IN THE SPIRIT

-- Michele Marr

* Address: 2525 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa (at corner of Fairview Road

and Fair Drive)

* Telephone: (714) 545-4610

* Web site: o7 https://fairviewcm.org

f7 * Denomination: American Baptist

* Year church established: 1949

* Service times: Worship is at 10 a.m. Sunday

* Pastors: The Rev. Joyce Smith, associate pastor; Dr. John Townsend,

interim pastor

* Size of congregation: Between 110 and 120 people attend Sunday

worship.

* Child care: Child care is available for all church events.

* Type of worship: A blend of traditional and contemporary styles

* Type of sermon: Sermons are open-minded. They celebrate God’s grace

with a modern, relevant interpretation of the Scripture.

* Visitor hospitality: Visitors are welcomed at the door by greeters.

During the service, they are invited to fill out a guest registration

card.

* Church programs: Fantastic Fridays, a bimonthly gathering for kids

in third through eighth grades; age-appropriate group gatherings for

“gen-Xers,” “boomers” and seniors; Sunday school for children; women’s

group; men’s group; choir; spiritual growth classes, vacation Bible

school; and an annual all-church mountain retreat

* Outreach programs: The church supports a monthly gathering of

staples for Food for the Hungry, which distributes the food to local

charities. Members support Adopt-A-Social Worker in conjunction with

Orange County Social Services. Quarterly offerings are given to

international and home missions.

* Dress: Casual dress

* Church design: Traditional with a beautiful garden courtyard for

socializing

* Mission statement: “We are called by God to create, enjoy and extend

gracious Christian community: accepting, including, connecting, serving,

empowering, healing, intelligent, faithful, zestful, Christlike.”

* Interesting note: A presentation that is part of a series, “A Common

Spiritual Journey: Exploring World Religions in Light of Christian

Experience,” is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday. The speaker, Amgod

Biblay, will discuss “Christianity in the Middle East.” At 7 p.m. Nov.

14, the Rev. Carol Aguilar from the Zen Center of Orange County will

present “Zen Buddhism and its Meditation Tradition.” The series is open

to anyone in the community who is interested in the topics. For more

information on this series, contact the church office.