Grace Bible Church will hold worship services in old Wells Fargo
Building
After months of holding worship services in the auditorium of
San Benito High School, members of Grace Bible Church are preparing
to move to a new location at Monterey and Sixth Streets.
Grace Bible Church will hold worship services in old Wells Fargo Building
After months of holding worship services in the auditorium of San Benito High School, members of Grace Bible Church are preparing to move to a new location at Monterey and Sixth Streets.
Although weekly church attendance in the United States has remained steady, about 40 percent since 1980, Grace Bible Church in Hollister is growing.
The first services were held in July 1996 for 80 people, said Rev. Jim Achilles, a senior pastor at Grace. Today, between 400 and 450 people attend worship services on a regular basis.
Carri Budd has been attending services at Grace on and off for about a year. She started attending regularly in December 2007.
“The principles that they teach are consistent with what I learned growing up,” Budd said. “I just found the music at the Sunday morning worship services to be very encouraging and uplifting.”
She feels a keen sense of being accepted by the congregation, Budd said.
Budd is not the only one to join the church in recent years.
The rules of church growth say that membership will never grow past 80 percent of seating capacity, Achilles said.
“We’re way past that,” Achilles said.
The rules say that membership will never grow without adequate parking, Achilles said.
“We didn’t have parking,” Achilles said.
Members agree that the congregation’s growth is due to an emphasis on personal improvement and a loving community.
Hollister resident Miguel Guerrero has been attending services since the ministry started 12 years ago.
“Grace is growing by accurately and faithfully teaching the word of God, even when it’s what people don’t want to hear,” Guerrero said.
Deborah Mattos, a Hollister resident, has been attending Grace Bible Church for five years.
She made some of her best friends through the church. “It keeps us all going, because in the hard times we know people are praying for us,” Mattos said.
Community without truth is meaningless, Achilles said.
“You can find community in a bar,” Achilles said. “There’s a group at Johnny’s that’s there every Friday night. They probably even care about each other a little.”
The pastors offer many bible study groups throughout the week for adults, teenagers and kids. Achilles’ Wednesday night meeting has about 12 members.
Meetings are held in his home. There is an open cabinet policy on food and drink.
The meeting begins with an update on how the members are doing – who is out of work, who is sick, who is doing better.
With eyes closed, members participate in a group prayer. They are encouraged to say a few words aloud about anyone they feel moved to pray for.
Pastors – Grace Bible Church has three – also maintain a benevolence fund for members that are having financial difficulties, Achilles said, and offer counseling to church members and non-members.
“That’s an important part of our ministry,” Achilles said. “Sometimes we might see five to six [people] per week per pastor.”
The congregation outgrew its current facilities years ago, Achilles said.
Services have been held in the auditorium of San Benito High School since September 2007.
“We really think the Lord set us up for this spot,” said Achilles, of the former bank building. “We give God credit for that and we thank him for providing that.”
They purchased the site in November 2007.
“When you look at this building,” Achilles said, “it looks like whoever built this, built Baptist churches in the 60s.”
The building features an arched ceiling made of wooden slats and support beams.
“We don’t really want to be the church you drive to,” Achilles said. “People move here for the sense of community. Having a church downtown fits that.”
The church’s current facilities at 634 Monterey St. will be used for smaller group activities.
When services were held in the old auditorium, sometimes 20 or 30 people were forced to stand. It made worship services chaotic.
“We’re grateful for the high school,” Achilles said. “It’s a great place as an interim, but it’s a high school auditorium.”
Almost immediately after they rented the high school auditorium, the old bank site became a possibility.
It used to be the site of Redbeard Communications Inc.
The building came up for lease in late September of 2007, said Duane Cashion, an associate pastor.
“We met them, and asked if they would be interested in selling,” Cashion said.
They purchased the building for more than $1.1 million, Achilles said. About twenty percent is from land sales.
Church leaders had purchased land for development, but sold it after neighbors banded together in opposition against a site in an unincorporated part of the county, Achilles said.
“It would have made a bad start,” Achilles said. “We obliged them by moving on.”
The interior will be turned into an auditorium with room for 300, Achilles said. It will feature a foyer, podium, nursery and resource center, Achilles said.
Achilles said he hopes to hold services there by Sept. 1. To accommodate the entire congregation, pastors will hold two services on Sunday.
There are no rituals that will sanctify the building as a church, Achilles said.
“Basically it’s a box that God’s going to use,” Achilles said.
