the building + logistics
Why are we moving when the other facility is smaller and not as nice as the Senior Center?
From a square footage perspective, HB Church may not have the same footprint as the Senior Center, but it does contain a lot of usable space. In fact, it has enough room so that we can reduce our footprint from the Senior Center and the additional warehouse we were leasing into one central facility. That allows us, for instance, to host our youth (75-100 young people) on the same property as our weekend services for the first time in the past 5 years!
Additionally, we have a stated goal in Huntington Beach to keep churches as churches. The city facilities that are available to the public will always be available for church use, but if we allow church properties to be sold in Huntington Beach to the highest bidder, we may never regain them. HB Church needed a thriving community to sustain the property, and we are that community. There may be more properties that we help preserve and renew in the future!
Furthermore, one more benefit is this will drastically reduce our facility overhead immediately by 50% in terms of rent, and by about 75% compared to what we projected we would spend in the future! To a certain extent some of that savings will go into maintenance and redevelopment of the property, but it isn’t going to be value lost in rent anymore.
But yes, the facility is—let’s use the word—“vintage.” And it is not surrounded by green space like the Senior Center. Even so, we trust that our talented community is going to be able to make the facility an inviting and engaging space for our gatherings into the future and one that, for the first time in our history, we can build to suit our needs 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year.
Please remember, we do not want to make any facility an idol—neither the one we are headed to nor the one we are leaving. The Senior Center will always be a place we drive by and remember with fondness, but what we treasure most is the community of people who have filled that space and who will fill the next one.
Will parking be a huge issue and prevent people from coming to church?
Parking is a serious consideration for us as we plan to move to HB Church. Fortunately, in addition to the stalls on HB Church’s property, there is an additional parking lot available on Sunday mornings across the street. Between the two locations, we will have more spaces available than at the Senior Center currently. It will present some logistical challenges as we have to create a parking team and a short shuttle service, but we are thinking through ways this can be as painless as possible. Who knows—a Branches trolley might even be fun!
The truth is, if you really want to go somewhere, you’ll be willing to do what it takes to get there (just think of the 30-40 minutes it takes to get from Disneyland’s parking lot to the actual park). If, on occasion, some families have to utilize drop-off and then take the additional 5-minute shuttle to service, we don’t believe that will seriously impede their church experience. The added time and logistical challenge we’re going to be facing is one shared by many, many growing churches here in the land-locked and fully developed city of HB, and one we’re already facing to an extent at the Senior Center during our 10:30am service. As a provision for new folks or who are visiting for the first time, we do intend to have some spaces reserved for them on the HB Campus to make sure they feel welcome before they get the hang of the parking situation.
All that to say, we don’t believe it will be an issue even from day one, but we will adapt and respond if any challenges do arise.
Is there a large outdoor space? Will we still have potluck?
Yes, we will still have potluck. There is some space that faces the street that we intend to enclose and a breezeway/patio area that wraps around the center of the facility—all of that we intend to use for our potluck. We will also likely cordon off some parking lot space as well. There’s no way we’re not eating together!
Will I still be able to sit outside to watch the service?
We understand that since we started allowing for outdoor seating at the Senior Center, it has become a popular option for many people. Though the space seems less conducive for outdoor seating arrangements, it is still something we will experiment with to see if we can accommodate it.
If we merge with HB Church, will we then co-own the church facility?
The plan is that the two fellowships will become one as Branches and we will own the facility as one church.
Will beach services continue?
Yes! Our outdoor services are the few times a year that the entire congregation can come together for one single service. That alone is an important reason to continue the tradition! But we also want to remember the church is not a building, it is the people of God. Leaving the walls of a traditional church building for a Sunday helps remind us of who we actually are as a fellowship.
Will there still be a recovery ministry at the new church?
Yes. Among the thriving ministries of HB Church is a midweek recovery Bible Study and a recovery outreach service on Saturday nights, called The Garage. We will continue to support and host these important ministries.
