Ready for Expansion

Visalia First has been expanding in numbers fast enough in the past several years to warrant holding four weekend services. Leaders of the Assemblies of God congregation in the California city of 130,750 look forward to the day a planned $21-million state-of-the-art worship center is completed to accommodate the growth.

Although the facility’s foundation has been laid on the 40-acre property, the church’s pastor, Mike D. Robertson, says an additional $1 million is needed above the more than $5 million already raised in order to qualify for a bank loan.

Robertson believes that the center’s completion is still about 18 months away.

A decision to build a 3,000-seat facility was made in 1989, when a master plan committee established by the church began to develop a project for the 40 acres. At the time, 700 people attended the church regularly; now 3,200 do on a given weekend.

As the church has come closer to realizing the committee’s vision, weekend services in which someone accepts Jesus as Savior have become standard. But that is only the beginning of the journey, Robertson says.

“It’s an unusual touch of God for the salvation of souls that’s bringing people to church,” Robertson says. “They feel the presence, they see lives changing. If you’ve been at our church for 90 days and your life is not changing, we are not doing our job.”

The proposed design for the 70,000-square-foot worship center and community commons includes provisions to be one of the largest assembly spaces in the region. The venue also will accommodate local theater and the performing arts in creating a destination location for civic, cultural, and religious gatherings. Plans also call for the community commons area to host exhibitions featuring local artists, plus a café.

Robertson says the project plans may appear to be more akin to a creative arts museum than a church. The look is intentional, as many in the surrounding community are arts-oriented. Yet focusing on spiritual development remains the top priority.

“I do not want to build a nice facility and forget that we are about God’s presence,” Robertson says. “In all of our doings, we have tried hard to keep the spiritual life of the church high and the building is just a side project. It’s not driving the church. The spirit of God is driving the church.”

Sharon Jansma and her husband, Mike, who serves on the elder board, have been attending the church for more than 20 years.

"First Visalia Assembly has been a local fellowship that has given us the opportunity to live out the gospel through ministry, to our community, and to grow spiritually personally," Sharon Jansma says.

Alex Murashko

Alex Murashko is currently working with One Ten Pictures as an associate producer, developing and working on projects that include stories about people and organizations making a difference as ambassadors for Christ. He previously worked as church and ministry editor/reporter for The Christian Post. Murashko lives in Southern California, and enjoys serving within life recovery and homeless ministries.