Open Door Christian Church

05/26/2026

We’re starting fresh this Sunday with our new schedule. Here’s how the morning lays out:

🌅 8:30 AM — Fellowship Time (Chapel)

Coffee, breakfast foods, and good fellowship to start the day.

🚗 9:00 AM — Drive-In Service (Garden, FM 87.9)

Worship right from your car. Roll the windows down, tune in, and let the morning come to you. Pajamas welcome. Coffee in hand. Kids in the back seat. No dress code, no pressure — just worship under the Florida sky.

📖 10:15 AM — Bible Study (Chapel)

Bring your Bible, your questions, and an open heart.

⛪ 11:00 AM — Indoor Chapel Service (Chapel)

Our full worship service in the air-conditioned chapel — hymns, communion, prayer, and the message. The same sermon as the drive-in, so come whichever way fits you best.

Come for one. Come for all. However your Sunday morning works best, we’ve got a place for you.

And There’s More!

This Sunday is also the kickoff of our new sermon series — The Case for Christ. Why do you believe what you believe? When somebody asks, what would you say? Over the coming weeks, we’re going to walk through the evidence — the same evidence that turned an atheist newspaperman into a follower of Jesus. Bring a notebook. Bring a friend. Come ready to investigate.

See you Sunday - Open Door Christian Church

05/25/2026

Today, we pause to honor the brave men and women who gave their lives in service to our nation. Their sacrifice purchased freedoms that we often take for granted, and we remember them with gratitude and humility.

As we gather with family and friends this Memorial Day, may we never forget those who laid down their lives for others. Their courage reflects the words of Jesus:

“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”
— John 15:13 (NKJV)

At Open Door Christian Church, we pray for the families of the fallen, for our active military members, veterans, and first responders, and for God’s continued blessing upon our nation.

May we live lives worthy of the sacrifice they made.

05/19/2026

Greater Love: A Memorial Day Sunday Invitation

A frozen mountaintop in Afghanistan. A combat controller who refused to leave a teammate behind.

A cross outside Jerusalem. A Savior who refused to leave us behind.

What do they have in common?

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." — John 15:13 (KJV)

Join us this Sunday as we remember the fallen — and the One whose sacrifice gives every sacrifice its meaning.

Can't make it inside? Worship from your car.

Memorial Day weekend usually means somewhere to be — family in town, the grill going, the lake calling. We get it. That's why our 8:30 AM Drive-In Service is the easiest yes of your weekend.

Pull into the lot. Tune your car radio to our 87.9FM broadcast, and the whole service comes right through your speakers — music, prayers, scripture, and message. Roll the windows down and feel the breeze, or stay cool with the A/C running. Bring the kids in pajamas. Bring the dog. Bring the coffee. No dress code, no rush — just you, your family, and a service that meets you exactly where you are.

Memorial Day Sunday | May 24, 2026 | Open Door Christian Church, DeLand

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05/14/2026

Today is one of those days the church family lives for.

This evening at Open Door Christian Church, we had the joy and privilege of witnessing Cesar Luna confess his faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of the living God and be baptized by immersion for the remission of his sins. Heaven rejoiced. The angels celebrated. And so did we.

There is no greater moment in a life than this one.

Buried With Him, Raised to New Life
When Cesar went down into the water this evening, it was not a ritual. It was not a performance. It was an obedient response to the gospel. A public declaration that the old has gone and the new has come.

"We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." — Romans 6:4 (NIV)

That is what we saw today. A man buried with Christ. A man raised to walk in newness of life. A son of God, washed clean, sealed in the love of the Father, and welcomed forever into His family.

The apostle Peter, on the day the church was born, told the crowd what to do when their hearts were stirred by the gospel:

"Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." — Acts 2:38 (NIV)

That promise is not for one generation or one kind of person. It is for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord. Today, it was for Cesar. And what a beautiful thing to behold.

Have You Made That Decision?
Maybe you are reading this and something is stirring in your heart. Maybe today is your day too.

If you have never confessed Jesus as Lord and been baptized for the forgiveness of your sins, we would love to talk with you. There is no decision more important. There is no day more worth celebrating than the one when heaven welcomes you home.

Reach out anytime. Stop by on Sunday, or come see us during office hours — Tuesday through Thursday, 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Call. Message us. We would consider it a sacred privilege to walk that step with you, just like we did with Cesar today.

Welcome to the family, Cesar Luna. We love you. And we are so glad you are home.

— Open Door Christian Church

When Cesar went down into the water this evening, it was not a ritual. It was not a performance. It was an obedient response to the gospel. A public declaration that the old has gone and the new has come.

05/12/2026

"What's the point?"

It is a question that gets asked quietly. In a parked truck at the end of a long day. Over coffee on a Monday morning. In the silence after one more disappointment that did not make any sense.

If you have ever asked it, you are standing in a very, very old line.

Twenty-four hundred years ago, the people of God were asking the same question. They were tired. They looked around and saw the people who did not care about God doing just fine — and they said out loud what a lot of us have only thought. "It is futile to serve God. What do we gain?"

