Church opens expansion

EAST COUNTY — Burnard Scott has followed Bayside Community Church from its very beginning.
He attended services held inside William H. Bashaw and Freedom elementary schools, which housed the church meetings from 2002 to 2010.

And when Bayside moved into its first facility, located at 15800 S. R. 64 E., Scott was there to congratulate the Rev. Randy Bezet.

As a guest speaker, Scott has visited the church quarterly for more than 12 years. Scott recently oversaw one of the church’s most significant milestones: the opening of its new 73,000-square-foot auditorium.

“It’s amazing how much the church has grown and continues to grow in its community,” Scott said.

For about a year, the East County church has undergone construction on the new auditorium and other improvements to provide space for more people to attend services. A better learning experience for children has also been a priority.

This weekend, Bayside will celebrate the grand opening of the addition. The first service of the New Year will be held at 5 p.m. Jan. 10 in the new auditorium, and 9:30 and 11:15 a.m. services will be held Jan. 11.

And officiating those services will be Scott, who accepted the position as the church’s east campus pastor in August.

“I’ve had a unique perspective and relationship with this church over the years,” Scott said. “I was a part of the celebration when the church was built, and now I’m able to watch it grow again. I’ve been able to watch the church closely all along.”

After the Saturday service, the new outdoor area, Central Park, will host an after party with activities and other happenings for families.

The park, located at the front of the new auditorium, features benches, palm trees and colorful plants.
Among the church’s most prominent renovations is the main auditorium. The expanded auditorium features stadium seating and two large flat screen televisions that show the day’s service.

The old auditorium will now house middle and high school ministries, said Kristin Becnel, executive director of creative ministry.

For Scott, the new auditorium’s capacity to hold more individuals will help Bayside live up to the “community” in its title.

“We don’t ever want to have to turn people away because we don’t have enough room for them,” Scott said. “We’re all about people, so it makes room for more people that don’t have relationships with Christ or who haven’t found a church in their community. This expansion provides us with a space to help those people, while also reaching out more into the community.”

Other additions for the $16.5 million project include 10 classrooms, each with themes such as racing, dinosaurs and rainforests, for nursery through pre-kindergarten classes. A lagoon-themed play area, a café area and a connect center are all designed for new church members to meet with members of the congregation for socializing before and after services.

Church members raised $4.7 million for the projects and a church member matched that amount dollar for dollar, Scott said.

“I think there’s a lot of anticipation and excitement for all that’s going to happen when we open this facility,” Becnel said.

So, what’s next for the church?

In 2015, growth is still part of the agenda, said Scott, the east campus' first pastor.

He hopes each of the 2,500 seats in Bayside’s auditorium will always be full and for the church to continue to reach deeper into the community.

“Our slogan, especially throughout this (expansion) process, has been immeasurably more,” Scott said. “We want to continue to do more for the community by helping people grow personally and spiritually.”

Contact Amanda Sebastiano at [email protected].