This week’s featured chapel is Rock Harbor. This location in Placentia offers services on Sunday mornings at 10:00 am. | Ashley Jones/THE CHIMES

For many, the chance to immerse oneself into all that Biola offers in terms of spiritual formation can be exciting and overwhelming.

Though students should check out each individual church for themselves, this series serves the purpose of introducing new churches that Biola students often attend.

With so many different types of services on campus, students have many ways to get plugged into all that Biola offers in spiritual formation. However, they are still encouraged to get involved in a local church.

As part of Los Angeles County, La Mirada’s location amidst cities like Brea, Whittier, Fullerton and Los Angeles itself, makes it easier to explore different churches.

Students embark on journeys to find the perfect fit, to find a church which they can call home.

Rock Harbor has multiple campuses

One popular church many Biola students and alumni have faithfully attended is Rock Harbor. With its various locations and service times, its flexible nature is perfect for many college students.

Though Rock Harbor Costa Mesa is the original and central campus, other locations include Fullerton, Mission Viejo and Huntington Beach, with a fifth campus in Orange that just had its preview weekend this past Sunday, Oct. 2.

Rock Harbor Costa Mesa, located about 30 minutes away, has become the home church to as many as 500 Biola students, according to Stacy Scott, the director of staff at Rock Harbor. It offers a time for students to engage in contemporary worship, similar to Singspo, and a sermon based on the Word of God.

Rock Harbor Costa Mesa is located near John Wayne Airport and the services take place in a refurbished warehouse, decorated to give off a warm and inviting ambiance, often through creative handmade displays and works of art.

Church attracts people of all ages

The atmosphere is one of livelihood and youthfulness though attendees are of all ages and come from all walks of life, adding to this church a sense of uniqueness.

Senior Tony Montalvo, a business administration major and member of the Biola men’s soccer team, has been attending Rock Harbor Costa Mesa for a little over a year.

“It definitely sets you up to meet with God and prepares your heart to receive the good Word,” Montalvo said. “The atmosphere there is great because there are people of different age, race and culture so it brings great diversity to the place and allows people to be united in one place.”

Multiple services, large congregations

The Costa Mesa campus offers a 6 p.m. service on Saturday nights as well as a 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. service every Sunday.

For those who may be a little wary of such a large congregation, as the first three services of the Costa Mesa campus combined have about 1,800 to 2,000 people, according to Scott, each Rock Harbor campus offers community groups, called life groups, which allow for smaller, more intimate spiritual connections through once-a-week Bible studies.

“Through weekend services, especially the night services when lots of college students attend, there is an energy in the air, a sense of welcoming, and a passion to get to know others,” said Chris Ward, an associate teaching pastor at Rock Harbor Costa Mesa who works in the ministry of Community Life.

Small groups help build church community

One of Rock Harbor’s main goals is, “to be a church of community living out the gospel together,” Ward said.

For those still looking for a smaller, more intimate type of church service, Rock Harbor Fullerton, technically in Placentia, about 20 minutes away from Biola, just began a new service time on Sept. 18, on Sundays at 10 a.m.

This option offers a more close-knit community to get involved in. Fullerton’s new service welcomed about 110 people on its opening weekend, but now has about 200 members, according to Steve Carter, pastor at the Rock Harbor Fullerton location.

With the addition of this new service time to the Fullerton location comes a unique opportunity to get involved right away as the church begins to build anew its own individual identity and community, separate from that of its Saturday evening services.

Their Saturday night services meet at Hope International University. The Saturday night service takes place at 7 p.m. and is made up of a larger community, similar to the Costa Mesa campus.

Though simple on the outside, this building has beautiful stained glass windows on the inside to complement the welcoming and friendly environment inside.

Smaller morning service offers more intimate worship, community

Freshman Whitney Luigs, a biology major, attended the Rock Harbor Fullerton evening service. After hearing about the beginning of the new morning service she decided to check it out.

“I enjoyed the fact that it was welcoming and personable and the smaller service led to more intimate time with the Lord,” Luigs said.

The quieter style of worship allows each to truly focus on the Lord’s presence and respond to the way in which he is working in their lives.

Rock Harbor allows Biola students to be involved in the community through a unique and refreshing way to interact with the Lord Jesus Christ and services that are truly all about him.

Look for part two of the local churches series in next week’s issue.