Matt Buchanan spent approximately 40 hours laboring to renovate the building that Mars Hill Church Huntington Beach now calls home. When asked for his thoughts on such service, he paraphrased the refrain of Mars Hill Church: It’s all about Jesus, and what he is doing to build his church.
Matt said he was grateful to “give back to God the abilities he’s given me.” And he humbly acknowledged that these abilities are technically valuable. “To be able [to provide] something the church doesn’t have to pay for as far as something like skilled labor is concerned. It’s really cool to be able to help the church in that way.”
Many men and women have stepped up recently to aid in the building renovation, some contributing what would equate to several workweeks’ worth of time. The motivation is rooted in God’s grace upon the church members. The church formerly known as Mars Hill Orange County has searched for a permanent place to call home for over two years while growing spiritually, numerically, and structurally. Within that time, the church was blessed with various locations and communities, from a music venue to an elementary school auditorium. The journey to securing a church building has proved that Jesus’ mission will take place anywhere, as it has grown and is growing, and people’s hearts are softened to the gospel regardless of the meeting space.
Matt Buchanan is one of those people. He grew up in a Christian family, went to a Christian school, and even participated in mission trips with Christian organizations. Through all of it, though, he remained spiritually hollow.
“Looking back at it, I really wasn’t a believer,” he said. “My motivation was either social or legalistic—like, ‘I should be doing these things. It’s what a Christian is supposed to do.’”
The cracks of sin eventually broke his spiritual persona.
“When I was about 19 or 20, I really started looking at myself and realizing that basically I was an actor and wasn’t believing my own heart. I realized I didn’t believe there was a God to even be walking away from. I became a staunch atheist until I realized that it took as much faith as a believer to say, ‘There definitely is nothing there!’ To be logically consistent I had to consider myself an agnostic.”
It wasn’t until joining Alcoholics Anonymous several years later that Matt’s heart and mind began to change. He mentioned the program’s use of general spirituality, explaining that the “ability to stay sober is based on a spiritual condition.” Gradually, Matt began to notice Jesus’ work on his heart when he prayed.
“I remember (and I kind of jokingly attributed it to muscle memory) saying ‘Lord’ a couple times while I was praying.”
But using that title was weird to Matt and he was certain that he was in no way a Christian.
“I was someone who would have said it was child abuse to raise your kid as a Christian, and would give you reasons from my own life of why.”
Shortly after the beginning of this slow turn in his spiritual life, Matt met his future wife, Sarah, who had a similar background and invited him to church.
“I was telling her ‘It’s so weird, I feel like I should go to church,’ and she said ‘Well, if you want to you should come to this thing.’” The thing was Mars Hill Church. Sitting in the worship service at the Galaxy, a bar/club that served as a meeting place in the early days of Mars Hill Orange County, the truth hit Matt, and it hit him hard.
“It was really emotional,” he said. “[I realized that] I totally believe in God, I believe in Jesus, and all that stuff I used to hear about.” Matt grabbed Pastor Dave Kraft to pray with him. “I think I said something like ‘I need to be a Christian, will you pray with me?’ That was the moment I really became a Christian . . . and at the Galaxy of all places, which is funny.”
Jesus’ call on Matt’s life has rejuvenated his understanding of himself and of his legacy. Before Matt registered Jesus’ grace in his life, he was against having a family of his own.
“I didn’t really like kids and I wanted to do my own thing, too. And I didn’t feel like I would have enough to offer. I barely had enough to offer another person let alone a kid also!”
Now, however, he exists out of the identity that Christ has established for him. He and his wife Sarah are expecting their first child this spring.
“I am so excited all the time,” he said, “especially as we’re growing and growing. It’s really exciting. We’re pretty solid on names, and it’s a boy. He’s pretty happy; he’s moving all the time. It’s super real and super exciting. Right when she told me [about the pregnancy] there was no fear, no worry.”
The apathy and anxiety that once plagued Matt’s life are now released and replaced with a love for Jesus and his family. Matt acknowledged that he has concerns, but thinking through what he’s learned of the gospel and of God’s character compels him toward his own legacy.
“It gives me a heart for my own kid. And when there are kids around, I’m excited to be around them, too.”
Matt’s identity in Christ eclipses his previous indifferent self. Now he’s excited about the new church location, the building renovation, and the re-launch for one reason: growth. Matt pointed out that the building is rather large, and can accommodate so many people in need of Jesus. He smiled as he enthusiastically stated, “I remember looking at the building capacity sign and thinking, ‘we’re nowhere near that yet.’”
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