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Laurelglen Bible Church: Reaching out with welcoming arms
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Posted by lward Tue Apr 18, 2006 13:27:19 PDT
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0 responses 0 comments Jonathan Swift, in his 1711 “Thoughts on Various Subjects,” said: “We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another.”
That’s not the case with Laurelglen Bible Church (LBC) on Ashe Road. Members of the church don’t isolate themselves from others who are different, but rather reach out their arms in welcome.
“Over the years, the church has matured, so that now we can go out into not only the local community but the whole world,” said the Rev. Roger Poppen, LBC’s senior pastor, who has been at the church for more than 16 years.
Poppen said LBC supports a variety of local missions, such as Children to Love and Youth for Christ, and about 100 church members go on global missions every summer.
LBC is also unique in that it is the only church in Bakersfield, according to Poppen, that has a ministry geared toward the deaf and hard of hearing.
Special worship services and Bible studies are held for the deaf,  and the church also offers beginning ASL (American Sign Language) classes. Typical worship services draw 80 people.
Those who come to LBC will find that they offer three things, said Poppen: 1. a quality program for children; 2. meaningful worship; and 3. solid solid teaching of Scriptures.
The church sits on four acres in the Southwest, and — with an attendance of 1,500 on a typical weekend — is almost getting too big for its britches. Poppen said the church is in the process of purchasing the condominiums to the west of the church property for possible future expansion.
It’s a good problem to have for a church that started small in 1978. The first meeting was held in the Youth for Christ building on California Avenue with 99 attending. At that time, LBC was called Southwest Mennonite Brethren Church.
From 1979 to 1981, under the leadership of Pastor Ed Boschman, LBC grew steadily in all areas. The YFC building was outgrown and the congregation moved to Seventh Day Adventist Church on Wilson Road.
The existing property was purchased in 1979, and construction of the existing activity center was completed in 1981.
The first associate pastor was added to the staff in 1982. At that time, weekly attendance was more than 300.
From 1982 to 1987, the education wing was constructed in two phases and two additional pastoral positions were added during the next five years.
Construction of the worship center was completed in spring of 1994, and the church family occupied the new facility on Easter Sunday with 2,600 in attendance.
The Saturday evening service began in January 1997 to help ease the Sunday morning congestion and provide an alternative opportunity for weekend services.
In 2003, Laurelglen gave birth to a daughter church — The Bridge. LBC purchased 25 acres of property near the corner of Stockdale Highway and Allen Road (next to Bakersfield Christian High School) and planted the new church, which began meeting in September of 2003 under the leadership of the Rev. Jeff Gowling.
Poppen said 275 Laurelglen members went to The Bridge, thus easing the strain on Laurelglen. Poppen describes The Bridge as more contemporary and “seeker-driven,” versus the more traditional Laurelglen.
As the years go on, Laurelglen will likely continue spreading the love.
“Our ultimate purpose is to help one another grow into spiritual maturity. We encourage you to enter into that process with Christ and with us at LBC,” said Poppen.

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