Our Story
The Story of Celebration Church
It Is Austin
In 2000, as Pastors Joe and Lori Champion were praying about where to plant a life-giving church, they both heard from the Lord, “It is Austin”.
Later that year, Pastors Joe and Lori packed up their three young boys and moved from Louisiana to Round Rock, Texas. The church started in the Round Rock Public library, but quickly outgrew capacity and the church moved to the Wingate hotel, then a retail space on Chisholm Trail.
More than twenty years later, we celebrate all that God has done and the many lives that have been impacted.
The Church That We See
The church that we see is a living testimony and representation of Jesus Christ who, although all God, came to the world clothed in humanity, ministering healing to the broken, delivering the captives, offering hope to the hopeless, lifting the poor and valuing the outcasts.
The church that we see is not tucked away, sheltered and hidden from the rest of the world. It is a force, an ever-evolving, innovative and dynamic organism, affecting the spiritual climate of her city, her nation and her world.
The church that we see has an unquenchable passion for Jesus that is fresh, powerful and contagious.
The church that we see is made up of people, diverse in culture, history, age, and background. Rich and poor, old and young, innocent and guilty, all redeemed, all worshipping in unity together as a testimony to the whole world of God’s love, compassion and commitment to all of mankind. We see a church where raised hands and humbled hearts invite the presence of God to change lives.
The church that we see is a warm and authentic community, graciously welcoming and embracing those who seek a relationship with a living Savior. It is a spiritual family where one generation of believers pours selflessly into the next.
The church that we see is never comfortable with settling down and growing old. We see a church where every member carries the heart of God for the next generation of youth and children. The church that we see is raising up a generation, educated and empowered to influence every system of the world for the glory of God! We see a church that recognizes that our youth and children are not the church of tomorrow; they are the church of today, growing up with undeniable experiences with God, wise in relationships, productive in society, flourishing in their callings and planted in God’s house – the local church.
The church that we see is filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and unashamedly declares the message of the cross and the infallibility of God’s word with strength and with simplicity, while creatively evolving in methods to reach the world.
