Milwaukee Project

Jarryd and Trisha Cole, along with their four children desire to display to the world how God can unite among even the greatest differences for the advancement of his Gospel.

Jarryd was born and raised in the bustle of Kansas City, Missouri. Trisha was born and raised in the corn fields of Ames, Iowa. With sports as a common thread, Jarryd and Trisha met as athletes at the University of Iowa. While there, they were greatly impacted by a new church plant that had two goals: reach the city and reach the campus. This combination of university athletics and Christian gospel fueled their lives as they spent several years after graduation overseas playing basketball professionally as they shared their faith.

Now after basketball and several years working at a church back in the U.S., they are planting a new church for the city of Milwaukee. In this calling, God is bringing together the various ways he has developed and used the Coles. The new church plant is focused on the densely populated area of center-city Milwaukee, the area is dynamic and diverse, and greater Milwaukee has more than 100,000 university students. This call to plant a church in an urban context grew from a burden in them to see a church that reflected the diversity of heaven and the diversity of their family that makes a real impact in a major city.

Milwaukee is a dense and diverse city with a rich heritage of diverse cultures. People flock to Milwaukee to enjoy a big city with a small city feel. There they engage with all the things you’d enjoy in one of America’s larger cities on a more manageable scale: the food, the festivals, the sports, and the vibes.

While Milwaukee celebrates its cultures, these cultures can also clash. Milwaukee is one of the most segregated cities in America with no single majority ethnic group. It’s about 40% black, 40% white, and 20% Asian or Hispanic. It has been plagued with socioeconomic, educational, housing, and incarceration disparities. With all the great things going for the city and a noble desire to be united, these problems persist. The food, festivals, and sports fall short.

Jarryd and Trisha believe that the missing piece to unity is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They share, "We desire to see a new church in Milwaukee that believes the unity purchased for us by Jesus to bridge the gap between earth and eternity has the same power to bridge the gap between the divisions in Milwaukee. This new church will aim to be a multiethnic, multigenerational, mission-shaped church existing to unleash transformed people to represent Jesus to a city that desperately needs it!"