El Toro Elementary School has gotten religion. Every Sunday
morning since April 25, a congregation of about 100 has met at the
school, marking the Jubilee Christian Center
’s official return to Morgan Hill.
El Toro Elementary School has gotten religion. Every Sunday morning since April 25, a congregation of about 100 has met at the school, marking the Jubilee Christian Center’s official return to Morgan Hill.
The South Valley Jubilee branched off from the main Jubilee church at 175 Nortech Parkway in San Jose – the largest congregation in the valley. A third group meets at 851 Rincon Ave. in Livermore; the churches remain affiliated.
Having left town several years ago from its original location at 15055 Monterey Road, Jubilee has met as a Bible study group in a private home in Gilroy and, for the past year, at Holiday Inn Express. Now, says Pastor Carlos Alferez, it’s time to let the public know they are back.
“We’ll be having our grand opening on May 23 at 10 a.m.,” Pastor Carlos (his preferred title) said, “after our team has time to get used to smaller groups.”
El Toro’s multi-purpose room can handle 400, Pastor Carlos said, giving the congregation room to grow. Right now he plans only one service on Sunday and has begun to offer Sunday School for children. He wants it known that he is not seeking members from other churches.
“We are looking for the unchurched,” he said, “and people who used to go but don’t go anymore. We’re not targeting other church members. We do respect other pastors and hope to come in as reinforcements spreading the gospel.”
Most members live in the South Valley area and most, he said, are transplants from other Bay Area cities.
Jubilee is established across the country but the large congregation in San Jose, headed by founder and senior pastor Dick Bernal, was in the news recently when it took a political stance and joined other similar churches to call for the recall of San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales over his support of gay marriages. Bernal headed Jubilee when it was first located in Morgan Hill.
Pastor Carlos said his group is focusing on building the congregation at the moment, not on local politics.
“I don’t know what role in politics we will have,” he said. “We do work with city councils.”
Pastor Carlos said, at this year’s Easter services in the San Jose arena, part of the offering was donated to the city for its social programs.
Besides “continuing worship” and music led by Robert Muñiz, Jubilee offers a program called Government of the 12, or G12.
“This is a home-sell program,” Pastor Carlos said. “We see all church members as potential leaders and want them to invite people to come to church for a special speaker or concert.”
G12 is described on Jubilee’s website as having three programs: one hoping to enhance a person’s relationship with religion, one that trains in the fundamentals of leading a cell group and “the vision of winning, consolidating, discipling and sending” and one that trains and “annoints” leadership skills necessary to “mentor leaders and multiply cell groups.
The church’s wsebsite describes Jubilee as a family church ministering to the needs of spirit, soul and body. The mission of the church is make disciples for local and global evangelism. It is a New Testament local church.
Jubilee is renting El Toro at the same rates charged to any civic group, including scouts, said Anessa Pasillas, who handles facility rental for the school district.
The school board does not have to approve individual rentals, Pasillas said, though the school’s principal looks the rental application over and sends it to the district Facilities Department. Jubilee has taken the room through the end of the school year in June and pays $36 an hour for the multi-purpose room plus $18 an hour for each classroom – Jubilee has begun to use portable classrooms for Sunday School – and a $120 weekend overtime charge for custodial services.
Details: www.jubilee.org/ Sunday services begin at 10 a.m. at 455 E. Main Ave.
