Who We Are
Life Change is a group of people who genuinely desire to help make a positive difference in the lives of those around us. We try to accomplish this by living real, authentic lives in this increasingly fake and plastic world. We strive to show people the way toward Jesus by listening, talking, sharing, serving, helping and caring for everyone we meet.
If you are looking for a place to belong, a place where you matter, a place where you can make a difference in the lives of others, a place where you can serve your community, look no further.
We are Black, Asian, Hispanic, White, Puerto Rican, Portuguese, Jewish, short, tall, hairy, bald, skinny, fat, rich, poor, tattooed and no-tattoos, pierced and un-pierced, Baptist, Lutheran, Pentecostal, Catholic, Reformed, Un-Reformed, un-churched, de-churched, hate-church, love- church and everything in-between.
We do not have a “looks like me” mentality here. We come from all walks of life with all different backgrounds for one purpose...to see lives changed here in Chowchilla and beyond. We are a diverse group of people who come together to deepen our relationship with Christ and one another.
Affiliation
Our Church’s denominational affiliation rests with the American Baptist Churches USA. If interested, be sure to ask for the “10 Facts About ABC” brochure or visit www.abc-usa.org for more information.
Life Change, formerly First Baptist Church of Chowchilla, was founded in 1921 in an old railroad car. Over the years the church campus has morphed and evolved into this campus as it has been recently remodeled in 2009 and again in 2011 as it is seen today.
In 1997, the region formerly known as the American Baptist Churches of the West, changed its name to reflect its mission to the Growing Healthy Churches Network (GHC). Every GHC church is completely independent. There is no denominational control or hierarchy, as there is in most other denominations. Each church is self-governed and determines its own affairs.
Our Values
Missional Thinking.
We are missionaries locally AND globally. We believe we are to think and act like missionaries in the local community while actively pursuing global impact.
Prayer.
Pray like it’s real. We believe God acts with power in the world through prayer. The Bible tells us to ask, seek, knock and believe God will answer. So we will, as fundamental part of who we are.
Truth.
Bring your brain to church. We believe in intellectual integrity. It’s OK to think, wonder, ask, explore, even challenge. Truth can handle it. So can we. We encourage thoughtful exploration and we will seek to meet it with respect, grace, honesty and intelligence.
Authentic (just being real).
Keep it real. We believe in striving to be the real article, not faking faith; which includes being honest and open about our weaknesses and struggles. We call it “authentegrity”.
Creativity.
Be artful and creative. . . God is. We believe in artistic creativity. The creation reveals a Maker that is unimaginably creative and artistic. We want to reflect Him. Principles like innovation, creativity, striving for excellence in production are expressions of being created in God’s image.
Extravagant Worship.
Worship Extravagantly: We believe the right response to God should be passionate human expression. People naturally respond to life by clapping, shouting, dancing, even crying. We believe God is the ultimate inspiration so we encourage human response.
Teams.
Do God’s will with people you love. We believe in doing life in teams. Teams are active, loving groups where our God-given gifts are joined with other’s to help people experience Jesus.