Christ Central of Southern California, five years after its independence from its mother church Cerritos Presbyterian Church, has begun its journey as a multisite church as it launched its second campus in Placentia on October 30. Some 240 people attended the first official service at the Placentia site at Valencia High School.
"If you've ever had the unforgettable experience of holding a newborn baby in your arms "¦ you just wish and hope for the best for the newborn child," Harold Kim, the lead pastor of Christ Central, said during the service which marked both the fifth anniversary of Christ Central and the launch of the multisite. "That's how I have been feeling along with the leaders as we have relaunched and rebranded our service in Artesia, and our first official service at Placentia."
In a sermon titled "Happy Birthday, Christ Central,' Kim focused on what it means to be a church, and who a church is for, as he spoke from 1 Thessalonians 1:4-5.
"The church is a community of people called by God and changed by God, through the gospel of Jesus Christ," said Kim.
In particular, Kim shared four commitments that Christ Central has as a church, as he emphasized that the church is "not just for us [Christians]," but also "for our friends": communicating the gospel clearly and truthfully; connecting everything "to the centrality of Jesus Christ"; existing for the common good; and practicing real community.
Christ Central of Southern California held an official launch service for its Placentia site at Valencia High School on October 30.
"Christ Central will never claim to be better than any other "¦ church down the street," he said. "We are far from perfect, but we are here. We are far from perfect, but you are here. And there are a lot of friends who need to be here with you."
Meanwhile, the launch is a product of some two years of planning, but Kim has stated that he had always thought of how to lead Christ Central into being a "reproducing" church since he first came to the church.
"We found that church planting or having a multisite are among the best ways to reach more people for Christ," Kim said at a vision casting meeting in July.
Kim will be preaching at both sites. The Artesia campus has recently changed its service times to 11:30 AM and 12:45 PM, while the Placentia campus will be holding services at 10 AM. The Placentia campus offers nursery and children's ministry at the same time (10 AM), and youth group will launch in 2017.
