Mariners Church to open new campus in Huntington Beach on Sunday
Mariners Church will hold a grand opening Sunday for its new facility in Huntington Beach.
It is the megachurch’s fourth campus; the others are in Irvine, Mission Viejo and Ocean Hills.
Caleb Anderson, the Huntington Beach campus’s lead pastor, said the church has been in the city for about five years, leasing a theater in the Central Library.
Anderson said it jumped at the chance to claim a permanent facility in town, though it’s taken about two years to negotiate the agreement.
The new building at 7822 Warner Ave., formerly a Regency movie theater, has been adapted to include a 700-seat worship center, a children’s area and a theater for teenagers.
Anderson said having a permanent facility opens new opportunities to engage with the community during the week, such as providing after-school tutoring. He noted the need for such programs for children in the Oak View community.
“We now have the freedom and flexibility to be creative,” Anderson said.
He also believes the church will benefit from a more visible presence.
“About 80% of the community probably doesn’t know we are here,” Anderson said.
Church services will be held at 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. every Sunday.
As part of the grand opening this weekend, the church will usher in a new series, “Here: You Are Not Lost,” which is meant to engage people who don’t feel that church is for them, Anderson said.
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