After moving our church family with less than two weeks’ notice, it is hard to believe Mars Hill Church Huntington Beach recently completed our sixth Sunday in the new space.
Lots of ground covered
The full interior of the building has been painted. Community Groups met in Huntington Beach for work parties and provided accent colors in Mars Hill Kids classrooms, offices for staff and interns, breakout rooms for Redemption Groups, and volunteer and Nursing Moms rooms.
Volunteers have worked almost around the clock to grind all the concrete flooring of our two lobbies and every hallway. They will finish this massive project in the next few days. Stain and seal will be finished up after the New Year in time for the launch on January 12th.
Old carpet has been demolished, along with a couple of walls to expand the lobbies. Volunteer teams handled these projects with more of the church family working on the construction of two walls to better utilize breakout rooms for Redemption Groups and midweek Bible studies.
One businessman at Huntington Beach volunteered his company to provide all the data wiring for the entire building. His crew spent a little short of a week running cables for all the data, wireless, distribution, and phone needs for the staff and teams.
Lots still needed
One top priority as we approach the January 12th launch are the audio/video/lighting needs in the auditorium. This concrete box needs some sound treatments on the walls. Additional video screens must be installed to maximize the space around support poles. Our production teams love serving the church and labor to provide the clear proclamation of Jesus on Sundays.
The other top priority is the Mars Hill Kids space. My own son, when asked which class he attended the first Sunday in Huntington Beach, described the concrete flooring as the “sidewalk room.” A contractor has since donated some temporary carpet strips to provide some padding, but we must get these rooms ready to welcome our kiddos and numerous new families.
The remaining projects range from upgrading dingy bathrooms to creating the first outdoor coffee bar at Mars Hill. It’s amazing to watch the church family use a variety of gifts and skills to tackle these projects. One of our team leads is running point on all aesthetic designs, working with the executive pastor and Central teams to steward this space for years to come.
Not about the building
Our runway for launch was short from the beginning, so I honestly don’t know how much will remain undone when January 12th finally arrives. I do know that the mission Jesus gave us never required a building. Despite meeting in seven different venues in five different cities in less than 24 months, Mars Hill Huntington Beach has grown into a regional church with community groups from Long Beach to Riverside and from La Mirada to Laguna Hills.
Jesus is building his church. We are pumped and humbled to participate. While our search for a home is finally over, this is truly only the beginning of a legacy of disciples made and churches planted all over Southern California. Pray for a groundswell of community groups as we embrace the city of Huntington Beach. Continue to pray for the ground war to advance in all the cities where groups currently meet. Pray for hundreds, even thousands, of people to meet Jesus in the years ahead.
