Journey Community Church sits at 121 Alice Street in Arcadia, where a multigenerational, multi-ethnic congregation of Christ followers is rebuilding the oldest church in the city. Sunday worship blends band-led music, Bible reading and teaching, and holy communion at 10:30 a.m. in the Sanctuary, and that service is live on YouTube as well. The church's motto, "Through love serve one another" from Galatians 5:13, expresses a mission of welcoming people on a spiritual journey to become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.
Rebuilding the Oldest Church in Arcadia
Journey is a multi-generational, multi-ethnic group of Christ followers who have joined together on a journey with Jesus. That journey has four movements: growing in faith, sharing faith with others, reaching people who do not yet have a relationship with God, and blessing their communities and the world through transformed lives.
The ambition reaches beyond attendance. Journey is rebuilding the oldest church in Arcadia through a God-sized vision, seeking God in prayer and partnering with him as "pioneers, learning, and innovating" as new ministries are developed and launched, touching lives through the San Gabriel Valley and throughout the world. The stated vision is to introduce people to Jesus and together grow in spiritual maturity through Biblically-based worship, teaching, serving and sharing, spreading the love and grace of Jesus Christ as the Holy Spirit leads, to members, visitors, the community and the world.
Renewal here means new work rather than the preservation of old habits. Journey has rebuilt ministries including Stephen Ministry, a parish nurse program, senior gatherings and a family ministry, and it has a stated vision of a fun, spirit-filled Christian ministry for children and young people that touches their lives and the lives of their friends. Children, youth and young adults each have dedicated ministries, while small groups and Bible study support growth across the generations.
Sunday at 10:30 in the Sanctuary
Every Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m., Journey gathers for what it calls a blended service in the Sanctuary, and a visitor can expect about 60 minutes. The service opens with the church band leading the congregation in music, with song lyrics projected on screens so people can sing along or engage in worship however they are most comfortable. When the music portion ends, one of the pastors steps forward to share an encouraging, hope-filled message about Jesus.
Worship at Journey is described as "our corporate and personal exchange with God," a "spontaneous expression and ritual moment that transcends personal preference and all stereotype." It is understood as a reorienting of life, a reminder that God is God and people are not. Because the congregation is both multigenerational and multiethnic, the service integrates many traditions: reading and teaching of the Bible, lifting voices together with songs from all generations, and joining in the ancient practice of holy communion.
Sundays are described as exciting, casual and relaxed, and the church invites visitors to come as they are and expect to feel welcomed as a guest. The service is livestreamed on YouTube, and a sermon archive and a separate livestream archive keep past messages available.
Journey Kids From Infancy Through Grade 8
Children are a priority at Journey. The children's ministry holds that every child is a precious gift from God and is dedicated to helping parents nurture and develop those gifts for his glory, grounding that conviction in Jesus's valuing of children in Matthew 19:14. The aim is a safe place where kids feel valued, learn, grow and belong.
Journey Kids welcomes children from infancy through Grade 8 and runs alongside the 10:30 a.m. service. Safety is a stated priority, and the first visit includes a detailed check-in process, so families are asked to leave about ten extra minutes to get signed in. Sunday school is provided for preschool through Grade 5, with dynamic Pre-K and elementary classes.
The curriculum is called "Orange," introduced each September and built around Matthew 22:37-39. It sets three aims for children: Wonder, a deep and personal relationship with God; Discovery, embracing the joy and purpose in their lives; and Passion, cultivating compassion and kindness toward others. The family ministry connects with youth and their families, and the church's vision for its younger generation is a fun, spirit-filled Christian ministry that reaches beyond the church doors into the lives of friends.
Parking on Both Sides of Alice Street
There are parking lots on the north and south sides of the church, street parking is permitted, and handicapped parking is located in the north lot on Genoa Street. Together the lots hold about 215 spaces. A new walkway between the Sanctuary and the north lot, planted with new plants and furnished with benches, was dedicated as an Eagle Scout project by Luke Yang of Boy Scout Troop 111.
The church keeps an open-door policy, with church business taking place both on and off campus. If you would like to meet a particular staff member, an appointment in advance is advisable. First-time visitors can let the church know they are coming through the plan a visit form, which asks about children in the family and whether a pastor should reach out personally.
A Sanctuary, Hall and Lounge for Gatherings
The Sanctuary seats 350 on the floor and 75 to 100 in the balcony, across 18 rows of chairs. The stage area measures roughly 10 by 30 feet, and the platform is 1,600 square feet with 240 square feet of stairs, and it can hold an orchestra of more than 100 pieces. A grand piano and organ sit on stage alongside a state-of-the-art sound system, professional lighting, and a screen for PowerPoint and video presentations. No food or drink is allowed in the Sanctuary.