This Sunday we are opening the book of Malachi together — the last word from God before four hundred years of silence — and discovering that the questions never change. The complaints never change. But neither does the God who has been listening the whole time.

Some things never change. Come Sunday and find out which ones.

Open Door Christian Church • DeLand

We hope to see you Sunday morning. Bring a friend.

What's the point? If you have ever asked that question, you are standing in a very, very old line.

05/11/2026

Why do you believe?

It's a simple question. But it's the one many of us struggle most to answer. We know what we believe. We've believed it for years — some for their whole lives. But when a co-worker asks, or a grandchild asks, or a neighbor asks over the back fence, the words don't always come. We change the subject. We say "I just believe it." And we walk away wishing we had something more to say.

Peter wrote in 1 Peter 3:15, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." That's not a suggestion for seminary students. That's a command for every Christian in every pew. And the word translated "answer" there is the Greek word apologia — a courtroom word. It means a defense. A reasoned case. Peter is telling us that every Christian should be able to make a reasoned case for what they believe.

Starting Sunday, May 31, we're going to spend the next several months getting ready.

Our new sermon series, The Case for Christ, walks through the book by Lee Strobel — the atheist newspaperman from the Chicago Tribune who set out to disprove Christianity using the investigative skills he had honed as a legal-affairs reporter. After nearly two years of interviewing scholars and weighing the evidence, Strobel came to a verdict he never expected: the case for Jesus Christ was overwhelming. He gave his life to the Lord.

Over the course of this series, we'll examine the same evidence Strobel did. Can we trust the Gospels? Were they written by eyewitnesses? Is there evidence for Jesus outside the Bible? Does archaeology back up what the Bible says? Did Jesus really claim to be God? Did he really die on that cross? Was the tomb really empty? Did people really see him alive again?

The goal isn't to win arguments. The goal is to be ready — so that when somebody asks why you believe, you have answers. Honest answers. Thoughtful answers. Evidence-based answers. Answers offered with gentleness and respect.

A reminder about our new Sunday schedule, also beginning May 31:

8:30 AM — Fellowship Time (Chapel)

9:00 AM — Drive-In Service (The Garden, FM 87.9)

10:15 AM — Bible Study (Chapel)

11:00 AM — Indoor Chapel Service (Chapel)

Bring a notebook. Bring a friend. And come ready to investigate. The truth holds up under examination — and we'll be examining it together.

Our new sermon series, The Case for Christ, walks through the book by Lee Strobel — the atheist newspaperman from the Chicago Tribune. After nearly two years of interviewing scholars and weighing the evidence, Strobel came to a verdict he never expected: the case for Jesus Christ was overwhelming....

05/09/2026

Pastor Stephen Presley serves Open Door Christian Church in DeLand, Florida — a calling forty years in the making.

05/06/2026

🎬🍕🍿Wednesday night May 6th at 6pm Open Door Christian Church is rolling out the projector, firing up the popcorn, and sliding pizzas onto the table for movie night. Come hungry, come ready to laugh, and come ready to be encouraged.

The Movie: All Saints (2017)

All Saints is based on the true story of Michael Spurlock — a salesman-turned-pastor who took his first ministry assignment expecting to wind down a tiny country church in Smyrna, Tennessee, and instead found God writing a very different ending.

The church was broke. The congregation had dwindled. The diocese had already decided the property was going to be sold. Pastor Spurlock's job was simply to close the doors and turn out the lights.

Then a group of Karen refugees from Burma walked in.

What happened next — the way a dying church and a displaced people ended up saving each other — is one of those stories that reminds you God is never finished, even when we're sure He is. It's a movie about hearing God's voice when the plan in front of you doesn't look like much. It's about a small congregation that thought its best days were behind it, and discovered they were just ahead.

A great film that's faith-filled without being heavy-handed (rated PG, family-friendly)

Good company — bring a friend, bring a neighbor, bring the kids

It's a quiet, encouraging, true story with a lot of heart. The kind of evening where you leave feeling lighter than when you came in.

Come Join Us

Doors open and pizza hits the table — we'll start the movie shortly after. No need to RSVP, just show up.

We'd love to see you there.

Open Door Christian Church — DeLand, Florida

Tomorrow night at Open Door Christian Church, we're rolling out the projector, firing up the popcorn, and sliding pizzas onto the table for movie night. Come hungry, come ready to laugh, and come ready to be encouraged.

05/05/2026

Starting Sunday, May 31, we're updating our Sunday schedule at Open Door Christian Church. The new schedule gives us more time together — for fellowship, for study, and for worship — and offers options for how you'd like to participate.

Our New Sunday Schedule
8:30 AM — Fellowship Time (Chapel) Come early, enjoy breakfast foods and coffee, and catch up with your church family before service begins. A relaxed start to the morning. We'd love to have you join us — there's no better way to begin the Lord's Day than around the table with brothers and sisters in Christ.

