Hope, healing and home, the mission of a local Tallahassee Church named Experience and something we could all use a little more of in our own lives. Experience Church launched January 27th, 2019, and since its opening has grown from 140 attendees to 250. It all started when their passionate Pastor, Jordan Tardo, and his wife, Ashely, felt that their heart needed to be in Tallahassee to open Experience Church. They focused the Church on a place where people can find hope, healing and home.
Experience Church values themselves as a place where all feel welcomed; no matter what age. As Pastor Jordan puts it, “A multigenerational Church.” Astonishing enough, Experience Church’s attendees are about 60 percent college students. Something loveable about this is that within the craziness of college and work and school deadlines; all of these college students take time out of their week to worship God. They come together as a Church and learn and grow with each other. But not just in rows on Sundays, but in circles too with small groups spread throughout the week. Ranging from girl groups to guys groups and freshmen exclusive groups to all grade groups. Inclusivity is genuine in this body of Christ and it continues to grow week after week. But college students don’t only just attend Experience, they also help it run. The worship team is almost entirely made up of college students and the same goes for the tech crew, social media and kids’ care on Sundays. Once a month Experience Church opens its doors for an extremely anticipated community college night of fun. A way to try out Church for some, worship side by side with your friends and grow together in faith in a not-so-typical Sunday feel. Something that has become a staple for all of the surrounding colleges in the Tallahassee community.
Community outreach is also a pillar of Experience Church. Many programs are done throughout the year to help out the local Tallahassee community. Just a few examples include: Backpacks to School (this year alone they donated 230 supply filled backpacks), Thanksgiving Day meals are delivered to those in need, Teacher Appreciations with school supply donations and most recently, they brought meals to emergency room staff who are helping the fight against COVID-19. Experience is able to show their heart in the Tallahassee community through all of these measures.
On a personal note, my boyfriend and I have been attending Experience Church since we moved to Tallahassee in 2019. It was our first stop on the so-called “Church hunt” but it started and ended here. They say something is a good fit when it’s easy; and that’s what it is for us. It was easy to fall in love with Experience and its Pastor, and it has been the perfect fit since we started attending. Experience has brought me friends I would have never had if I hadn’t attended that first time and I’m so grateful for that. Most importantly, Experience has grown my faith into something I never thought it could be. With everything on my plate as a working college student it’s easy to get caught up in the craziness of today, but being able to ground myself by continuously learning about the Lord surrounded by those I love is unmatched. If your someone who’s looking for a Church, Experience Church might be the place for you. But overall, I urge you to find your place just as I did mine with Experience Church.
Experience Church meets every Sunday at 9:30 AM & 11:00 AM online and in-person located at 3540 Mahan Drive Tallahassee, FL. To learn more about Experience Church CLICK HERE for their website. You can also follow Experience Church on Instagram @EXPERIENCEOURCHURCH
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