At Thousand Oaks church, there is always a host of activities taking place each week to bring the community together.
“Everything we do is open to the community,” said Jonathan Clark, Thousand Oaks church senior pastor. “We’re hoping to be a community church under the umbrella of the Adventist church.”
On Tuesdays, Thousand Oaks serves between 175-200 families through its food distribution program, partnering with Food Share of Ventura County. Dedicated volunteers prep on Monday and help distribute and clean up Tuesday. Later that evening, the church hosts a social dinner open to anyone interested in attending. About 10-20 regulars gather to share a meal, talk about what’s going on in each other’s lives, and pray together.
Mid-week is typically left open; however, in the summers when Pathfinders are on break, Wednesdays bring something unique—Pathfinders for adults. Members can learn the same honors taught in the youth Pathfinders program.
Prayer meeting is on Thursday, where members pray for prayer requests from the church as well as the requests that come for the community prayer box located in front of the church, which was first placed there in 2020.
Once a month on Fridays, the church hosts a worship service called Pneuma. This gathering is a discussion-based worship experience where a spiritual subject is presented and people break into small groups to talk through the subject and share a meal.
Every other Friday, the church hosts a kids craft night. A professional artist designs a project with a spiritual tie-in, and the kids spend time coloring and painting. According to Clark, kids craft has become one of their most popular activities and has contributed to the growth of their children’s ministry. What started with 5-10 kids has grown to 25-30 children who continue to invite their friends each time.
Lastly, a “lunch and learn,” a time in which a member leads out in different spiritual discussions connected to the sermon series that is preached, takes place during potluck on the 1st and 3rd Sabbath.
“When I first started at Thousand Oaks, folks that lived around us didn’t know we were a church but part of the botanic gardens next to us,” said Clark. “As a result of Food Share and the different programs that we’ve developed, the community knows we’re a church that’s purposeful in serving the community.”