9:00 AM — Drive-In Service (Parking Lot) FM 87.9 Worship from the comfort of your vehicle. Tune in or roll down your windows and join us for a full service in the open air.

10:15 AM — Bible Study (Chapel) Dig deeper into God's Word together. A great time to ask questions, share insights, and grow alongside other believers.

11:00 AM — Indoor Chapel Service (Chapel) Our traditional indoor worship service in the chapel.

What This Means for You
You're welcome to join us for any part of the morning that fits your schedule. Some folks may come for the drive-in service and head home. Others may stay for Bible study and the indoor service. And some may want to be here for the whole morning — fellowship, worship, study, and worship again.

However you join us, we're glad to have you.

Mark your calendars for Sunday, May 31, and we'll see you there.

8:30 AM — Fellowship Time (Chapel) Come early, enjoy breakfast foods and coffee, 9:00 AM — Drive-In Service (Parking Lot) FM 87.9 Worship from the comfort of your vehicle, 10:15 AM — Bible Study (Chapel) Dig deeper into God's Word together, 11:00 AM — Indoor Chapel Service (Chapel) Our tradi...

05/04/2026

This Sunday at Open Door, we're celebrating Mother's Day with a message from 2 Timothy — Paul's last letter, written from a Roman prison cell as he waited for the executioner.

You'd think a man facing the end would have grand things to say. And he did. But tucked into that final letter is one of the most tender tributes to mothers and grandmothers in all of Scripture.

Paul writes to his young protégé Timothy and says, "I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also" (2 Timothy 1:5).

Three generations. One faith. A grandmother who passed it to a mother, a mother who passed it to a son, and a son who would carry the gospel into the next generation. That's not an accident. That's a legacy built one ordinary day at a time — at the kitchen table, at the bedside, in the open pages of Scripture read aloud to a little boy who would one day shake the world.

This Sunday we'll ask the questions that matter most: What kind of faith lives in you? And what kind of faith are you handing down? Because somewhere down the line, a child, a grandchild, a niece, a neighbor — someone — is watching what you believe and how you live it.

Bring your mom. Bring your grandmother. Bring the spiritual mother who prayed you into the kingdom.

And ladies — following the second service, the men of ODCC are hosting a Mother's Day luncheon in your honor. The women of the church will be served by the men that day. You won't lift a finger. Just come, sit down, and be celebrated.

Come and be reminded — your faith has a future.

This Sunday we'll ask the questions that matter most: What kind of faith lives in you? And what kind of faith are you handing down? Because somewhere down the line, a child, a grandchild, a niece, a neighbor — someone — is watching what you believe and how you live it.

04/28/2026

A look ahead to this Sunday's message at Open Door Christian Church

There is a moment in the book of Joshua worth thinking about this week.

Israel is camped on the plains of Moab. Forty years of God's faithfulness behind them — manna every morning, water from rocks, sandals that never wore out, a pillar of fire through every long night. And in front of them, the Jordan River. On the other side, the land God had been promising for four hundred years.

They could see it. They just could not get to it yet.

Moses was gone. Joshua, a new leader standing in shoes way too big to fill. The river was at flood stage. And across the water — Jericho. Walls thick enough to build houses on.

And in the middle of all of it, Joshua gathers the people and gives them a word so short you could miss it:

"Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you." — Joshua 3:5 (NIV)

No battle plan. No logistics briefing.

Just get your heart right. Set yourself apart. Orient yourselves toward God.

Forty Years of Evidence
Israel did not arrive at the Jordan as a desperate people. They arrived as a proven people. Forty years of watching God provide for them every single day. Forty years of waking up and finding bread on the ground. Forty years of evidence that the God who made promises is the God who keeps them.

By the time they stood on that riverbank, they did not need to wonder whether God shows up. They had four decades of receipts.

This year, Open Door Christian Church turns forty.

Forty years of people who prayed, who gave, who served and showed up. Forty years of weddings, funerals, baptisms and Sunday mornings. Forty years of a God who has provided every single thing this church has ever needed. Sometimes in ways nobody saw coming, but always, always on time.

That is not background noise. That is the faithfulness of God.

And so we find ourselves standing where Israel once stood — not at the beginning, not somewhere along the way, but right at the edge of what comes next. Behind us, four decades of God's faithfulness. Ahead of us, every good work He has already prepared.

This Sunday
Join us this Sunday as we open God’s word together. Whether you have been at Open Door for forty years or forty minutes, this word is for you.

Bring someone with you. Bring a heart ready to be consecrated. Come find out what forty years of God's faithfulness can build.

Because tomorrow — the Lord is going to do amazing things among us.

And tomorrow is closer than you think.

Open Door Christian Church DeLand, Florida we'd love to see you there.

Israel did not arrive at the Jordan as a desperate people. They arrived as a proven people. Forty years of watching God provide for them every single day. Forty years of waking up and finding bread on the ground. Forty years of evidence that the God who made promises is the God who keeps them.