The North County Times ran an article on The Branches Community Church on April 29, 2011.
To read the article online you can go HERE. To read some clarification of what James really told the reporter you can go HERE.
I've posted the article from the NC Times below, enjoy...
By DAN BENNETT - For the North County Times | Posted: Friday, April 29, 2011
The beginning of an era for the Branches Community Church in Escondido started with a bang ---- an "egg-splosion," actually.
Easter Sunday marked the official opening for the new church, though Branches had some early sessions in January. The church now meets Sunday mornings in the large theater room at San Pasqual High School.
"It's been great so far," said church co-founder James Pinkerton. "We had 5,000 Easter eggs and a wonderful service."
The opening of the new church fulfills a longtime goal for Pinkerton, who grew up in Escondido, attended Grant Middle School and graduated from Escondido High in 1990. Though he went away to seminary in Kansas, Pinkerton says he always wanted to return and start a new church.
"I had been working the last three years in Indiana," Pinkerton said. "I was a youth pastor, and my wife was a children's pastor."
With Pinkerton's former classmate, friend and colleague Kris Sorensen, the three decided they wanted to move to California and open a church in Escondido.
"I've long had my heart set on a church in Escondido," Pinkerton said. "Part of the reason is that there are really not enough churches in Escondido, so when we looked at the demographics, it made sense."
What the team needed even before a congregation was a location.
"I called the local school district and asked if they ever had churches before, and it seemed they hadn't," Pinkerton said. "San Pasqual was the best place for us. There are 622 seats, so plenty of room to grow."
The church's mission, Pinkerton says, is to emphasize the Bible.
"We are a Bible-believing church," he said. "We are a non-denominational church aligning ourselves with the Bible. Our source of truth is the Holy Spirit, God and Jesus. We want people to feel they are in a comfortable place. We want people to understand that we don't have preconceived notions about what they believe, we just want them to hear the discussion. Our purpose is to love people with God's love, and understand that we all have God in us."
Pinkerton says the church emphasizes love in all lives.
"We want to speak to the love in peoples' lives, and if they never felt that love, we hope to help them start," he said. "We have a vision, and our core values speak to the mission, but people are free to use those as they will."
Service and community partnerships will become part of the church's practices. It will partner with youth groups and other service organizations.
"We want to be part of the community," Pinkerton said. "I'm a youth pastor, so we want to have youth groups soon. We hope to have Bible study every other week. We also hope to have all kinds of small groups. We want people interested in music and people interested in art to have their own small groups. Our groups will grow organically, according to interests. For now, it's a matter of growing the congregation, through word of mouth, social networking and other means."
Branches could have its own building someday, if all goes well.
"We don't necessarily want to have a large sanctuary, but a place that will service Escondido and its people every day," Pinkerton said. "Maybe it would have a food pantry and a clothing bank, maybe a cafe and a skateboard park. It could be a place bustling with activity, a place where we could minister seven days a week."
In the meantime, Pinkerton says the group is happy with the church's current home, and also happy that he has returned to his roots, this time with his wife, Tonya, and their three children.
"This is where I want to be," he said. "It's the place for us."
Visit www.thebrancheschurch.com or call 760-670-6233.
No comments:
Post a Comment