Heaven sent (via Regis)

Torus Tammer

It’s not often that someone you know appears on the most popular game

show in the country. And the odds of that person winning the grand prize

and committing to help you achieve your dreams are even slimmer.

That’s exactly what happened to Pastor Thad King of Pierpoint

Community Church in Huntington Beach.

During the July 6 airing of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” King’s

colleague and friend Kim Hunt of Collierville, Tenn., won $1 million. A

portion of his winnings -- although undisclosed -- will be donated to

Pierpoint so King can branch out his congregation and create a new

church.Three years ago, King came to Surf City to organize Pierpoint

after serving as an associate pastor in Diamond Bar.

At the same time, his friend and colleague Pastor Bevan Unrau moved

the Seabreeze Community Church congregation in Huntington Beach from the

Rodgers Seniors’ Center to new digs at the Huntington Central Library.

But this left a vacancy at the senior center.

“We prayed for another group to fill the vacancy we left at the senior

center, and that’s when Thad made the decision to leave Diamond Bar,”

Unrau said. “Both Thad and I believed that we needed new churches because

change is the homework of our culture, and if you are not starting

something new, then you are missing a lot of people.”

So where does new millionaire Hunt come into the picture? The answer

lays in Texas.

King, Hunt and Unrau attended Southwestern Baptist Theological

Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, where they had been influenced by the Rev.

Harold Bullock, who spoke of the importance of one day starting churches

that would reach out to all kinds of people.

“Pierpoint’s part in this philosophy is that we want to reach people

on the coastal areas of California,” King said. “It is important because

the nonchurch ratios are much higher along the coast. Mr. Hunt has been

very gracious and kind in helping us.”

Besides Huntington Beach, Hunt has plans to give undisclosed amounts

to start up churches in Vermont, Vancouver and British Columbia.

“I want to be able to help out to make sure that these churches that

are being started don’t have problems arising from lack of funds,” Hunt

said. “Lack of funds can be a hindrance to what you are trying to do.”

Unrau, who is playing a big part in helping King get the new church

off the ground, said money can be the most elusive of the three

requirements for establishing a church.

“The money is on its way, so we are now concentrating on location and

leaders,” Unrau said. “We don’t have a start date at this point.”

King is enthusiastic about this venture and said he attributes none of

it to coincidence.

“We’re just a conduit here,” King said. “This strategic vision is

something only God could have provided.”