the gate 

A group of on fire believers moved from a home church into the basement of Chevy Chase Baptist Church in Washington DC and The Gate was birthed and named in 2001.The Gate is found in Genesis 28:17 when Jacob had an encounter with the living God.  Jacob had a dream of a ladder set on the eath with its top reaching to heaven.  The Lord, standing above it, spoke to Jacob of his purpose, his destiny, and promised to be with him and his descendents until all that the Lord had spoke was fulfilled.  Jacob woke up and said, "How awesome is this place!  This is none other than the house of God and this is the gate of heaven."  Jesus referred to himself as the door or gate and we, like Jacobs of the 21st century, are on a journey.  We are hungry for an encounter with a living God at the gate of heaven, a face to face with the God for whom all creation longs. The gate of heaven is first Jesus Christ, the One who opens the heavens and opens a way into the manifest presence of a real and living God through His sacrifice for us all.

How do we meet?

The Gate is not traditional.  One of the hallmarks of our meetings is worship.  Jesus our first love and He is worthy of all our praise and worship. (Luke 10:27  John 4:23,24) We are also called to be a house of prayer (Luke 19:46)  As we worship some may pray or enter into intercession.  The music may be punctuated with the reading of the Word or by declarations that are consistent with Scripture.  As we praise and worship Him He is enthroned in the praise of His people and we are in His presence.  Worship may last a short time or an hour or more as Holy Spirit leads.  The most important thing we can do is encounter the one true living God.  He may lead us deeper into our relationship with Him in the worship or He may bring a fresh revealtion of who He is and His love for us in the Word.  At times we may start in the Word and move into Worship as we follow Him.  The Dancing Hand of God is a phrase used to describe Holy Spirit and as you different members of the worship team take the lead or different worshippers move in their gifting you are witnessing the Dancing Hand of God.  (1 Cor 14:23)  The giftings of 1 Corinthians 12 and 14 may be evident but the motivation for all of them is love.  (1 Corinthians 13)

the Atmoshpere

The Gate has a different atmosphere, an atmosphere charged by Holy Spirit's power.  It is a joyful, uplifting, hope-filled, mindchanging, sin-habit delivering atmosphere that glorifies Jesus and creates a safe environment where captives can be set free and the liberated find full freedom to express their love for the Lord and for His people.  We believe that we are on the leading edge of a love revolution that will usher in the greatest revival and awakening the world has ever seen.  It is harvest time and Holy Spirit is equiping, empowering and encouraging believers to proclaim the gospel of the Kingdom and of our Lord Jesus Christ with boldness.   Our beliefs are based on the Bible and centered on Jesus Christ. Our mission is very simple: to lead people to honor and glorify Jesus Christ and to see His Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.  That means we’re not about a building or a complicated religious system, but about helping people from all backgrounds discover the joy that comes from knowing and serving Jesus Christ.

the freedom 

We invite you to come and check us out this Saturday evening at our worship services. We know that going somewhere new can be intimidating, so we try to do things in a way where you’ll feel welcome and not like an outsider. When you come, you can participate or just sit back and observe. You’ll discover a warm atmosphere, extravagant worship, practical teaching from God's Word and lots of friendly people pursuing God together. Some who are visiting or not well know will speak briefly to the leadership to see whether or not sharing something would be appropriate. This honors the leadership, allows Holy Spirit to direct the flow of the meeting and avoids cross currents.  As you become known you will find more and more freedom to express the gifting God has put with in you.  If you are hungry for more of God, to know him more intimately and minister more effectively The Gate may be just for you.   God promises that if we seek after Him, we’ll find Him. You are a valued Kingdom citizen and His deep desire is to be in a relationship with you. 

The Leadership

The Gate is overseen and guided by a leadership team who provide overall direction and watch over the spiritual needs of the community.  The Gate Keepers are responsible to open the gates for God's glory and shut the gates to everything that is evil.  The leadership team has been ministering together for many years and share a passion to see every believer grow in relationship to the Lord and become more effective and efficient in ministry.  The goal is to equip, empower and encourage every believer ministering in the gatherings, at home, in the market place and around the world.  The Gate is blessed to have a leader who are dedicated to Jesus Christ and accomplishing His plans and purposes. His plans are clear and He taught us to pray Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name.  Your Kingdom Come. your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.