We’ve been consistently growing as a church, and amazingly we are beginning to run out of space on Sunday mornings at the Vets Hall. Our vision has always been to “help every person connect to Jesus, the source of life”, and we need to create more space to invite more people to experience the life-changing love and grace of Jesus!

To this end, we’ve been exploring options and praying diligently for God’s wisdom to guide us, and we’ve even looked at the possibility of moving to a larger space to rent or purchase. After much deliberation, field-trips, conversations, and prayer these last few months, it seems the best move at this time is to stay at the Vets Hall and offer a second gathering time on Sunday mornings - to accommodate this growth and make space for many more people to encounter the love of God here in Humboldt!

We know change can be hard for some people, and we recognize that this move presents some challenges for us. I, personally, will miss the simplicity of the one gathering time at 10am. I’ll miss the all-community connections we’ve gotten to foster in this special time and the energy of a “full house”. I’m also not looking forward to waking up an hour earlier on Sundays, and I’m nervous that we’ll not have enough Team Members to adequately staff our gathering and make them both excellent, welcoming, and life-changing experiences - for everyone.

But, as I consider the thousands of people right here in Arcata who have yet to find a church home, who are looking for community, who are desperate for a message of hope in these challenging days, my heart breaks and I know this is our calling as a church; to continue reaching out, beyond our comfort zones, to roll out the Welcome Mat in big ways, for new people, to make space and invite them in!

Just like the bold step of launching our first Sunday service 18 months ago, putting on this second gathering will be a great leap of faith. It will stretch us and grow us in awesome ways! Our plan is to launch our new two-service format at 9 and 11 AM on March 17, St. Patrick’s Day! This will give us two weeks of practice before Easter morning’s epic gatherings and baptisms. We’ll plan to continue the two gathering times for at least two months, with an evaluation time in the middle to see how it’s going and how we can make it better or adjust as needed. We may possibly go back to just one gathering at 10am during the summer months if attendance is waning, or continue on if attendance is strong. If this does become the new norm for us, we’ll make sure to take a few Sundays throughout the year to gather all together as one church in a bigger location for holidays or special events. 

We’re also going to work extra hard to fill our teams so that everyone plays a part and helps carry the load. And even though it may be some heavy lifting in the beginning, we’ll be actively recruiting and praying to quickly develop a more sustainable schedule for all our leaders.

Giving our community two gathering times to choose from; 9 and 11 AM, opens up huge options and possibilities for people - it helps us reach out and invite like never before, and it will open our doors even wider for new people every week. Plus, this step will also create more serving potential and slots for the many people who are now attending to get more connected and involved. This expands our base for those who are and will be fully committed to Branches and the mission before us; to be rooted in Christ and to reach out with care and purpose - together.