November 19, 2004

Nazarene church expects spring 2005 opening in Evergreen

By Fiona Sortor
Staff Writer

In the late 1980s, Ramona Stocking sat at her window and glanced at her garden outside. Filled with various colors and hybrids of roses, it had become famous in San Jose. Even President Eisenhower had purchased roses from her garden.

But the time had come for the plot of land to be placed into someone else’s hands. Picking up a pen, Ramona carefully wrote down the details of her will—specifying who would receive her garden and her property when she passed away.

“The Point” Nazarene church is still under construction, but will open its doors to the community in spring of 2005.

Across town, The Point, a Nazarene church in East San Jose, was beginning to talk about moving to a new location. The church had been in San Jose since the 1920’s and now had a growing congregation of 465 men, women and children.

Ramona Stocking happened to be a member of The Point’s congregation who chose to will her property to the church. When she passed away, she blessed The Point with the ability to realize its dreams of building a new facility.
Plans for the new location went under way. Almost.

Unfortunately, Ramona’s piece of property presented the church with limitations that would not enable it to expand.

The land was only large enough to build a facility about the same size as its existing church.

So, still grateful for the gift, the church sat on the land for quite some time.

Value of land increases more than tenfold
Several years later, the economy boomed in San Jose and the value of the property increased significantly. A man building town homes became interested in the area and offered his own piece of property in exchange. As it turned out, he wasn’t able to make use of his hilly property in Evergreen. Luckily for the church, it could.

The man and The Point made a deal, and the original $200,000 value of the property jumped to $3.6 million. With that money, and the new property in Evergreen, the Nazarene church began construction on a 52,000-square-foot church at 3695 Rose Terrasse Circle near Aborn and Murillo Roads.

Opening new facility, with new outlook
Scheduled to open in spring 2005, the new Evergreen church will hold a college-sized gymnasium, 20 classrooms, a bride’s room, an auditorium, a rose garden, a nursery, a recreational center and a number of offices.

It will open with more than a new facility—it will open with a different outlook on ministry and many community services to the Evergreen community.

Pastor Jim Cooper has been with the church for eight years, and is excited about the move and the changes in store. He explained that the church is re-thinking the way that it does ministry—how it communicates the word of God to people.

“The focus will not only be on building a new church, but also on changing the methodology of the way we do things inside the church,” he said.

Cooper explained that the Nazarene church is a church that has historically attempted to make itself relevant to the current time and place.

For the new church, this will mean a new way of worshipping, a new and more lively children’s program with video games and DVDs, and sermons that fit the current culture.

Stacey Johnson, The Point’s director of marketing and transition, explained another way that the church was changing.
A traditional service will be available, but The Point will also have small groups of 5 – 10 people who meet at the church or each other’s homes to study the Bible.

Offering community services
The church is also staying relevant with the time and place by providing a number of services to the local community.

The Point plans to provide after-school tutoring for children, sports and recreational programs for a variety of ages, parenting classes for parents raising their children in a second culture and after-school student activities.

The college-sized gymnasium will be open to the community at various times, and intramural teams will be formed, Cooper said.

Chinese and Montessori schools have also contacted Cooper. He said the church will consider opening a day care if the need is presented.

“We hope to bring to the community events that will enhance community life and enrich family life … through speakers, dramas and musicals, festival/carnivals and other activities,” he said.

There will also be a bride’s room inside the church where the bride-to-be may change and prepare for her big day. The room will overlook a garden—with rose bushes from Ramona Stocking’s original garden, serving as a reminder of the woman whose generosity will impact many lives in Evergreen.

Although the current facility at 4801 Alum Rock Avenue has already been sold to another community church, the church is still open and will be offering special services from Thanksgiving through Christmas. The Evergreen-based church at 3695 Rose Terrasse Circle will not be opening until spring of 2005.

For more information, call the office at (408) 258-7842 or go the Web site at www.sjfc.org..