Other rooms extend the hospitality of the campus. The Fellowship Hall seats 240, with 24 round tables seating 192 and four long tables seating 48, in a room of about 55 by 74 feet with a grand piano and sound system. The Lounge seats 104 at 13 long tables, measures about 45 by 31 feet, and has a piano, screen and microphone, and a fireplace. Several classrooms can accommodate 30 to 100 people, and the commercial kitchen, with refrigerator and freezer, is available to rent.
The Sanctuary is also a place to celebrate weddings, and the church rents rooms for private events. A deposit of 50 percent of the total cost is required when a room is reserved, the balance is due 30 days before the event, and the deposit is refunded if the event is cancelled at least 30 days ahead. Reservations may be held tentatively for one week. Media directors are required for Sanctuary rentals and coordinate sound reinforcement, audio recording, stage lighting and playback, while a custodian remains on campus to prepare and secure the rooms.
Care for People in Difficult Seasons
Journey's care and visitation ministry began with hospital visits and regular calls on people who are shut in and unable to attend church on Sunday. It has grown into several ministries, including Changing Seasons, a ministry for widows and widowers, and a Senior Luncheon program that has featured a lieutenant commander from the Arcadia Police Department speaking about the scams that target older adults. The church also keeps a safety team and holds a safety meeting for the congregation after worship.
Stephen Ministry is one of the clearest expressions of that care. Stephen Ministers are congregation members who are equipped and commissioned for caring ministry, drawn from many backgrounds, ages and walks of life but sharing a heart for bringing Christ's healing love to hurting people. A Stephen Minister walks alongside someone through one-to-one, emotional and spiritual care, typically meeting in person for about an hour a week, listening, encouraging and connecting that person with God's love. Those cared for are people in the congregation or the wider community facing grief, job loss, divorce, major illness or spiritual struggles.
The staff also includes a parish nurse, Makeda Kirui, a licensed vocational nurse who serves as a charge nurse in a skilled nursing facility and as a K-12 school nurse. The parish nurse role takes a holistic approach, caring for physical needs alongside emotional and spiritual well-being, and contributes health and wellness features to the congregation's weekly email newsletter, The Plugged-In, which arrives each Friday with announcements, classes and notes of thanks from church leadership.
Prayer is carried by a dedicated intercessory team. Requests can be sent to the church or submitted through its prayer request form, and the church states that requests remain confidential and are shared only with the lead team for the purpose of prayer, with a call back available on request.
Preschool Learning and the Academy of Fine Arts
The church's preschool is a Christian school that offers education in a developmentally appropriate and loving way and provides childcare for children from six weeks through kindergarten, with infant and toddler rooms for children six weeks through three. The school is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the approach is play-based learning intended to develop children spiritually, socially, emotionally and physically. Teachers are expected to hold at least 12 core early childhood education units, including infant units, along with CPR and first aid certification and six months of teaching experience, and to share the love of Jesus with the children and staff.
Preschool life reaches beyond the classroom. Officers from the Arcadia Police Department have visited to talk with children about protecting the community, and representatives from Valley Vista Services have shown the children a waste disposal truck and explained recycling. A Christmas program has had the preschoolers retell the Christmas story with singing and dancing, followed by a snowstorm in the courtyards and refreshments for the families.
The Academy of Fine Arts adds music to the church's life, offering classes led by instructors and holding recitals in the Sanctuary. Adam Farley, the Director of Worship and Fine Arts, works with the worship team and the academy and is the point of contact for classes.
Mission Work in Arcadia and Around the World
Locally, Journey supports Creative Housing Options in Arcadia, a faith-based volunteer group working to increase affordable housing and reduce homelessness in the city in a loving manner. The group shares housing information at large in-person gatherings, speaks with the city council and city staff, engages the city's housing element, and partners with churches and the wider faith community. Journey has been represented in that work.
Internationally, the church's mission team welcomed Edi and Bona Demo and the Illyricum Movement, whose aim is to plant and establish healthy local churches so that people can experience new life in Christ and then go out to make disciples of all nations. Eight churches have been planted in Albania, Kosovo and Mongolia under indigenous, first-generation Christian leaders. An International Biblical Training Center in Albania hosts about 50 church leaders and their families from rural regions for a year of training in ministry and home schooling. The ministry also pairs Albanian English-language learners with American believers for online conversation, connects Albanian teenagers with American Christian teenagers for spiritual discussion, distributes Bibles in rural villages, and has organized short mission trips to the Netherlands to reach minorities in cooperation with Dutch churches.
