Tree of Life Community Church Plants Roots in O’Fallon

There’s a new church gearing up in O’Fallon and before they officially begin services, you can attend a preview and see what they’re all about.

Since January, Tree of Life Community Church has offered services once a month on Saturday night at .

Pastor Sam Byers said he and his team hope to reach out to the community to gain momentum and interest before launching into their Sunday services.

Byers and his wife Margaret moved to O’Fallon two years ago. Before moving to town, they lived in Hannibal, MO,  where they started Believers Church.

He said he and his wife decided after their move to O’Fallon, they felt a strong urge to start another church.

“God wires people for all kinds of roles,” Byers said. “God uniquely wired and gifted us to start things.”

Tree of Life Community’s mission is, "to make much of Jesus among the people’s of the earth, starting with the people next door."

“We believe Christianity is not about rules and rituals, but a dynamic experience with God,” Byers said. “We want to be a church, that when we gather together people experience God, and engage with emotions and intellect.”

When you walk in the doors of Tree of Life Community Church, you are welcomed by the other church members and contemporary Christian music.

“We want people to come as they are—comfortably in what they wear and who they are,” Byers said.

Nathan Wilson, a member of Tree of Life, said he enjoys the "go and tell" commitment of the church.

“Instead of asking people to ‘hey, come see what's going on in my church,’ we want to do life alongside others, always proclaiming the Gospel and how it has made us who we are,” Wilson said. “For example, instead of inviting the community to a building for a vacation bible school, we held one in the Byers backyard, for all the neighbors and had a big bbq at the pool to celebrate.”

The church also offers children’s ministry for kids ages six weeks through kindergarten.

The next preview service for Tree of Life Community Church is Saturday, Feb. 25 at 6 p.m. at Fort Zumwalt North Middle School. The third service is scheduled for March 24.

Byers said he hopes to start regular Sunday services by Easter Sunday, April 8.

To learn more about Tree of Life Community Church, check them out on Facebook.

Have church news you'd like to share with O'Fallon community? Let us know! Email jordan.lanham@patch.com!