Peoples Church

Peoples Church "G.L. Johnson Chapel".

Peoples Church is a megachurch in Fresno, California, USA with an average weekly attendance of 3,950 people in 2017. The church is led by Pastor Dale Oquist. The church campus includes Fresno Christian High School, a private school attended by students in grades K-12.

Gatherings

Peoples Church holds the following gatherings on Sundays:

  • Contemporary (band, orchestra and choir) - 9:15am, 11:00am, and 12:30pm in the Auditorium
  • Classic (hymns and familiar songs, video simulcast of the message) - 9:15am in the G.L. Johnson Chapel
  • Peoples Church en Español (Spanish gathering) - 3pm in the Auditorium

History

Peoples Church was founded in 1954 by several families from the Fresno area. The first pastor, Rev. Floyd Hawkins, led the church from January 1955 to August 1959. He was followed by Rev. Guy A. Davidson who led the church until April 1963. Under his leadership the congregation of about 200 converted old turkey houses into their first building.

In 1963, Pastor G. L. Johnson replaced Davidson as head pastor. Under Johnson's leadership, the church grew into a 2000-seat sanctuary in 1977 at the church's current location at Cedar and Herndon Avenues. Since moving to the Herndon campus, the church has added two Sunday school buildings, a youth building, a Worship Ministries wing and, most recently, the G.L. Johnson Chapel.

On Sunday, June 3, 2007, Johnson announced during the three morning services his intention to tender his resignation in spring 2008. He said the timeliness of his decision was based upon his 80th birthday and his 45th anniversary as leader of the Peoples Church congregation. Johnson retired in late February 2008, and the pastoral search committee began a nationwide search for a replacement.

In 2010, Rev. Dale Oquist, formerly of Olympia, Washington, was elected Lead Pastor at Peoples Church by an overwhelming majority of voting members.[1]

Creative arts

Peoples Church is known for its strong use and support of creative arts and technology.

Peoples Church Christmas celebration has been a highlight of holiday events for the Fresno area. Starting in the 1970s, it has grown to a full production including contemporary band and orchestra, choreography, lighting effects and a variety of original and arranged Christmas music.

In June 2014, ChurchProduction.com published an article describing a recent auditorium remodel including the use of LED moving heads from ADJ Lighting, which are mounted on six wire ladders in front of mesh panels.[2] [3]

In 2016, Peoples Church did a massive video upgrade, replacing their old SD cameras and switcher with 3 new 1080p cameras and a new switcher, replacing their old 1024x768 rear projection video screens with new 1080p screens, upgrading their livestream capabilities to HD, and allowing the video feed from the auditorium to be simulcasted to the G.L. Johnson Chapel during their 9:15 AM Classic Gathering.

Peoples Church leadership team

  • Lead pastor: Dale Oquist
  • Chief Financial Officer: Bill Coughran
  • Chief Operating Officer: Brad Liebe[4]
  • Worship Arts Pastor: Matt Perkins
  • Creative Arts Pastor: Dominique Palestis
  • Community Connections Pastor: Larry Powell
  • Assimilation Pastor: Jän van Oosten
  • Missions and Education Pastor: Terry Townsend
  • Community Outreach Pastor: Matt Markarian
  • Director of Small Groups and Front Lines: Ronson Root
  • Women's Ministry Pastor: Joni Oquist
  • Children's Pastor: Jason Briesacher
  • Associate Children's Pastor - Preschool: Alisha Moore
  • Associate Children's Pastor - Elementary: Tim Moore
  • Student Ministry Pastor: Abdiel Pagan
  • Associate Student Ministry Pastor: Nathan Lowder
  • Family Counseling Pastor: Barbara Solis
  • Senior Care Pastor: Camelia Cross
  • Director of Senior Ministries: Michael Ogdon [5]

References

  1. ↑ "New pastor begins at Peoples Church". Fresnobee.com. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  2. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-04-21. Retrieved 2016-04-12.
  3. ↑ "ADJ Pro Focus: Church Lighting Solutions". YouTube. 20 September 2013. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  4. ↑ "The Feather". School year kicks off with 40th Convocation.
  5. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-04-20. Retrieved 2016-04-12.

Coordinates: 36°50′28″N 119°45′12″W / 36.8412°N 119.7534°W / 36.8412; -119.7534

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.