New Life Christian Fellowship (Update 1)

Kevin & Maria Finkbiner
have two sons, Mattie & Landon

In February, 2014, New Life Christian Fellowship appointed a new Lead Pastor, Kevin Finkbiner.  Kevin (35 years old) has now served in that role for just over two years.  In a unique transition, Ron Hunt remains as the Teaching and Mentoring Pastor.  This transition gives room for Ron, as the older pastor, to allow Kevin, as the younger pastor to take the lead while benefiting from Ron's experience.

Kevin comes from Pasadena in Southern California.  He moved up to Sonoma County for his undergraduate studies at Sonoma State University.  InterVarsity Fellowship (a college campus ministry) soon
offered him an internship at their Sonoma State ministry.  He served six years on staff there in leadership.

At some point Kevin began attending New Life and Ron invited him to a position on staff.  Kevin has attended New Life for 14 years now.  Sometime in 2010, Ron announced a plan to transition Kevin into becoming Lead Pastor.

Though Kevin still describes New Life as a seeker-friendly church, he emphasizes the important role of making disciples.  He describes how New Life puts feet to this both every Sunday as well as through life groups (small group meetings), and especially through their core classes, leadership classes, and developing relationships.  Kevin likes to say, "You can belong before you believe."

For some time, Kevin has taken online classes from the Menlo Park campus of Fuller Theological Seminary.  He says by now he roughly has the equivalent of a Bible college degree.

When I visited New Life in 2011, Ron Hunt estimated they had around 500 members.  Kevin now estimates they have an average weekly attendance of around 550.

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Village Baptist Church (Update 1)

3585 Cypress Drive, Petaluma

Back around August of 2015, Village Baptist Church moved from their previous location at Suzanne's Dance School, at 532 S. McDowell in Petaluma, to an office suite at 3835 Cypress Drive, Suite 107, also in Petaluma (almost directly across from the UPS headquarters for Petaluma).  As with an increasing number of churches, they moved into an office building usually used for businesses.  It's in an industrial park in the south side of Petaluma.

Oddly, this move garnered unusual opposition expressed to the City of Petaluma.  I say unusual, since, when I visited, there is no one visible for quite a distance all around.  Some expressed concern they would have large meetings during the workweek, and overwhelm the parking lot, though the church asserted they held no work-hour meetings during the work week.  Eventually, the Planning Commission determined they needed no conditional permit, since the law treated them as a club which needs no conditional permit, and the City Council upheld an appeal of the Planning Commission decision in a unanimous vote.

3585 Cypress Drive
 Backside Main Entrance

I previously posted that Village Baptist Church had their main congregation down in Marin City, in Marin County, and Pastor Akognan would do an early service in Petaluma (since he lives here), and then travel down to Marin City to do a later service.  But since then, around three years ago or so, Village Baptist shut down their Marin City church, and moved all their operations up here in Petaluma.

So in my last post, I reported an attendance of around 20-30, while today, I saw around 60 or so (without counting those caring for children's Sunday school - so I would guess around 70 or so in weekly attendance.)  Some down in Marin City followed the move up to Petaluma.  Others still live in Marin City, but hope to move up here.  The church also hopes to grow up here.  They also hope to improve the lighting in their sanctuary.

It felt good to visit a church where most of the congregation consists of a portion of our society under-represented in Petaluma, but that has contributed so much to our culture.

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Update - Petaluma Christian Church

Jason Baker and family

Petaluma Christian Church engaged a new pastor in September, 2014, Jason Baker.  Jason is married to Leisha, and they have two sons, Evan (5) and Caleb (2).

Pastor Jason last served at East Park Church in Vancouver, Washington, where he began as a Youth/Men's Pastor, advanced to an Associate Pastor, and then served as an Interim Pastor when the Lead Pastor left.

Jason was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, and still roots for all the Arizona sports teams.  He attended and graduated from Arizona Christian University.  He then attended Golden Gate Baptist Seminary (mostly attending their Phoenix, Arizona campus).  He earned his Masters of Divinity degree in 2009.

Let's pray for Jason (and his family) as he shepherds the flock at Petaluma Christian Church.

Original post for Petaluma Christian Church

Petaluma United Methodist Church - Update 1

Pastor Burke Owens

The Petaluma United Methodist Church in Petaluma has a new pastor, Burke Owens, who began his ministry in Petaluma this July (2015).  He has a background in growing grapes for wineries, so of course he focused on the rich symbolism in the Bible about vineyards, vines, and grapes, as well as sharing his knowledge of other ancient cultural practices of grape growing for various purposes reaching into our times. He left that background to tend to the local Methodist vineyard here in Petaluma, though he still works part-time in other business related vineyards (a sort of tent-maker).

