were organized under the impetus of Pentecostal revival. Simple faith, freedom from fanaticism, emphasis on evangelism and missions and free fellowship with other groups were characteristics of the growing organizations.
There are over 17,280 members in 233 Open Bible congregations with 788 licensed or ordained ministers in the United States. Additionally, there are approximately 252,093 members in 1772 international congregations with 2,709 ministers.
For more information please visit our denomination's national website.
Our History
Experience Church began as two separate congregations in the 1930's Bethel Tabernacle Open Bible Church and Calvary Open Bible Church. After many years as successful congregations, both having been served by several different pastors, it was decided in 1990 to merge the two congregations and Calvary and Bethel became Victory Praise Center.
After the merge the two congregations remodeled the Bethel Church and moved the combined congregation to the Ovid address. Another change of Pastors and the name was changed to Eastwood Church. With the coming to Eastwood of our present Pastors Charles and Deanna Cole the church was again moved through God's miraculous work at 3800 E. Douglas, Des Moines, Iowa (formerly known as Douglas Elementary School) and named EXPERIENCE CHURCH. Then in 2021 we moved into our current location (formerly known as Slumberland) at 2559 E Euclid Ave, Des Moines, IA 50317.
In 2023 Open Bible Fellowship from Ankeny also merged with Experience Church. Open Bible Fellowship was established in 1987 by Pastors Wally and Lana Shea who join the staff as Associate Pastors at Experience Church.
We are very proud to have the heritage that these three strong and committed congregations have provided. Only through God's people and their faithfulness to His direction and provision are we here in this place now.