At PLI we focus on relationships—relationships with God, with fellow believers, and with those who don’t yet know Jesus. Why? Because from the moment of creation in Genesis through Jesus’ act of reconciliation through His death and resurrection, the focus is relationships.

We know the story well. Adam and Eve made a choice that severed humanity’s relationship with God and with one another. Since then, our God has been on a mission of “…reconciling the world to Himself in Christ.” (2 Corinthians 5:19) And God, through Christ, gave us His mission: make disciples. Go, forge relationships with others, and help them be reconciled and restored in their relationship with God.

Pastor Bobby and Angie Walston, PLI alumni, have taken up God’s mission of reconciliation.

They serve at Trinity Lutheran Church and School in Franktown, CO, a rapidly growing community on the outskirts of Denver. And while ministry has its challenges, there is a lot to celebrate.

“It was just slowly building relationships through invitation.” (Bobby Walston)

Under Bobby and Angie’s leadership, Trinity, Franktown, has chosen to prioritize relationships—purposeful relationships that bring hope and offer belonging—that invite the people in their community into reconciliation and restoration in their relationship to God.

And they’re seeing the fruit of that investment! In 2024 they celebrated 30 baptisms, most of which were school aged children, teens, and adults.

The Potential

When Bobby and Angie arrived in Franktown, they could see the potential for kingdom impact. Despite housing a flourishing K-8 school, the church didn’t reflect the young, vibrant population their school served. 

Over time, as the Walstons got to know their new community, the disconnect became clear—while the community around them embraced the Christian values Trinity’s school taught, they didn’t know Jesus.

“We had the opportunity to help them see it’s not just about values, it’s about faith. And it’s not just about doing the right things, it’s about the grace and mercy and forgiveness of Jesus Christ.” (Bobby Walston) 

The Invitation

So the Walstons started forming relationships, getting to know the families in the school, and inviting them into spaces where they could experience community with the church family at Trinity. 

“It wasn’t some spectacular big program or anything like that. It was creating avenues of intersection between people who showed up Monday through Friday at school and our worshiping community.” (Bobby Walston)

It’s moments like these, where people who are disconnected feel welcomed warmly and called by name, that moved one young family with ties to the Mormon church to learn more about becoming part of the Trinity church family. Through that process, this family discovered baptism, and ultimately the grace that God offers for them and for their children.

“Everytime we share what we believe about baptism, people say, ‘Oh yeah, let’s do that.’…Being grace-based…It’s compelling!” (Angie Walston)

The Impact

Bobby, Angie, and the people of Trinity are learning to walk in the footsteps of Jesus by developing relationships, inviting people into community, and helping them be reconciled and restored in their relationship to God. They are living out what we teach and train about the mission of God through PLI.

At Trinity, “Ministry is about seeing people, knowing their name and knowing their story, showing up even in the hard stuff. Real ministry…happens in the in-betweens, when [people] show up and someone knows their name or asks them about their week…The call of the church is to be community and care.” (Angie Walston)

And the Spirit is moving through their faithfulness.