"Honestly freshman year of college was probably the single furthest I got from God. My biology professor was talking about how it’s just impossible for there to be a God, and this guy is really smart saying all this. I do remember bringing that home to visit my parents and I just remember my mom was clearly disappointed. I had to think and ask myself 'if I'm gonna start making those statements, like what am I really believing' and that’s when the questions started. It’s like okay, I really do gotta figure this out for myself and that kind of happened as we got into sophomore year of college."Dave Schaack has been with 11|28 since just before it's launch in October of 2021. He's a face you'll see most Sunday's near the front door welcoming guests and regulars alike. Dave teaches math at Oak Creek High School and is a LA Rams fanatic.

"Jesus took on shame for the purpose of your healing."Pastor Mike Francisco asks us to consider what shame looks like and feels like in your life before exploring the Biblical story of a women healed from the burden of shame and suffered she'd carried for years.

"So I’m in the midst of an emotional affair, and my company suddenly announced that they were shutting down. Two things happening at the same time and I feel completely out of control. I felt I had control of nothing from one day to another. And out of nowhere, the name of an old friend who had become a pastor came to my mind, so I called him — and that’s when things started shifting in my relationship with Jesus."Lucia Loza-Galzewski and her family have been attending and serving at 11|28 Community for quite a while. Lucia serves on the worship team and attends a LifeGroup, and her children can be most often found in various areas of our family ministries. Lucia's husband was the first guest on the 52 Stories series, so she's here to share her perspective on their story. Lucia's story will inspire you to make the most of every moment and put your trust more fully in Jesus.To connect with our community, text the word PODCAST to (414) 441-1128 or visit 1128community.org.

"Jesus asks us to participate in the healing process"In part two of our "Anyone Out There" series, Mike Francisco shares about his own failures as a seminary student before diving into a Biblical story about healing from pain and hard things.

“I went into church with a lot of anxiety and uncertainty, and being at 1128 has really helped shape my thoughts. I know what I believe and I know that the people around me are open to having conversations about anything. Even when we disagree I know that we'll disagree nicely.”Anna Larch is a childcare worker in the 11|28 Community nursery. She started there, but soon found that the church was not like her past experiences. She found a refreshing place where she could be herself, and a community of people that she could call friends.To connect with our community, text the word PODCAST to (414) 441-1128 or visit 1128community.org.

"God is the light that shines brightest in your darkest of nights."In the first message of our "Anyone Out There?" series, Niki Schabo shares a powerful story about personal struggles and moments of despair, and how we can ultimately find hope in God's presence.

“God’s always with you, and he’s always with the people you’re around. You just have to help them open their eyes to see it. Once you become a follower of Jesus you see him in everything, you just have help open their eyes to that, too.”Dino Roman's entire family is deeply involved in the life of 11|28 Community. A Junior in high school, you'd expect that he would be dragged to church week in and week out like many people his age, but you'd be wrong. Dino is all about Jesus, and he loves to serve in the children's ministry at 11|28 because he's seen firsthand the impact a children's ministry volunteer can have in a kids life. In fact, that's exactly how his story takes shape.To connect with our community, text the word PODCAST to (414) 441-1128 or visit 1128community.org.

"Disillusionment fades when we walk and talk with Jesus."On this Easter Sunday message, Co-Pastor Mike Francisco shares the story of a pair of disillusioned followers of Jesus, hopeless after their teacher and friend had been brutally murdered, and how their worlds were upturned walking and talking with a mysterious man.To connect with our community, text the word PODCAST to (414) 441-1128 or visit 1128community.org.

“I see my wife and my children as gifts that God gave me. I’m not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, and I’m so thankful for the partner that I have. I don’t deserve it all, truly, but I’m grateful.”Kevin and his wife, Coleen, have been good friends of 11|28 Community since before it was even called 11|28 Community - when it was just an idea in the hearts of our pastors. Kevin is a realtor by trade, and his story is one about deep spiritual connection, the stability of a loving family, and how the two are intertwined.To connect with our community, text the word PODCAST to (414) 441-1128 or visit 1128community.org.

"Jesus meets your needs, not your expectations."If you've ever found yourself disappointed with something you were eagerly anticipating, then you might know how Jesus' earliest followers might have felt. Jesus was a subversive figure during his life and ministry, and his disciples often found their most basic expectations upset. Still today, Jesus seems to be in the business of meeting needs, not expectations - so what are we supposed to do with that?To connect with our community, text the word PODCAST to (414) 441-1128 or visit 1128community.org.

