Don and Pat met each other in high school English class. They went on to become best friends; truth is they also went on to marriage, four children, and as of this writing, three grandchildren.

Back in 2000, they had a number of friends and pastors ask them about church planting in the community of Hollister near where they lived. They envisioned a kind of church that would be Christ-centered, relational, interactive, able to recognize the faith and work of other churches, missional to the world and hospitable to emerging generations (half the population of their community is under the age of 30).

Don grew up spiritually in the early 70’s with a ministry called Christian World Liberation Front centered in Berkeley California. Known for its straightforward approach to social issues and the gospel, CWLF became a major player in a spiritual revival among students. Long before “post-modern” became a church buzz word, we found ourselves facing and addressing a post-modern culture coming out of Berkeley (and the rest of the country) and into our living room on a farm in rural California.

Don’s formal schooling was in art and pastoral studies. Pat devoted herself to raising and educating their children.