How it all started...
Churches of Christ have been in Bakersfield since the 1920s. The Highland church of Christ has been in the Bakersfield community for nearly 50 years, but our ties to the city are earlier than that.
We began as Christians meeting in homes in simple faith and simple worship seeking to practice New Testament Christianity, following the teaching of Jesus Christ. We believed it was necessary to begin a new congregation of God's people.
Soon after, we began meeting in the former YMCA on 900 22nd Street. After some time we moved westward and met at 2203 Dean Street for a time, but as we grew we acquired and arrived at our current location on Rosedale Highway.
Our current preacher is Jovan Payes. Past preachers have been: Alton Little, Dr. Jim Collier, Regan Walters, and Brandon Greene.
We began as Christians meeting in homes in simple faith and simple worship seeking to practice New Testament Christianity, following the teaching of Jesus Christ. We believed it was necessary to begin a new congregation of God's people.
Soon after, we began meeting in the former YMCA on 900 22nd Street. After some time we moved westward and met at 2203 Dean Street for a time, but as we grew we acquired and arrived at our current location on Rosedale Highway.
Our current preacher is Jovan Payes. Past preachers have been: Alton Little, Dr. Jim Collier, Regan Walters, and Brandon Greene.
Expanding the vision...
We desire to be the church of God's original intent. By this our vision is aligned to the biblical purpose and mission of Jesus the Christ.
Worship is an essential part of our vision: In our public life as a congregation, we worship God through acapella singing, gather for weekly participation of communion (the Lord's supper) and weekly financial giving (only by its members), we read Scripture and pray together, and we teach and proclaim God's word.
Ministry is an essential part of our vision: For this reason we focus on deaf ministry, men's ministry (Male Spiritual Leadership), women's ministry, vacation Bible school (VBS), youth ministry, college ministry, marriage ministry, youth bible camps (Yosemite Bible Camp), and various forms of acts of compassion. We have recently begun a ministry towards families with "children" who have special needs called, Forever His.
- Our first priority is to submit to the lordship of Jesus Christ as a congregation and in our private lives.
- Our second priority is to be the body of Christ which He purchased with his own blood, and through the church we declare and live out the gospel message to bring liberation over darkness and sin in the world.
- Our third priority is to reach into our community with the liberating love, grace, and truth that we have received from the love, grace, and truth found in Jesus to provide a home for those seeking to follow Jesus.
Worship is an essential part of our vision: In our public life as a congregation, we worship God through acapella singing, gather for weekly participation of communion (the Lord's supper) and weekly financial giving (only by its members), we read Scripture and pray together, and we teach and proclaim God's word.
Ministry is an essential part of our vision: For this reason we focus on deaf ministry, men's ministry (Male Spiritual Leadership), women's ministry, vacation Bible school (VBS), youth ministry, college ministry, marriage ministry, youth bible camps (Yosemite Bible Camp), and various forms of acts of compassion. We have recently begun a ministry towards families with "children" who have special needs called, Forever His.
Where we are headed...
We are headed in the direction Jesus sends us: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20 English Standard Version).
We believe that every Christian can make share the message of Jesus, and as a church we have done outreach not only in Bakersfield, but also Ghana, and Central America. We are always trying new things to share the gospel of the kingdom of God. Some things don't always work out the way we want, others things do. But at our main goal is to connect people to Jesus.
The word disciple means something along the lines of a student, a follower, or a learner. We invite all to learn and follow the teaching of Jesus Christ. We do this not simply because we believe he is a good moral teacher, but because we believe his resurrection from the dead strongly proves that everything he said (as recorded in the New Testament) is true.
If you are interested in learning who Jesus is and what it means to follow Jesus as a disciple we want to help you on your journey to "know him and the power of his resurrection" (Philippians 3:10). And, we want to help you participate in the kingdom of God with the world.
We are committed to reaching out to our community, our nation, and the world. Come and see!
We believe that every Christian can make share the message of Jesus, and as a church we have done outreach not only in Bakersfield, but also Ghana, and Central America. We are always trying new things to share the gospel of the kingdom of God. Some things don't always work out the way we want, others things do. But at our main goal is to connect people to Jesus.
The word disciple means something along the lines of a student, a follower, or a learner. We invite all to learn and follow the teaching of Jesus Christ. We do this not simply because we believe he is a good moral teacher, but because we believe his resurrection from the dead strongly proves that everything he said (as recorded in the New Testament) is true.
If you are interested in learning who Jesus is and what it means to follow Jesus as a disciple we want to help you on your journey to "know him and the power of his resurrection" (Philippians 3:10). And, we want to help you participate in the kingdom of God with the world.
We are committed to reaching out to our community, our nation, and the world. Come and see!
