The new facility seats 400—twice the size of the multipurpose room where the congregation previously met. The grand opening for the new sanctuary was celebrated throughout the month of August. The celebration took place over four Sundays:
- Transition Sunday: 400 people began the service in the former sanctuary and processed to the new sanctuary.
- Outflow Sunday: The congregation gathered to prepare for greeting the community at the AWANA carnival held in the church parking lot later in the day. Mitchell says 1,700 people attended the carnival.
- Dedication Sunday: Many former members and staff joined in dedicating the facility, and the congregation recommitted itself to reaching out to the community.
- Celebration Sunday: Nearly 600 people gathered as Rick Alonzo, artist and evangelist, shared the gospel through painting, music and the word. “More than 40 young people and adults responded to an invitation to receive Jesus Christ for the first time,” Mitchell says.
Good Samaritan is in a rural setting, about an hour outside of Sacramento, and once considered “out in the middle of nowhere,” Mitchell says. But the area has been developing and the church has intentionally reached out to its new neighbors. As a result, the congregation of roughly 320 has doubled in size over the last 10 years.
“The church leadership has maintained a missional view to reach the Valley Springs community for Jesus Christ,” Mitchell says. “They have made the difficult decisions that make the church a lighthouse rather than a clubhouse. The leadership encourages the pastoral staff to fulfill their call while they are committed to fulfilling their own call in service and outreach.”
The new construction was funded in part by a loan from National Covenant Properties.