The church also supports the International Theological Seminary, and its missionaries speak and teach in academic settings. Finney Premkumar, president of Truth Matters International and one of Journey's missionaries, has spoken at Grossmont College on the uniqueness of human agency in the age of artificial intelligence. Pastor John has taught in that college's Philosophy and Religious Studies Department since 1997 and holds the rank of Assistant Professor of Religion.
The People Behind the Ministry
- Rev. John M. Scholte, Senior Pastor. Grew up in the Philippines, spent time in the Hawaiian Islands and attended school in Michigan. Ordained in the Reformed Church in America in 1988, he served first at Community Life Reformed Church, a new church start in Denver, Colorado, and later at Community Reformed Church in Freeport, Illinois. After moving to California in 1996, he worked in marketing and public relations before teaching religion and humanities at Grossmont College, and in 2017 he became Pastor of Education and Discipleship at RB Community Church in San Diego. He was called to Journey in October 2021, is married to Kimberley, and they have five children.
- Judson Lim, Director of Family Ministries. Holds a B.A. in Biblical Studies from Hope International University and an M.A. in Organizational Leadership from Azusa Pacific University, and grew up overseas as a missionary kid in the Philippines, Mongolia, Malaysia and Taiwan. He focuses on connecting with Journey's youth and their families.
- Adam Farley, Director of Worship and Fine Arts. Born in Seoul, South Korea, and raised in West Liberty, Ohio, he studied classical and jazz music at Indiana University and spent twenty years in the music industry as a songwriter, band member and touring musician. He plays guitar, piano, bass, drums and violin.
- Joe Wan, Director of Care and Visitation. A former business consultant with more than twenty years of experience, he oversees Stephen Ministry, the Senior Ministry, the Prayer Ministry and the Changing Seasons ministry, and leads fitness classes and hikes outside the office.
- Erin Cruz, Director of Administration and Facilities. Serving at Journey for more than ten years, she has a degree in Business Management and Marketing, and oversees the church office, its facilities and the safety of the campus.
- Jennifer Sacco, Director of the Preschool. Has 22 years of experience in early childhood development and is passionate about creating nurturing, supportive environments where children can learn and grow.
- Makeda Kirui, Parish Nurse. A licensed vocational nurse who also works as a charge nurse in a skilled nursing facility, a school nurse and a peer tutor for nursing students, she is pursuing further nursing study and brings a holistic approach to health within the congregation.
- Rev. Dr. Larry Ballenger, retired Associate Pastor of Care and Visitation. After more than 50 years in ministry, he retired from that post and has continued to support the church's care ministries. A trumpet and bugle player since elementary school, he joined Bugles Across America in 2007 and has played at more than 250 military services, including playing "Taps" for military families throughout the year.
Elders and Deacons
Journey is served by a Board of Elders and a Board of Deacons. Ruling elders carry responsibilities in leadership, governance and worship, discerning God's calling for the life of the congregation and measuring its faithfulness to that call, and the church notes that the PC(USA) supports ruling elders through its Leadership Formation program so congregational leaders can grow in their service. Deacons embody acts of care, compassion and service, often through ministries of feeding, visitation, prayer and hospitality, and they minister in the surrounding community as well.
- Elders, Class of 2026: Michael Chang, Chris Han, Lynn Wen, Marilyn Miller.
- Elders, Class of 2027: Terry Bright, Joe Purcell, Bob Robe.
- Elders, Class of 2028: Bob Curtis, Darrel Sager, Loren Miller.
- Deacons, Class of 2026: Eve Change, Jamie Robe, Diane Wilson.
- Deacons, Class of 2027: Linda Benedict, Miyah Farley, Jerlyn Mask.
- Deacons, Class of 2028: Barbara Warwick, who was ordained as a deacon, and Christie Curtis.
Giving and the Arcadia People for Christ Foundation
Online giving is set up through PayPal, and Zelle is an alternate option with payments sent to info@arcadia.church. For those who want to give beyond the weekly offering, the Arcadia People for Christ Foundation, established by the church 40 years ago, exists to support the work of the church. It is managed by an independent board of directors responsible for investing and administering foundation funds, and it relies on gifts from people who want to help proclaim the gospel in the future. Some gifts can reduce income or estate taxes, and the church office can help with contributions or direct a worthy cause seeking funds.
Journey has also given participants free membership in the RightNow Media Christian video library, with 24-hour access to more than 25,000 videos for Bible studies, small groups, and personal and leadership development, a gift made possible by the capital campaign "Restoring Peter's Roof." Access is available through the church's video library membership.
At 121 Alice Street, the rhythm of Journey Community Church runs from the 10:30 a.m. service in the Sanctuary to children's classes, small groups, care visits, preschool days and mission work across Arcadia, the San Gabriel Valley and the world.