Santa Barbara International Christian Church

Category: Santa Barbara Good News

  • Colby’s Baptism – October 20, 2013

    Colby’s Baptism – October 20, 2013

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    Richie McDonnell – October 20, 2013
    “Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.” (Jeremiah 17:14) Greetings from beautiful Santa Barbara, known as “the American Riviera!” While the rest of the City of Angels Church was meeting in Downtown LA 100 miles away, the Santa Barbara Sector had our very first Bring Your Neighbor Day with a Chili Cook-off, where God blessed us with a record attendance to date of 40 adults with only 19 disciples! And almost everyone is set up to study the Bible this week!

    After service, we enjoyed a feast of chili where our judges picked the most delicious chili as the winner: our sister – Doriene Turner was the cook! Then, to close out this momentous day, we walked down the hill of the Santa Barbara City College Campus to the beach to see Colby Taylor get baptized in the beautiful Pacific Ocean! The brothers met Colby about five months after he had overcome a life of highly addictive, hard drug and alcohol abuse. It was inspiring as Colby brought seven of his family members with him to church to witness the miracle of his baptism! Now, not only is Colby “healed” from a life of drug addiction, but he also has been truly “healed” and saved through the salvation of Jesus Christ!

    The Santa Barbara Sector’s BYND had a record
    attendance of 40 and was highlighted
    by Colby’s baptism!

    After all was said and done, we closed out the evening with our weekly Sunday Movie Night at our home! What a day for the Lord! Please keep praying for the disciples in the Santa Barbara Ministry, as we will all be sent out at the 2014 January Winter Workshop to form the Santa Barbara International Christian Church!

  • Cameron’s Baptism – September 1, 2013

    Cameron’s Baptism – September 1, 2013

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    Cameron is an awesome carpenter living in the student populated area known as Isla Vista, that was met through our tagging efforts! He overcame a challenging past and was baptized today on the beach of one of the most wicked areas of the whole Santa Barbara County – Del Playa! It is the ocean front street that is infamous for its flagrant sin and today God placed a ray of shining light there, as Cameron’s sins were washed away in the Pacific Ocean!
  • Santa Barbara City College Kick Off – September 1, 2013

    Santa Barbara City College Kick Off – September 1, 2013

    Richie McDonnell – September 1, 2013My wife & I want to thank Luke & Brandyn Speckman for the incredible training we have received in Phoenix and Los Angeles! It has been awesome planting the newest sector of the LA Church, which Lord willing, will become an official church planting in January 2014! This week was incredible as we finished our campaign for the Santa Barbara City College, rated the number one community college in America by the Aspen Institute! It started with daily prayer at 6AM, and concluded with a visitor-packed “Back to School Party” with an attendance of 25! Amazingly, all of the visitors are set-up to study the Bible this week!

  • Alex’s Baptism – August 27, 2013

    Alex’s Baptism – August 27, 2013

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    Alex is an incredibly talented UCSB graduate student, pursuing a Master’s in Mathematics. He graduated high school at 15, graduated Stanford at 19, worked at Yahoo for a couple of years before deciding to go back to school, as well as teaching undergraduate math classes. Alex came from a Scientology background with almost no knowledge of Jesus, and in just under three months came to faith in Jesus, and completely opened up his heart to the fellowship and has become one of the most thoughtful brothers!
  • Engracia and Lily Join the Team – August 25, 2013

    Engracia and Lily Join the Team – August 25, 2013

    Chris Broom of the OC Region – August 25, 2013Engracia and Lily are going to be a part of the new Santa Barbara Sector led by Richie & Elizabeth McDonnell, which will become the Santa Barbara Church Planting in January 2014!

  • Tomas Joins The Team – August 1, 2013

    Tomas Joins The Team – August 1, 2013

    Luke Speckman – August 11, 2013Today, Tomas Gonzalez placed membership in the Santa Barbara Sector, moving from the Portland Church. Also, in Ventura, we witnessed the tearful restoration of our dear brother Marcel Turner. His restoration was very healing for our ministry and for me personally, as he has been a son in the faith to me! For all of these miracles, we stand in awe of God!

  • Pismo Beach – July 21, 2013

    Pismo Beach – July 21, 2013

    Luke Speckman – July 21, 2013On Friday, Richie and I drove up to Pismo Beach to do a Bible study with Eric, a remnant disciple who wants to join the Santa Barbara Sector! Pismo Beach is about 180 miles outside of Los Angeles! Truly the beacon of light cast by the LA Church shines brightly all over Southern California and even up the Central Coast! We had a great Bible study and an incredible prayer overlooking the Pacific Ocean. During our prayer, a pod of whales slowly swam by about 100 yards off shore! They repeatedly spouted as they swam by and one whale “waved” to us as he lifted his entire fin out of the water! It was an amazing, memorable moment!

