Many College Students Joining Garden City Church

My life changed my sophomore year of college when I committed to a local church. I began worshiping weekly with 7 year-olds and 70 year-olds, was discipled in a community group, served in student ministry, was mentored by my pastor, was "adopted" by a family who treated me like their own son, lived "on mission" with my friends, caught a vision for what the local church could be, started preaching at a homeless shelter, and became 100% convinced that God was calling me to be a pastor. I had dreams of one day leading a church that would minister to college students in the way I was ministered to.So, I am pumped that many college students are beginning to experience the same thing at Garden City Church. Where we meet on Sundays is located just a mile or so from both Santa Clara University and San Jose State University. I'm thrilled about the impact Garden City is started to have on these campuses and the impact that these students are beginning to have on Garden City. The best way to reach college students with your church isn't to simply go out and recruit a bunch of students to your church, but to cast vision for everybody over age 22 in your church to pour their lives into discipling college students. This is beginning to happen at Garden City.Garden City Church is 31 days old and Jesus is on the move.Today I was thrilled to read a blog post from David Bibee, a student at Santa Clara University who has jumped head first into Garden City Church. Read these words from David:

I just got home from my neighborhood group (small group) from the church I have been attending, and I couldn’t help but take a few minutes to just write down some things.Before I came to school in the Silicon Valley, I attended a wonderful little church called Foothill Community Church in Angels Camp, CA (population next to nothing), where my faith found its roots and was able to thrive under the pastoral guidance of Pastor Dave Mattson and the personal mentorship of the youth pastor Dusty Bach.Coming to Santa Clara was somewhat fearful because I didn’t know what kind of spiritual climate to expect. As a Catholic university, I knew that it would have its own Christian culture and I knew that there would be much more sympathy towards those of faith than other secular universities, but I didn’t know what kind of friend group I would have or what church I would be able to call a home.Due to my own stubbornness, perhaps a bit more freedom than I knew how to handle, I often slept in more than go to church on Sundays. I didn’t really commit to any local body, and only sporadically attended any of the local churches. This summer God really convicted me of the absolute necessity of being involved with the local church, submit to a local body of elders and pastors, and grow among a community of believers. As an intern at my home church, working with the youth, God worked in such mighty ways through the life of Foothill that it was impossible for me to deny the power of a community dedicated to loving Jesus and seeing the Gospel proclaimed. And I knew that I had been cut off from community, by my own doing, at Santa Clara. I was isolated from the local church, and that is a detriment to both the church and the individual. The church is fundamentally weakened when Christians are not connected, and Christians stunt their growth when they are not dedicated to contributing and being blessed by a local church.The new church plant in San Jose, Garden City Church, has become a home to me in the first few weeks that it has been operating. My neighborhood group is full of the most wonderful people, dedicated to loving Jesus and serving one another, and I feel so remarkably blessed in such a short time. I feel impassioned to preach the Gospel and tell people of the wonderful things that God is doing at Garden City.Jesus is doing a marvelous thing among the people at Garden City and I am so joyful that I have found a community in which I know I have found a love that comes from God and far exceeds what the world has to offer! Jesus commanded us, and I can say without any hesitation that Garden City is taking it to heart:A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. -John 13:34-35If you are in San Jose or the surrounding area, need a church, want a loving community, or just want to come and see what this whole Christianity thing is about, please come check out this awesome place where Jesus is proclaimed and sinners are loved with a love that is unconditional!