Star Bright Community Stories

A Collaborative Resource for Non-Profits, Churches, Businesses, and Individuals Who Provide a Public Benefit.

I was talking with a colleague when he looked over at me and asked me the question.

I had to stop and think for a minute. It followed by a couple of days a question by another friend that went something like, “Are you planning on stealing members from all of the other churches in the area to fill it?”

It is obvious, just by driving by the site, that the new Adventist church is going to be large – although it will be smaller than the one that preceded it by a number of square feet. Most people aren’t aware that the previous church was as large as it was because it was terraced down the side of a hill in three levels. It was also surrounded by large trees that made it look smaller.

That still doesn’t answer the question, “Why?”

We believe in the resilience of Paradise! We look to the future with confidence. We believe that we will need space, in the next 20-30 years, for those who join us in the Christian community in looking forward to the Second coming d of Jesus. So, we believe that the investment we are making is worth every penny!

Our new church is not being built with the intent of poaching members from other churches. Our desire is to supplement and support and respect them in our joint mission of telling, those who do not know God, about him and the new, better life he offers through Jesus. Our focus is not on existing people being served by all of the tremendous churches of our area, but on the new people flooding our community – making it the fastest growing town in California.

Since it is being built with insurance funds from the fire that destroyed its predecessor, it will be completely paid for when it is finished. There will be no debt for the people to service. That means more resources will be available for our joint mission of telling our part of our world about God as we know him. We hope that it will be a usable space for other Christian organizations on the ridge when they need space – much as the CMA church did for us in the aftermath of the fire.

Second, the new church is being built for community service. Adventists have a tradition of serving our community – Adventist Health’s hospital for decades made that clear. So did our community service center focused on supporting those in our community going through hard times and the Disaster Relief and Support Center we established after the fire. We want our new church to be a place focused on community service.

The lobby in the new facility will be virtually as large as the auditorium, decorated with a lodge motif and furnished with a fireplace, a snack bar and furniture for relaxing The fellowship hall is designed as a place where we and community groups have a place to stage events in a warm and pleasant atmosphere. We believe that quality relationships are what matter and we are making provision for a place where that they can happen and grow.

Third, as a friend said one time concerning an office he had just built that people said was too nice, “For a few dollars more, I could have made it ugly.” Our churches bear witness to what we think of the God we claim to serve. Look around at the beautiful churches and the grounds that surround and support them in our community. It has been said that witnessing to our faith is important and that sometimes it involves words. Each church on the ridge is a living witness to what we think of the God we know and serve.

Is our new church large? Yes, because we have big dreams we share with the other churches on the Ridge. Is it worth the investment – absolutely – if we follow through with our purposes and dreams. Do we want it to be a unifying force in the community among people? We pray that it will!

Why don’t you drop by when it’s built. We’d love to give you a tour and answer any questions you may have.