The Last Shall be First - saying good bye to our home church

Church is more than a building

When I started doing blog posts on each of our supporting churches I knew that the post for our home church, Grace Community Church, would be a difficult post.  Mostly because how do you capture 15 years of ministry, worship and service in one simple blog post?  For both Allan and myself, Grace is the first and only church we have attended since we've been saved.  As I was walking around the church campus wondering how I would sum up 15 years of memories, I realized that church is more than a building.  Instead what makes GCC precious to both Allan and myself are the memories, relationships, and fellowship formed within those four walls.

Some of my favorite books as a child were the Spot books.  Do you know those books?  They were flip books, where on each page there was a little flap that you could "lift and see" what was underneath.  It was those books that gave me the inspiration of how to organize our memories from Grace.  So I went around campus and starting taking pictures of doors, lots of doors.  Wanting to capture the door that opened up to the memories stored in my heart.  I then went through my old photos, pulling out the memories from Grace and sorting them into the door they came from.  The result is the blog post you have in front of you.  As you scroll through the photos below it is my goal to take you on a tour of Grace Church, showing you that church is more than a building.

Worship Center

The most common face of Grace is the worship center.  Through these double door you might see something that looks like this on a Sunday morning:

One can easily get lost in this large crowd.  But in the midst of the crowd there are relationships waiting to be formed.  Take John Limberg for example.  He faithfully served for years as an usher of Grace Church.  Most everyone knew who he was and he was affectionately known as "John the Encourager".

And even in the large worship center if you sit in the same spot week after week you can meet people who sit close by your "seat" as well.  That is how I met my dear friend Sam.  I can't look at her pew at Grace without thinking "that's Sam's spot".  We became close friends.

I was also baptized in the worship center.  My sister too!

And it was during a Sunday morning worship service that Allan and I were singing the hymn "Oh the Deep Deep Love of Jesus" and looked down at the writer of the hymn and got the name of our second son, Trevor.

The Gym

In addition to the main worship service there are also fellowship groups and ministries one can attend.  It is through these ministries that one can really get to know others in the church body better.  Through these doors I attended my first fellowship group, Crossroads.

Pastor Rick Holland was over Crossroads, the college ministry, at the time. 

It was through this ministry I heard the gospel and was saved.  Specifically, it was through the COC bible study and a series they were doing on the doctrine of election.  I have several good relationships to this day from that study.

It was also through Crossroads where I meet Connie and Yogi Naresh! 

My sister accepted Jesus Christ as her Savior in their apartment.  And Connie personally sought me out and discipled me.  The picture below is from a camping trip/treat with the Newhall bible study which Yogi led.

J260's

The first ministry Allan was apart of when he first attended Grace was the Filipino Outreach Bible Study.  This study is led by two main men, Rolly and Ferdie.  Allan's first years as a Christian were formed here under these men.

This bible study meets on Friday nights.  Allan remembers fighting traffic after work, going over "the hill" from Santa Monica to the Valley.  It would often take over an hour but once he got there Allan was encouraged and refreshed each time!

J 270's

 If you go across the hall from the Filipino Bible Study on a Friday night you will find the Sojourning Servants Bible Study that I was apart of for awhile.  It was in the study that I got to know my friend, then Bernie Bagasan now Bernie Mager.  The church in Youngstown, Ohio is pastored by Bernie's husband Matt, who was my bible study leader at the time.

G235

For three years I served in the Children's Ministry in a 5 year old classroom.  I served with Ward Utterback.  My favorite part was the lessons, I really enjoyed the curiculum they used and preparing for the lessons, I learned a lot.

J 360's

As I was wandering around campus collecting pictures of doors, I realized that some doors open up to a multitude of memories.  Take these doors for example.

In the J360's I attended three different fellowship groups over the years; Foundry, Mainstream, and Doulos.  Pastor Kurt Gebhards was over the Foundry, and that was the ministry Allan and I served in while we were dating.

And after we got married we joined Mainstream which meets in the same room just a different hour. Pastor Jon Rourke was over Mainstream during the time we attended.

 

And the fellowship group we attend now is Doulos.  Pastor Travis Allen is over Doulos.  Travis is also one of the elder's involved in Allan's ordination.

