WHAT WE BELIEVE

OUR MISSION

Second Place church is filled with people who have a passion for their community and are growing not only their own personal faith, but also the faith of those around them. Our mission is to see people developing and spreading the word of God to reach the community in new ways everyday. We care deeply about our community and the surrounding areas and as a team, we hope to change the lives around us through the power of the Gospel.

OUR VISION

Our vision is to see every generation finding their way back to God. We strive to be a church without walls. Jesus calls for us to go outside the walls to reach the lost and the broken. It is there that the lost will be found. Most churches find it is comfortable to stay within the walls, but we make an effort to be like the church from the book of Acts, to see our city changed.

OUR VALUES

Jesus, Home, and Others First. Here we believe that relationships are where faith happens and prioritizing Jesus above all is where growth takes place! We believe that God is revealed and present in our everyday lives. We value the word of God, and the leadership of the Holy Spirit. We look to extend grace to all of the lost and broken, and lead those with no hope to the hope of Jesus Christ.

STATEMENT OF BELIEFS 

Second Place is orthodox in theology but unorthodox in practice.

Here is the Second Place statement of faith: 

 

God inspired the authors of the Bible by his Spirit to speak to all generations of believers, including us today.

 

In the beginning God created the Heavens and Earth in seven days—all you see, all you don’t see—and it was good.

 

God was and always will be three in one—a community: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit…a Trinity. 

 

The home is the primary place where faith is nurtured, grown and multiplied.

 

Adam and Eve gave into temptation. God’s perfect creation was shattered and evil and death, both physical and spiritual, entered the story and continue to be a part of our world today.

 

God sent a worldwide flood to destroy mankind and animals on land. God’s judgment swept the world, after which God made a covenant with man to never destroy it again with water.

 

Mankind disobeyed God and built the Tower of Babel to make a name for themselves rather than worshipping God. God judged their disobedience by confusing their language. The people were scattered across the globe.

Jesus was both divine and human. 

 

Jesus’ path of suffering, crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection has brought hope to all creation and healing to those that believe. 

 

When we put Jesus first and trusting him, we are forgiven and brought into right relationship with God as our Savior through faith in Jesus Christ

 

When we put Jesus first in our lives, we become set apart and begin the process of learning and living The Prioritized Life—the life of Christ himself

The Church, led by individuals called by God, is a global and local expression of living out the way of Jesus.

 

Water baptism by immersion is an ancient symbol that is used to celebrate and declare a person’s commitment to Christ after turning away from destructive habits and receiving the gift of eternal life.

 

Holy Communion is the way that we remember Christ’s suffering and death for our salvation until the Lord returns.

 

We value various expressions of worship to God (clapping, raising hands, singing, etc.).

 

After salvation, the Spirit fills and empowers us to tell others about what God has done for us. The Spirit also convicts, guides, comforts, counsels and leads us into truth through a communal life of worship. 

 

Our lives become outward expressions of our faith, demonstrated by the fruit of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit experienced on the Day of Pentecost and throughout the history of the early church recorded in Acts.

 

Jesus will physically return to Earth and there will be a resurrection of believers in Christ who have died along with those who are alive.

Jesus will return again with the believers and reign for a thousand years before establishing his permanent dwelling place. 

 

The day is coming when Jesus will come back to judge the world, bringing an end to injustice, punishing those who rejected Him and restoring all things to God’s original intent.

 

The earth’s groaning will cease and God will dwell with all people who have accepted Him. We will be with Him forever in a new heaven and a new earth that he is preparing.

 

We have a responsibility—to remember what God has done and to tell it to the next generation.

MEET THE TEAM!

Joe and Sarah Dascenzo:

Lead Pastors

Joe calls himself an "unlikely pastor" because after working in the field of design and branding for 20 years, the door opened for him to become Lead Pastor of Second Place Church. He gave up his branding business to pursue speaking and developing people's faith full-time. Now his creative background fuels innovative ways to inspire people to open their Bible, open their hearts, discover new ways to apply God's truth to their lives, and put their faith to action. What he really loves is building momentum with people to make a difference in the world through the Good News of Jesus. The Second Place "ecosystem" of organizations—Second Place Church, Provision Lab (community development non-profit), Natural Discovery Early Learning Center and Historia Coffee—has come out of his desire to see God's people bring heaven to earth in practical ways.

Sarah is a communicator, educator and loves to see families thrive—keeping Jesus at the center of it all. She provides leadership to various ministries of Second Place, Natural Discovery and the ecosystem of organizations. She champions the uniqueness of every individual, young and old alike, and strives to come alongside them as they discover who God has built them to be and what He has purposed for them to accomplish. Sarah recognizes that doing life isn't easy, at any stage, and quite frankly it can be messy and unrelenting. She desires to approach ministry realistically and gives lots of room for the Holy Spirit to lead and direct each family uniquely. She has a vision to create a place where families at Second Place can be refreshed, restored and rebuilt for the glory of God.

Marisa Vales: Children's Ministry

Marisa felt called to children's ministry over 20 years ago and her light shines even brighter now than when she first started. Her number one goal is to let children know that they are loved by God. Through community outreaches, Sunday morning Bible lessons, and even surprise home deliveries, Marisa is always finding ways to share the good news!

Susan Donovan: 

Finances Lead

With a passion for giving and a mind for numbers, Susan handles the finances of Second Place. Knowing that we cannot out-give God, she is often seen on stage encouraging others to discover the blessings that come from living a lifestyle of generosity. Behind the scenes comes all the number-crunching that might make some people cry actual tears, but with a major in mathematics, balancing the books to the exact penny brings Susan joy.

Dave Short:

Associate Pastor

Before coming on staff at Second Place, Dave served as the National Director of Alpha for Campus and Youth for 8 years. He and his wife Valerie, are 30-year veteran campus ministers and have pioneered campus ministries throughout the U.S and overseas. In 2016, he joined the Second Place team as the Director of Global Outreach and Formation. Dave believes that getting the Good News message of Jesus to as many as possible is his priority. He has been married to Valerie since 1982 and they have five children - Jordan, Bethany, Joshua, Jenna and Blessing.

Jeremiah Dascenzo:

Youth Director

Recently graduated from Olivet Nazarene University where he studied Business and Christain Studies. Jeremiah is passionate about innovating the way we do Church. Jeremiah currently serves as the Youth Coordinator for Second Place. In addition to his work with Second Place students, Jeremiah is part of the Second Place Residency Program where he continues to grow in his leadership capabilities and serve the Second Place community. 

Micah Dascenzo:

Music Lead

Micah gives leadership to the Sunday morning experience and worship team serving as the Worship Lead since 2018. Micah also serves as a youth coach and is a part of the vision team at Second Place.

HELPING PEOPLE FOLLOW JESUS