By Kelley Riggle,
Local Pastor, Santa Rosa UMC

With balloons, pizza and ice cream, First UMC Santa Rosa held its' first worship service at a second location on Sunday, September 17. The service capped more than two years of planning by the downtown church, which had searched for a creative way to expand its' ministry in Sonoma County.

Under the leadership of Senior Pastor Dave Slorpe, the rapidly growing congregation finalized the purchase of eight acres of property in southwest Santa Rosa last year. The new worship service occurred just across the street from that property, at a local elementary school.

Preaching to approximately 175 people who filled the multipurpose room, Associate Pastor Joe Major urged those in attendance to find their way back home to God's love and forgiveness. I prayed that Christ's peace and presence would enrich and vitalize the new congregation.

The one hour service followed an extensive publicity campaign which included direct mail, newspaper and radio ads targeting unchurched members of the community, with an appeal to "come just as you are." Following the service, 25 teams took videos and welcome gifts to those who attended for the first time.

Unlike other large churches which have attempted to "spin off" new congregations, the Santa Rosa project is an effort to become a dual campus church. "One Church in Two Locations" has been the slogan widely used by the church planning team. Members have worked for more than two years to put forth the vision of a single United Methodist congregation using its' resources to minister from two different sites. Financial assistance from the annual conference has enabled ministry to children, youth, and adults from each of the two locations, which are approximately 5 miles apart.