7:00 pm —

Our host church announced that they were in one more negotiation to stay where they/we are (third attempt so far). The property manager seems to be receptive to their site modification requests and a proposed 3-year lease. We will see!

6:00 pm —

Here are the choices we currently have … with accompanying pluses and minuses, and in no particular order:

Meeting at Theaters

Theaters make for very interesting church sites. People may be reluctant to visit a church, but they’ve visited the theater many times. Seating is already preset, and cleanup is automatically provided as well. You can rent one theater for the “adult” service and another for a children’s service. Problem is … the closest theater to us is in the heart of San Bernardino.

Meeting at Schools

Many growing churches have gotten their start in public schools. They are easy to find, locals know where they are, and they are modular … we can add, and subtract, rooms as necessary. Janitorial service is required so cleanup is minimized.

Negatives: very portable … EVERYTHING must be transported in, set up, torn down, and transported out … week after week. They are fairly expensive: $300-$400 each Saturday morning. The district cannot prevent churches from meeting in schools, but the principal of each school must still give their permission.

Meeting at Community Center

There is a community center at nearby Veterans Park. It is available for about the same rate as the schools. However it is just 2 rooms in size, and there are bars on the window. While the Apostle Paul worshiped just fine with bars on the windows, it’s not the most helpful for getting and retaining volunteers.

Meeting at Sunday Churches

We have met at several Sunday churches in our short history (4 actually). But they are much harder to work with when they own the building, and they become a 2nd level of landlord when they also rent. From the discussions I’ve had with folks, the consensus has been we’re kind of “done” with renting churches if at all possible.

Meeting at Office Buildings

One thing we have in abundance in the Cooley Ranch area are office buildings. However, there are restrictions on “assembly type” organizations (i.e., town halls, banquet facilities, Elks Lodge, union halls … and churches) that make these spots frustrating.

Parking and fire sprinklers are the 2 main ones. Assembly parking rules are 5 spaces for every 400 sq ft of sanctuary. That’s not hard to find, but that almost always also limits the type of businesses that can be church neighbors.

Fire sprinklers are required now for all assembly type organizations (not retail, office or warehouse). Unfortunately, most of the buildings in the area were built in the 70s before sprinklers were required standard fare. It costs $100,000+ to run the water lines to the building, so landlords are very reluctant to add assembly type organizations to their roster of tenants.

Our sanctuary needs are limited, so parking becomes a little less of a headache. And I am in talks with the city’s building and safety department to see if firewalls can suffice for very small churches.

Now, hopefully, you can sense some of the frustration we’ve been experiencing as we search for new “digs”. But the right church home is out there, we just have to wait on God’s timing to reveal it.

New User Registration

Choose a Username*

First Name*

Last Name*

Address 1*

Address 2

City*

State*

Zip*

Best Phone Number*

Phone Type*

Cell Phone
Home Phone
No Phone

Other Phone Number

Phone Type

Cell Phone
Home Phone
No Phone

Email*

Confirm Email*

Best Way to Reach You*

cell phone
home phone
Email
Regular Mail

Password*

Confirm Password*

Input the code:

*Required field