  • SBCC #1 in America! – June 6, 2013

    SBCC #1 in America! – June 6, 2013

    The Santa Barbara Sector’s Inaugural Service was held on the campus of Santa Barbara Community College – #1 in America!
  • Inaugural Service – June 16, 2013

    Inaugural Service – June 16, 2013

    Luke Speckman of Ventura – June 16, 2013
    Today the entire Ventura Region met in Santa Barbara for the Inaugural Service of the Santa Barbara Sector! 70 disciples and friends met on the campus of Santa Barbara City College – rated by the Aspen Institute as the number one community college out of the over 1,000 in America! It was an amazing service with incredible singing, sharing and preaching!

    One of the many highlights was Jose & Liz Corral (born, raised, married and baptized 19 years ago – all in Santa Barbara!), who delivered a tearful communion! They shared their spiritual journey fighting against lukewarmness, worldliness and wealth’s deceit. These temptations led to them moving away from Portland to their comfort zone of Dallas. When they saw how far they had fallen, they moved to Phoenix in 2010 in order to get back to their first love! Now they have returned “home” to Santa Barbara to bring their rekindled fire to this very beautiful but very lost city.

    Richie preached a powerful sermon that encompassed conviction, love, humor and Santa Barbara facts that gave to all great encouragement! We are so proud of both Richie & Elizabeth! Finally, we are excited to announce that our dear brother, Dale Bryant, who was converted at ASU and came with us to Ventura last year on the mission team, is now an official “Unpaid Intern” and a student of ICCM! He has been Richie’s armor bearer and right hand man in Ventura and now in Santa Barbara! Please be praying for the Ventura Region, as well as our Santa Barbara Sector, who Lord willing, will become a self-supporting church by January 2014!

    2013-06-16-Inaugeral_Service

    Kip McKean – June 16, 2013
    On Sunday morning, Elena & I were so blessed to participate in the Inaugural Service of the Santa Barbara Sector at Santa Barbara City College! Richie & Elizabeth McDonnell are the new full-time leaders of this noble effort, whose vision is to evangelize the almost 500,000 of Santa Barbara County! Using Deuteronomy 9 as his key text, Richie’s sermon – A Great Fire From A Spark – was one of the finest that I have ever heard from a young man just 21 years old! To also be commended are Luke & Brandyn Speckman, who have done an outstanding job of discipling this remarkable couple! Lord willing in January 2014, this sector will become the Santa Barbara International Christian Church!

  • Placing membership in the City of Angeles ICC – June 2, 2013

    Placing membership in the City of Angeles ICC – June 2, 2013

    Richie & Elizabeth McDonnell have partnered with Luke & Brandyn Speckman to evangelize Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties!
    Richie & Elizabeth McDonnell have partnered with Luke & Brandyn Speckman to evangelize Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties!

    Luke Speckman – June 2, 2013
    Greetings from Ventura! What an incredible week this has been! Tuesday evening, we established our first foothold in Santa Barbara as Jose & Liz Corral arrived from Phoenix! The second wave came in on Thursday around midnight when the “Chicago Fab Five” (Jason, Dara, KaSella, Dori, and Bria) pulled into Ventura where they’ll be staying until they can secure housing in Santa Barbara!

    On Friday, Pat & Sparkle Boea Jr. and the South Central Campus Ministry came to Ventura to welcome the “Chicago Five” to California and join us for our Campus Devo! The devo was electric with about 40 in attendance! South Central stayed the night in Ventura, and then on Saturday morning, I cooked breakfast for everyone (about 50 people) at our house where we had an amazing time of fellowship!

    Another highlight was seeing the Spirit send-out the seven who placed membership in Ventura – along with our own Richie & Elizabeth McDonnell and Dale Bryant – to form the Santa Barbara Sector! Please keep them and us in your prayers as well as the first Santa Barbara Service which will be on June 16th! We are so proud that the Lord has raised-up Richie & Elizabeth to lead the Santa Barbara Sector and we have full confidence in them! A special thank you to Chicago for sending “the Fab Five” to us, as well as to the Phoenix Church for sending the Corrals! Please keep us in your prayers!