Where do we go from here? These were the thoughts of many of the Lincoln faithful as they rejoiced and celebrated at the official organizing of the Amazing Grace Seventh-day Adventist Church in Lincoln, Calif., on June 24. “We finally made it,” said Pastor Jerry Rowan. “I wonder what the Lord has in store for us now?”

Five years, three moves, and four different pastors from its birth in 2001, the Lincoln group is now an official company. Located in the midst of one of the fastest growing locations in California, Sun City Lincoln Hills, this enthusiastic group is already looking for land to build a center of outreach to the community. Amazing Grace is now one of 16 companies in the Northern California Conference. The average weekly attendance is about 100, with a charter membership of 49.

The inaugural celebration was filled with joy. After several inspiring songs and a brief history of the city of Lincoln, Ed Fargusson, assistant to the president of NCC, spoke to the congregation. “This church started because some lay people got together and thought it was a good idea to have a church in Lincoln. This came from the labors of a group of people working together,” he said. “Today is a day when this group moves to another standing within the sisterhood of Seventh-day Adventist congregations, and as such it gains a new level of independence, and yet still we are bound together as a large family working together in harmony and unity. We want to reach all 30-some thousand people in this community.”

NCC President Jim Pedersen also addressed the congregation. “We are here today to recognize and acknowledge what God has been doing through the lives of people here,” he said. “The church is not just a building; the church is people, people who have come together in the work of God.”

Thinking back on Lincoln’s journey to become a company, Pedersen went on to say, “We watched, we prayed, and we began to see the fruit of the spirit of God here. You are a mighty band, small but powerful, because God is with you. I’ve seen growth here, and I am confident that growth is going to continue as the Holy Spirit continues to lead you.”

The church is planning to hold a spring evangelistic series in 2007 with Amazing Facts evangelist John Bradshaw. In preparation, the church is also putting into action the Empowered Church program. “It is our deepest conviction that this group will become not just a company, as we are establishing today, but a full-fledged church,” said Pederson.