Judith had never been to a church or a Bible study. She’s culturally Jewish, but wasn’t a regular at a synagogue, either. When church planter John Worcester knocked on her door to do a survey about the vintage Jesus (the original, authentic Jesus of history and the Bible), Judith expressed interest, but let him know she wasn’t going to be converted. After their conversation, John wasn’t expecting her to show up at Bible study at his home the next Sunday morning. But she did.
At the meeting, the group began a study on the Gospel of John, and watched a video that dramatized the book using word-for-word Scripture to tell the story. After that morning, Judith started thinking that what she had heard could all really be true. She went back to the Bible study for several weeks, and committed her life to following Jesus Christ! She’ll be baptized in September with four others who are part of Mission Trails Church, which will celebrate its grand opening on September 7.
Judith is part of the launch team for Mission Trails, a church ministering in San Diego’s Allied Gardens neighborhood. Pastors John Worcester and Joey White moved to the area early this year to start Mission Trails and other congregations that will be linked together in a unique church planting network called Catalyst Church.
“It’s pretty simple,” says Joey. “We’re a church seeking to follow Jesus, and then sending out members to start other churches.” That commitment is part of Mission Trails’ DNA: Pathways Church of Santee, Calif. has been sending members to help with three preview services throughout the summer. Around 150 people attended the last service in August; more than 100 of those are people who live in the Allied Gardens area and don’t regularly attend any church.
The church’s Grand Opening Series will focus on Building Relationships that Last, emphasizing how God can restore and renew friendships and families. The message series is important for people looking for relevant teaching that will help them make realistic, meaningful changes in their lives, says Pastor John Worcester.
“Once people start coming to church, we want to challenge them to begin looking beyond themselves and start serving others,” John says. That’s why the team has led Mission Trails to start serving others now, even as a young church. In July, the church’s core team led a Vacation Bible School for the Karen people group, many of whom have re-settled in San Diego after years in refugee camps in their native Myanmar.
Mission Trails Church is just the first of more than eight churches the Catalyst team has envisioned starting in the next couple of years. It’s an aggressive vision that requires much prayer and partnership.
Click here for more information about Mission Trails Church and Catalyst, and how you come alongside them as a volunteer or prayer partner.
