Alright, so this review has been a year-long process. Why? Simple, it took me an entire year of discovering, prayer, and experience to be able to give my thoughts. With my immortal soul on the line, I have to be tough when reviewing.
First, I will cover the basics. The facility is beyond clean. From the facility grounds, to the fixtures and decorations, I have seen nothing but sparkles. Their bathrooms are well-stocked, clean, and shiny. This church provides many facilities for pretty much anyone. There is a Welcome Center for first-time visitors who will welcome you, give you a gift, and just wish you a bless day. There is a café area as well a small library. There are places where you can sit and read. For nursing mothers, there is a room available just for them that is comfortable, welcoming, and functional. The church also has a nursery and age appropriate classrooms filled with friendly, energetic, and loving staff. The main sanctuary is big and has plenty of room for people to join in the worship and sit during the sermon. For people wanting to get involved, there is an iConnect corner to get involved (which believe me, there are several opportunities available to do so).
Next, I will cover the technical side of CCF. The main sound system during worship and sermon are great. As worship begins with a live band, as in most churches, there are monitors that show the lyrics to the songs. The verse changes can be a bit slow on the monitor but for the most part they are pretty good. As for their webpage, it is easy to navigate through and constantly updated. There is also a CCF app that you can download to your phone so you can stay up to date with the latest 411 on all the church happenings and study guides. When you take part in their email newsletters and such, you will get the latest notifications of all the upcoming events and on those emails, quick links will be provided to take you to the appropriate web page for sign-ups.
Now, I seriously wish I had the time to be able to cover everything that this church does for the community. I have to say that I am in awe at the level of generosity and community involvement this church participates in given the size of the church when compared to the likes of the megachurch I used to attend--it is phenomenal! There is the USDA Food Distribution, during Christmas time they did the Free Gift Wrapping, in the fall they hosted a Fall Festival for the entire community for October 31st's international candy and tummy-ache day, the Baja Missions Trip that built a home for residents in Mexico, the Job Fair and so much more! Incredible! They also offer classes about discovering who you are in Christ and First Fruits Celebrations on the first Friday of every month to come and worship.
Now let's get to the heart of the matter. The leadership there is spectacular. This church kinda reminds me of the tv show, "Cheers" --everyone seems to know your name. I remember the first time I went there, I was blown away the next week when I came back and people greeted me by name. And no, I did not wear a name tag nor did I have an embroidered shirt on.
The head pastor is Pastor Fraser, and let me tell you, this guy is amazing. He is very passionate when he speaks and often delivers his sermons in a fashion that just leaves me speechless. Now, let me be clear when I say this, Pastor Fraser will often deliver the word as straight as he can, and he does so with great love. In fact, when he has revealed a truth that I have been neglecting or running away from, he will also remind us of the great love and grace our Lord has for each of us. The truth in the sermons delivered is not always easy to hear, but I will tell you this, friend, you will walk out of there filled with a better understanding of the Word, filled with hope and love; and, most importantly, your relationship with the Lord will have grown deeper.
In other churches, I often felt invisible, doomed, or that I was a terrible Christian. That is not the case here. No matter where you are at in your walk with Christ, you are welcomed, encouraged, remembered, and strengthened.
So to the ministry leaders, you all are such a blessing to the people of this world. Thank you for your service and dedication.
Should this Yelp review encourage you to come, I am going to tell you what my friends told me, come for one sermon series. Not one day, but one series. This will give you the chance to really see what you need to know. And of course, pray through it. Oh! And one last thing, this church is big about connecting people. So if at first you feel a little uncomfortable about telling the person sitting next to you, whom you never met, "I'm glad you're here and God loves you," then get over yourself. This is not just about you. I cannot tell you how the thought of doing that once terrified me, but all it took was one time to understand the importance of doing that. As a result, I've made some lifelong friends. read more