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360 Church of Petaluma - Update 1

A few years ago, I wrote about a new church - 360 church of Petaluma.
http://visitingchurches.blogspot.com/2011/10/360-church-of-petaluma.html

They have sinced moved from their location at Valley Vista School (at 360 N. Webster St., Petaluma) to 879 Lindsburg Lane (also in Petaluma).  http://360churchofpetaluma.com/contact-us/

As they told me, they first sought to lease this sight.  However, the owner, who also owned North Bay Construction, wanted them to buy the property, which they did for around $5,000,000.  It's a large piece of property, so they lease out most of it to businesses (mostly along the Payran side), which pays for the mortgage, so, as they tell me, they have no mortgage payment.

Meanwhile, they have been renovating the warehouse where they meet.  They have been raising the funds to renovate this space, which they have done in stages, and continue to do in their upstairs Sunday School rooms.  They have raised these funds from their congregation and friends.

Since I last visited them, they have increased their average attendance from about 200 adults on a given Sunday to around 300 or so, with many children in the Sunday school.

I rejoice in their growth both in their membership as well as their property holdings.  May God bless them as they continue to grow.

Penngrove Community Church - Update 2

Roger Hoffman

Penngrove Community Church called a new pastor, Rev. Roger Hoffman.

Roger graduated from Golden Gate Seminary in the 1976 with a Masters of Divinity.  While attending seminary in 1972 he was a co-founding pastor of Church of the Open Door in Mill Valley, California (which later moved to San Rafael.)

In 1979, Roger and his wife Eva, became missionaries to England.  They soon founded Open Door Community Church in Bromley, England, a suburb of London.  That church eventually grew to around 300 members.

In 1986, they turned over the leadership of that church to the team they had raised up, and returned to the United States.  Soon after his return, Roger became pastor of Church of the Open Door in San Francisco, California.

In 1997, Roger joined the pastoral staff of New Life Christian Centre in London, England.

Roger and Eva returned to the United States in 2002 to care for Roger's parents in Texas.  Their health had been deteriorating.  They spent a year with them.

Roger spent the next several years preaching in various churches as called upon as well as going on mission trips to Russia, Africa, and Malta.

Roger and Eva are excited about his call to pastor Penngrove Community Church, and the church is excited about having Pastor Roger there as well.

Last Penngrove Community Church Update
Original Penngrove Community Church Post

What Do People Wear to Church?

Sunday Clothes

In my last post, I explored what the clergy wear to church.  In this post, I want to explore what people (the laity) wear to church.

There is an old tradition often referred to as Sunday clothes, sometimes called Sunday best (or sometimes Sunday best clothes).  The idea is you put on your best clothes, sometimes your newest clothes, for going to church, whatever your tradition.  In this tradition, people often dressed to the hilt, in accordance to their means, when going to church on Sunday.

For many, this tradition showed respect for God, respect for the church, and respect for each other.  For those who continue in this tradition, it is similar to the requirement to dress well when going to court (the law still requires you to avoid overly casual clothes such as shorts, tank tops, sandals, etc. when you go to court - in order to show respect for the law, the court, and the judge.  The judge can hold you in contempt if you dress inappropriately.)  However, for those who uphold this tradition, it is more than a show of respect, it is a show of celebration and joy, yet with a touch of sobriety and solemnity.

This tradition is celebrated in the Broadway musical, Hello Dolly (1964 - music & lyrics by Jerry Herman - book by Michael Stewart), adapted into a film in 1969, in the song, Put On Your Sunday Clothes.  Though it doesn't put this tradition in the context of going to church, it speaks to the sheer joy of putting on your best clothes to get you out of your blues and to prepare you to go in style into town.


Unfortunately, at many churches that followed this tradition, if anyone came with long hair, blue jeans, or otherwise casually dressed, they were not only made unwelcome, but all too often asked to leave unless they returned appropriately dressed.  While many were not asked, they simply felt unwelcome.

This led to a different tradition in many contemporary churches where casual clothes are acceptable, and often welcomed, or even encouraged.  In some, this tradition has gone so far as to make you feel unwelcome if you get dressed up for Sunday.  (Sort of the opposite effect.)

Other churches have found some sort of a happy middle, where people are free to dress however they choose to, with some dressing tending more to what might be considered their Sunday best, while others dress more casually, with everyone seeming to get along as far as their attire goes.

I appreciate both traditions, especially after visiting all the churches in Petaluma.  I like dressing in my Sunday clothes as well as casually, depending on the church tradition I visited.  I am much more interested in what is in the inside of Christians than what they wear on the outside.