Christ's Church
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Christ’s Church is a large non-denominational Christian church located in southern Jacksonville, Florida. Currently, the average weekly attendance in seven weekend worship services at three locations is over 4,200 souls. The church has more than 60 full time employees.
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[edit] History
Mandarin Christian Church began in 1974 when the Loraine Oden family donated three acres of land at the corner of Old St. Augustine Road and Livingston Road. The area was rural; Interstate 295 was still under construction. Many of the initial planning meetings for the first church were held under the old oak tree that still stands near the original building. The first Mandarin Christian Church had six classrooms, two bathrooms, two offices and a 160-seat sanctuary. The first minister was Gene Helmey.
The first service was October 20, 1974, with approximately 40 members attending. By the end of the year, there were 66 charter members. It didn’t take long for the group to see the need for expansion. A new fellowship hall and classrooms were added in 1976, with church members performing much of the work. Dennis Bratton, the current Senior Minister, was called to serve this small but promising young church in the summer of 1978. [1]
As MCC grew, a Family Life Center was added in 1982. The shell was contracted, but all of the inside work was completed by dedicated members of the congregation who began holding worship services in that space on April 4, 1982. Very quickly, that space, too, was outgrown and work began on a new 1000-seat worship center, which was completed and occupied in 1986. In 1991, additional classrooms and office spaces were added to that structure.
Always looking for opportunities for outreach, the Sharing Tree Preschool began in 1987, as a way to attract young families from the growing Mandarin community. The program for teenagers proved popular, and soon more space was needed for their use. Space was initially rented in a nearby strip mall, but a separate property was acquired for this ever-expanding ministry, and the location affectionately became known as The Ranch. It became necessary to hire additional people to minister to the growing congregation. The church began to hire staff members to specialize in youth, children, music, pastoral care, outreach and seniors.
As MCC approached its’ 20th anniversary, it became apparent that the original 9 acre property would not support the growing church. Multiple services were added including one on Saturday evening, but even they were not adequate to accommodate the growth. MCC made two critical decisions in 1994: The first was to relocate to a more suitable location for growth; and the second, to begin Mandarin Christian School.
The combination of hard work and commitment from the congregation enabled both dreams to become a reality. Mandarin Christian School opened its doors in the fall of 1995 and 37 acres of land were also purchased on Greenland Road on which to relocate the church. A special groundbreaking ceremony was held on January 25, 1998. The congregation watched the progress of Phase I construction via pictures, videos, staff updates and first-hand observation.
On June 6, 1999, the congregation left the Old St. Augustine Road property after the final service and walked to the new campus – 4½ miles away. The next weekend, services were held in the new 2,250 seat Worship Center. Mandarin Christian Church had a new home.
[edit] A New Home
The new church campus was designed to accommodate the growing needs of the church, while addressing the building's juxtaposition to major thoroughfares. State Road 9A (soon to be I-295) borders the property on the north, while I-95 is 1/10th mile to the west.
The 115,000 sq ft (10,700 m²) Sanctuary was designed to accommodate 2,500 worshippers, and could be expanded to 3,500 seats as the church grows. It also houses 25 offices as well as a number of conference rooms, 16 preschool classrooms, 2 nurseries and 8 adult classrooms. Dressing rooms, large and small rehearsal rooms, a 1,000 sq ft (93 m²) work room and prop area were included to accommodate the many productions that are held at the church. Adjacent to the Sanctuary, a 1,600 seat auditorium is available for further expansion of the building's functions. At the entrance to the Sanctuary is an expansive atrium for members and guests to meet, talk and enjoy refreshments before and after services. [2]
Just three years after relocating to Greenland Road, construction began on Phase II of the new campus. In February 2003, the 80,000 sq ft (7,400 m²) Community Center, housing a chapel, preschool, dining hall, gymnasium, offices, and student center were opened.
In 2005, MCC hosted the Southeast Regional Conference of the North American Christian Coalition (NACC). [3]
[edit] A New Name
In 2005, the church began an aggressive outreach strategy through satellite campuses. Mandarin Christian Church had been in their new facility for six years. Because the church was no longer “in” Mandarin and a name was needed that was conducive to other locations, it was decided to drop “Mandarin”, and the name became Christ’s Church. The Church’s mission is to “Make Disciples, More Disciples, Better Disciples”.
[edit] Satellite Campuses
[edit] Fleming Island
The public kick-off of Christ’s Church at Fleming Island, a satellite of Christ’s Church, took place on March 20th, 2005. A year later, property was purchased on Route 17 and construction began for a 40,000-square-foot (3,700 m²) facility. On May 12, 2007 Christ’s Church Fleming Island officially opened the doors on their new campus. Christ’s Church Fleming Island offers most of the programs at Christ’s Church. It has early childhood classes for both worship hours, RoofTop and MainStreet for the elementary ages, Route 56 for 5th and 6th graders and Core and Outlet for grades 7th thru 12th. There is a full worship team, with the message being provided through the campus’s preacher.
[edit] Camden County, Georgia
In January of 2007 Christ’s Church embarked on another journey with a group of a dozen families in Camden County, Georgia. They began meeting at a local community center in Kingsland under the name Christ’s Church, Camden County. The Camden County Campus enjoys a live worship experience with teaching supplied from the staff at the Mandarin Campus.
[edit] References
- ^ Center for Church Advancement: Connection magazine, September 25, 2002
- ^ [ http://www.kbj.com/Architecture/religious/mandarin_christian.htm KBJ Architects: project-Mandarin Christian Church/Greenland]
- ^ Christian Standard magazine Conference details
