Journey by Grace branching out to California
Courtesy of Josh Green
Journey by Grace at 425 Fifth St., California, in will hold its first service at 6:30 p.m. Sunday.
Courtesy of Josh Green
Josh Green, with his wife, Terah, is pastor of Journey by Grace California, which will hold its first service at 6:30 p.m. Sunday.
CALIFORNIA – Journey by Grace is branching out with a new campus ministry.
Journey by Grace California, a Free Methodist church, will hold its first service at 6:30 p.m. Sunday at 425 Fifth St. in the borough, just a block from California University of Pennsylvania.
“It’s going to be a campus ministry for Journey by Grace Church,” said Josh Green, who will serve as the church’s pastor. “It’s open for everyone. Our overall goal is to simply love on the community we are called to go serve. We want to reach out to the people in California, Brownsville and Roscoe. We want to reach the students as well. We just want to be a light in the community.”
According to its website, Journey by Grace is an authentic church community for everyday people of all ages, cultures, and backgrounds.
Journey by Grace, which currently has about 500to 600 members, has been in existence for nearly five decades, founded in Monongahela by the Rev. Bill Bailey in the 1970s. Its main campus is located on Route 51 in Rostraver Township.
Church services at the current facility are held at 9 a.m., 10:45 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Sundays. On Wednesday at 7 p.m., there is a Bible study with Bailey, as well as a youth group gathering. The 6:30 p.m. Sunday service, which Green leads, will move to the new church in California.
“It’s really aimed at young adults,” Green said of the service. “It’s not strictly a young adult service; we do want to reach the community.”
The new building will hold about 70 people, Green said.
Green feels California is where Journey by Grace has been chosen for its next mission – a mission that will include getting to know the community and partnering with borough officials or representatives of the college.
“We want to see what that community needs so we can be a light to reach it for the kingdom of God,” Green said.
He admitted the idea to branch out to California “dropped in our lap.”
The building formerly housed Full Gospel Church, and the pastor of that church was retiring.
“They approached us about wanting to take over the building,” Green said. “Someone donated the money to buy the building for New Life Options. We were working in partnership with New Life Options. We will be doing a church service and they will be operating as they do their pregnancy resource center out of the basement.”
Thus, there will be a partnership at the location with New Life Options, a pro-life, nonprofit pregnancy resource center.
Green, 37, is currently the associate pastor of the main campus of Journey by Grace. The North Belle Vernon resident has been with the church since he moved to the area from West Virginia in 2016.
Those interested in what Journey by Grace is offering can simply show up for a service or call the church at 724-823-0070.
Green is enthusiastic about the new venture.
“I’m excited to see what God is going to do,” he said. “It’s exciting to partner with something that you’re not creating. What God is saying is California is where we need to be. In our heart, we just want to reach out to California in the best way we know how. We have a team of young people excited to reach out, and we’re excited to see what grows out of this.”