IN THE SPIRIT

MICHELE MARR

ADDRESS: 401 6th St.

TELEPHONE: (714) 536-5019

WEB SITE: o7 https://www.harbourcommchurch.orgf7

DENOMINATION: National Assn. of Congregational Churches

YEAR CHURCH ESTABLISHED: The congregation was established in 1984 in a

living room in Huntington Beach. The congregation came to the facilities

at Community Bible Church in 1992.

SERVICE TIMES: The Sunday worship service is at 8:30 a.m.

SENIOR PASTOR: Peter G. St. Don, who holds masters degrees from Fuller

Theological Seminary in Theology and Pastoral counseling and a doctorate

in pastoral counseling from the University of Chicago.

PASTORAL STAFF: Craig McClelland

SIZE OF CONGREGATION: 100. On any given Sunday there are about 60 to

100 in attendance.

MAKEUP OF CONGREGATION: Most current members are either young adults

without children or adults with grown children.

CHILDCARE: Childcare is provided as needed.

TYPE OF WORSHIP: The focus of worship is on God. Traditional hymns and

songs of worship and praise are accompanied by piano. The service is

celebratory and includes a music soloist, a weekly message and the

benediction.

TYPE OF SERMON: The weekly message encourages people to believe in the

mysteries of God. It is a dialogue, not a monologue. It emphasizes the

idea that service begins when the meeting is over.

RECENT SERMON: A recent sermon looked at the story of the prodigal son

and the image of God the father as revealed in the character of the

father of the prodigal and his brother.

WELCOME WAGON: The church is very low-profile and holds members and

visitors “loosely.” The goal is to enhance people’s lives, not to

dominate them.

OUTREACH PROGRAMS: Five- to six-week home Bible studies meet three

times during the year. Each study ends with a potluck dinner. Sometimes

the studies focus on a book of the Bible. At other times the focus is on

the biblical principles in a contemporary bestseller like Stephen R.

Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.”

St. Don visits members, family and friends of members who are in

difficult circumstances and those who are in nursing homes and prisons.

The congregation has provided help to local nursing homes seeking

churches to provide services and to help with hymn singing with their

residents.

The congregation provides support to a number of missionaries in

locations such as South Africa and China. They also support Wycliffe

Bible translators, and the Payton family in Africa. The Paytons are

translating the Bible into Orma.

Gina Viloria, a youth missionary with Victory Campus Ministries in

China, was a member of Harbour Community Church before going to China.

She will return to Los Angeles in September to work in the Victory Campus

Ministry’s corporate office training new missionaries for the field.

CHURCH DESIGN: St. Don said, “If you would like to attend a church in

a nearly 100-year-old building with wood floors and padded pews; if you

would like to embrace the mystical, the practical and the uplifting, you

may find Harbour Community Church a meaningful place to be.”

MISSION STATEMENT: “At Harbour Community Church we have made a

covenant to be a place of healing and restitution. We invite those who

have been hurt or who are struggling with problems to come and be a part

of this healing ministry. You are our brother or sister. We will never do

or say anything to hurt you. Because God loves us in spite of our

weaknesses and failures, and we will not demand perfection from you. We

will accept you as you are.”

INTERESTING NOTE: St. Don has no desire to “over-church” people. His

pastoring and teaching style and the ambience of the fellowship are

reflective and contemplative. Church meetings are kept to a minimum in

order to give members time to be with friends, neighbors and family in

other activities and at other events. People are allowed the room and the

time to come to their own understanding of God.

St. Don believes it is OK to be a small church and it is often

beneficial.--