Story of the Week: Better Together

When it comes to following the way of Jesus, Steve is a champion of sharing life with others.

Steve McManus is a big believer in the power of community. It’s a belief shaped through decades of living rooms, folding chairs, hospital bedsides and the shared weight of time spent side by side.

“We have a three-person God who lives in perfect communion,” he explains. “We were made to live together. Isolation was never His design.”

When it comes to following the way of Jesus, Steve is a champion of sharing life with others: “If you aren’t in a community group, you’re doing it wrong.” There’s no edge in his voice — just conviction, shaped by years of experience.

AN UNEXPECTED DISCOVERY

When Steve and his wife, Kellie, joined a church that emphasized small groups, the whole concept seemed odd and intimidating. Although Steve had grown up attending church and had placed his trust in Christ years before, the idea of a close-knit Christian community that met outside church walls wasn’t on his radar. Yet the couple hesitantly decided to give it a try.

“It completely changed my life,” Steve says. But just as impactful was the transformation he witnessed in Kellie.

Watching his wife grow in faith through shared scripture, prayer and honest conversation solidified something deep in Steve’s heart: This is what community is meant to be. Corporate worship was important — but so was gathering in a smaller circle.

A MOVE OF FAITH

After eight years at that church, Steve and Kellie visited Colorado Springs on vacation — then made a decision that surprised even them. They left Alabama behind in 2009 and moved west, knowing almost no one.

But they knew one thing for certain: wherever they landed, community had to be central. After making Woodmen their church home, they found a Community Group where people showed up prepared and ready to participate, while still creating ample space for folks at different points along their faith journeys.

“It was a beautiful balance,” Steve recalls. “People took it seriously, but no one was forced to talk if they didn’t want to.”

This group became a consistent place for the McManuses to grow in their faith alongside others who called Woodmen home.

A GREAT PLACE

In 2018, Steve and Kellie began house-hunting again, this time drawn toward the southwest side of town. Around that time, Woodmen began a Southwest Campus, the same community that laid the groundwork for launching Woodmen Downtown in 2025.

The McManuses didn’t live nearby yet, but they knew they wanted to be part of it. So they drove across town on Sundays. They set up chairs in the school where the campus first started meeting. Slowly, community started forming.

Soon, the McManuses purchased a fixer-upper a few minutes away from Woodmen Southwest. While renovations were underway, the leader of the first small group the couple ever attended visited. The house was torn apart, dust everywhere, but when they stepped into the sunroom, the leader paused.

Steve laughed. “Don’t say it.” But they both knew: Isn’t this a great place for a group?

BURDENS SHARED

The McManuses have been leading the group since 2021. Some members have gone on to start groups of their own. Others have walked through seasons of deep joy and deep pain together.

Steve describes community like threads being woven together — individual lives intertwined, forming something stronger than they could ever be alone. And yet, for a long time, Steve didn’t share one of the heaviest burdens he carried.

For six years, he endured persistent, unexplained facial pain. It worsened in 2025, with the pain becoming more frequent and intense. He searched for answers quietly, believing his struggle was small compared to what others in the Community Group were facing.

“I thought we needed to focus on real problems,” he admits. Kellie encouraged him otherwise.

When Steve finally received a diagnosis in September 2025, he shared his journey with the group. What followed wasn’t comparison or dismissal, it was compassion.

“They didn’t measure my pain against theirs,” Steve says. “They carried it with me.”

NOT ALONE

Steve soon began treatment for his condition. Around the same time, Kellie started experiencing symptoms of her own. An ultrasound revealed a cyst requiring urgent surgery. On the morning of Kellie’s procedure, Steve and Kellie learned that a member of their group had suffered a seizure and was being transferred to the hospital.

As texts came in, they realized something extraordinary: They were on the same floor. Next door to each other.

“We’ll be right there,” Steve texted. Kellie was wheeled down the hallway, IV and all. They visited and sat together. They spent time in prayer.

“It wasn’t fun to be in the hospital,” Steve reflects. “But God worked it out so they didn’t have to be there alone.”

KEEP GROWING

Steve knows that leading a Community Group isn’t about constant mountaintop moments. Growth isn’t linear and it usually doesn’t appear overnight. “A tree has to grow before it bears fruit,” he says. “You keep growing even when you don’t see it yet.”

Today, Steve also serves as an usher at the downtown campus, praying that those who walk through the doors might find their way into deeper connection — not just attendance, but belonging.

Steve doesn’t know how long he and Kellie will lead the group. But he knows this: “There will never be a time we aren’t in one.” He believes with everything in him that life is better together, because that’s the way God designed us to live.

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