These three men were faithful to live out the principles of 2 Timothy 2:2 as we sat under their teaching.  But some memories cannot stay contained within the walls of a room.  We attended a home bible study, Burbank Bible Study, through Mainstream which met at the Hoyer's home.  This was the first Bible Study Allan and I attended as a married couple.  Gustav and Nancy were hospital, warm, funny and great examples to us both.  We treasure our time there.

Here are some of the ladies from that study.

That bible study was unique because it had a regular men's group where the men got together for discipleship.  Allan formed some good relationships from that men's group and learned the importance of leadership.

Basement Room 62

Along with attending fellowship groups and bible studies at Grace, both Allan and myself worked there as well!  Allan was the computer lab teacher for Grace Community School for a number of years.  When I came to visit him in his classroom he always warmed me not to sit on the chairs with "water stains".  He said 5 year olds and fabric chairs aren't a good combination.... I will let your imagination fill in the rest. :)

Basement

While we are in the basement, lets take a quick walk around the corner.

The last few years this room has contained the memories and relationships of my weekly woman's bible study with Every Woman's Grace.  I enjoyed this group for many reasons.  The various generations represented in the ladies was a special treat I treasured.  Deborah Miller was my group leader.

Custodial House

Another place Allan worked at Grace was in the facilities department with the custodial crew.  He worked here while in seminary.  He really enjoyed working here, the physical labor was a nice change to sitting and studying in the library all day.  He formed some good relationships here too.  This is where he got to know Will Costello better.

Above the Fireside Room

You know this door probably does have a proper number, but I have no clue what it is.  This door opened up to the offices where I worked on campus, the accounting department.  I worked here right after Allan and I were married up until having kids.  Really.  They called me while I was on my honeymoon and told me I had the job.  And then I stopped working one week before giving birth.  People would sometimes ask me if I miss working now that I am a stay at home mom.  I don't miss the numbers but I do miss the people.  Here's the whole group of us (our sweet volunteers too!)

Fireside Room

Here's another room that contains a variety of memories.

I guess one of the predominate memories is this is the location where Ephoch Bible Study met on Friday nights.  That is the Bible Study Allan and I were involved with while we were dating.  Here is the small group I was involved with.  We look "single" don't we?  ha ha....

Being a singles group bible study, some of the friendships we formed here are friends we have grown with.  We were single together, got married all around the same time, and even starting having babies around the same time.  One couple, Albert and Alik Lin, are good about hosting an annual "reunion".

But one of the funniest memories is contained in this room.  My old roommate, Heather, served overseas for a year.  While she was gone her then boyfriend (now husband) created a video to send to her.  He recorded a small clip of me and our other roomies acting out a musical number in her honor to "Your Song" by Elton John.  I wanted to find that video but couldn't.  Instead this short clip might give you an idea of the friendship we had amongst our roommates.

G130's

Not all memories are full of giggles.  It was through these doors that the memorial service reception was held for two of my closet friends after that passing of one of their parents.  Aside from my husband, my friendship with Janea was the closet and dearest friend formed while at Grace!  I see her in almost all the rooms.  We went on two overseas mission trips together and lived together for three years.  Her mom's faith is now sight and we remembered and honored her life in this room.  Here is Janea with her mom Avrill Brown.

My other dearest friend, Lola, also honored the passing of one of her parents in this room.  Her dad Juan Castaneda was remembered in this room too.

"The King" Room

This room has become especially dear to me in the last few years.  Through these doors you enter into one of the nursery rooms.  I love the nursery ministry and the service they provide enables me to have fellowship with other believers and worship without destraction.  Their service is unmeasurable.  This specific room is affectionately known as "the king" room by my oldest son.  It was his favorite room and the the he attended on Wednesdays.  He named the room after his favorite toy in the room, The King from the Cars Pixar movie.  Here is teacher Sunny.  Her faithfulness to serve in that room is one of the main reasons my son Jakob enjoyed that room the best.

The Chapel

The chapel has so many memories it is hard to highlight just one.  But if I had to choose one it would have to be when I recited my vows and married Allan Luciano!

And it is the covenant I formed with Allan inside those chapel doors that now calls me across the seas to follow him to the Philippines!  And it is the partnership, guidance and leadership of our home church, Grace Community Church that reminds us that this calling is not from ourselves but from God.

Thank you Grace Community Church!  It is not good bye but "see you later"!  We are off to the Philippines!