“A lot of people have looked at me and said, ‘Hey, you’re young. You need to live your life and you can do this when you’re older.’ It’s been difficult sometimes for people to understand that this is my calling now and I know this. The Lord’s blessed me in a lot of different ways and I just want to pass on that blessing.” Hannah Powell knew from a young age that she wanted to be a foster parent. Her father left when she was very young, and that feeling of loss fueled a desire to make people feel loved. She is actively engaged in social work, having spent time in the field with Child Protective Services and now working as an operator for the 988 suicide hotline. Hannah's story is one of radical self-sacrifice and generosity towards others.To connect with our community, text the word "PODCAST" to (414) 441-1128 or visit 1128community.org.

"If we want to avoid the snapback, we have to practice the pause."Co-Pastors Mike and Colleen Francisco continue in our "For the Bible Tells Me So" series. We all experience painful snapbacks in our lives - times that things go in an unexpected or difficult direction against all our expectations. In this message, Mike and Colleen share how to practice the pause that can help us avoid moments like that.To connect with our community, text the word "PODCAST" to (414) 441-1128 or visit 1128community.org.

“I had the realization in the hospital bed that I lost everything. It was over. I was at the absolute bottom, but when I got home my mom was full of faith that I wasn’t going back to prison and that I was gonna finish school. She had an unfailing belief in God, and she was right.”Tim Schabo and his family were a part of the 11|28 Community launch team and remain a part of the church today. Tim works in politics and government and has a passion for people. He believes that those who have should always help those who do not. He is an advocate for legal reform around the criminalization of addiction. His story is a powerful testimony of what unwavering belief can do in the life of an individual.To connect with our community, visit 1128community.org or text "PODCAST" to (414) 441-1128.

"Real living is only experienced when we stop pretending."We often find ourselves pretending to be something we're not, but God's plan for you means that in order to experience real living - light, free living - you need to stop pretending.To connect with our community, text the word "PODCAST" to (414) 441-1128 or visit 1128community.org

"The more that I say 'yes' to the challenges that are in front of me, the more that I'm able to follow after what God has for me."Meghan Owens and her family are incredibly involved in local Oak Creek community events, as well as in the life of 11|28 Community. They started attending from our second ever weekend worship Gathering, which took place at the Oak Creek Community Center, her place of employment at the time.Her story is one of overcoming adversity, abusive relationships, and medical mysteries, and ultimately finding strength in her relationship with God. To connect with our community, visit 1128community.org or text "PODCAST" to (414) 441-1128.

"Sin is a condition of the heart, not a condition of what you've done."To connect with our community, text the word "PODCAST" to (414) 441-1128, or visit 1128community.org.

"God reminded us that he was with us when our son, Griffin, was born. Griffin was tiny and premature, but he didn't have any lingering impacts, and I knew that God was there and he was on our side."Bethany and her husband Daniel are longtime attenders and volunteers at 11|28. Bethany grew up in a home that emphasized church attendance, went to a Christian school, and even worked in a church day care at the congregation that her grandfather pastored. Still, her story is deeply relatable and you'll hear about the ways that she's felt high and low in her everyday and her faith life.To connect with our community, visit 1128community.org or text "PODCAST" to (414) 441-1128

"You can't control what people do, but you can control how you respond."In this week's message from our series "For the Bible Tells Me So," we invited all the kids into the main gathering to have one shared morning ahead of our Serve Sunday event. We talked about how you respond to difficult situations and why it might not be as simple as you think.To connect with our community, visit 1128community.org or text "PODCAST" to (414) 441-1128.

"My drinking cost me my job of 11 years. I lost apartment, fell behind on car payments - I hit rock bottom. I’d fallen down and picked myself back up before, but not like this."Kurt Wahl first came to 11|28 Community after finding his rock bottom. Since first attending the church, he's reconnected with his family, found community in small groups, and opened himself to faith. His story is authentic and vulnerable, and we hope it inspires hope in your own life.To connect with our church, text "PODCAST" to (414) 441-1128, or visit 1128community.org.

"Consistency overrides hypocrisy."Finding consistent rhythms in our lives centered on Jesus and surrounded with people who will encourage us can help us to override the hypocritical tendencies we all have.To connect with our community, visit 1128community.org.