A House of Refuge in the Heart of Diablo Valley
Fair Oaks Church meets at 1925 Risdon Road in Concord, in the East Bay's Diablo Valley, gathering each Sunday at 10am for a service that typically runs about an hour and fifteen minutes. The church describes itself as a life-giving church in Diablo Valley and uses the phrase "We are a House of Refuge" as a kind of motto that frames everything it does. Members trace that image back to Genesis 16, where God meets a desperate woman in the wilderness and shows her living water.
Sundays at Fair Oaks
The Sunday service begins with singing. The music is led by a worship team and, as the church cheerfully admits, it can get a little loud, because they are celebrating. After singing, the congregation hears a sermon. Teaching works verse by verse through books of the Bible and is described as Bible-based and practical, always pointing to Jesus. The final block is a response time that includes prayer, communion, baptisms, and giving. No plate is passed; tithes and offerings go into offering boxes in the room or are given online.
Children from nursery through fifth grade join a parallel Kids Ministry during the service, with hands-on, age-appropriate lessons led by trained volunteers. Visitors are told to come as they are. The atmosphere is casual and reflective, and the only dress code is whatever someone would typically wear on a weekend.
Walking With Women in Unplanned Pregnancies
The most distinctive thing about Fair Oaks is the way it leans into its House of Refuge identity. The church runs a dedicated ministry for women facing unplanned pregnancies, organized around a set of clear commitments written out in its own words.
The ministry will not support or encourage abortion, a position the church holds because it teaches that life begins at conception. At the same time, the church promises it will never gossip about, shame, or abandon a woman, no matter the circumstances. Members of the church are prepared to throw baby showers, connect women with resources, mentor them through pregnancy, and remain involved after birth. Men are held accountable for their responsibility to provide and protect. For women who have had an abortion in their past, the church offers prayer and a journey of healing rooted in the belief that nothing is beyond what Jesus can restore.
A Refuge Team rotates on-call coverage before, during, and after Sunday services so that anyone who comes forward for help is met by someone ready to listen. Resources come from generous members who have donated strollers, car seats, clothing, temporary housing, and other tangible needs. The church also partners with Love Life, a national organization that mobilizes congregations to support women in crisis pregnancies and to care for orphans, and dedicates one week each year to Love Life's "Adopt a Week" initiative of focused prayer and fasting.
Partners Near and Far
Fair Oaks is a member of Converge, a nationwide network of Baptist churches that plants and strengthens churches around the world. Closer to home, the church works with Foster the City, a Bay Area organization that equips congregations to provide foster homes for children in need. Fair Oaks also supports seven missionaries internationally, with more information on global partners still in development. The mission is described in regional terms: spread the life of Jesus from Diablo Valley to the ends of the earth.
Gospel Communities and Equipping Classes
Outside the Sunday gathering, life at Fair Oaks flows through Gospel Communities, small groups of roughly five to fifteen people who meet weekly in homes across Diablo Valley. Members describe them as less like a programmed meeting and more like a big, weekly family dinner, places to share prayer requests, study the Bible, and do life together throughout the week.
For deeper teaching, the church runs Equipping Classes through the year. Recent offerings have included an "End Times for Everyone" course held in two parallel tracks, Sundays from 8:30 to 9:30am and Wednesdays from 7 to 8pm, both in the Adult Learning Center. A Rooted track and other short courses help people grow in the basics of following Jesus. Sermon series through the past year have walked verse by verse through the Gospel of John, the Sermon on the Mount, Romans, Daniel, Jonah, the Psalms, and other books of the Bible.
Kids, Youth, and Family Ministry
Fair Oaks Kids serves children from nursery through fifth grade during the Sunday service, with hands-on lessons taught by a volunteer team and led by Kids Director Jenny Roethlisberger. The aim, in her words, is to fascinate kids with Jesus.
Fair Oaks Youth meets most Wednesday evenings from 5:30 to 6:45pm at the church, starting with a shared dinner before opening the Bible together. The youth ministry takes intergenerational worship seriously. Students do not just attend the Sunday gathering with the rest of the church, they also serve, investing in kids, running production, and joining the full life of the congregation. Family Pastor Stephen Petiti oversees ministry across generations.
Men, Women, and Seniors
Fair Oaks does not maintain a separate women's program, but the church hosts the local Women's Bible Study Fellowship every Tuesday at 9:30am. Women from across Diablo Valley gather to study Scripture in depth, with childcare provided. Occasional women's events round out the year, from conferences to brunches.
The Men's Ministry meets Sundays at 8:45am in Room 121 of the Adult Learning Center. The group is built for men who either walk with God or are still investigating Jesus but want to do it with other guys. Men's Director Eric Vale leads the ministry.
Seniors meet on the first and third Thursdays of each month, from 9:30am to 1pm, for morning activities, lunch, and an encouraging message from a guest speaker. Senior's Director Lorrie McConaughy organizes the gatherings.
What Fair Oaks Believes
The Statement of Faith at Fair Oaks is built around ten articles. It begins with one true God, eternally existing as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the sovereign creator and sustainer of all things. The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are described as divinely inspired and entirely truthful, and the Bible is the final authority in matters of faith and practice.
Jesus is affirmed as truly God and truly man, born of the virgin Mary, sinless in life, crucified under Pontius Pilate, and raised again on the third day, victorious over Satan, sin, and death. He is alive today, ruling and reigning from heaven. Humanity is created in God's image, so every human life is sacred. All people are sinners by nature and choice, separated from God and in need of redemption. The gospel is the good news that God has acted to redeem his broken creation through the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ, both personally and cosmically.
Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in the finished work of Christ. The Church is expressed in local communities called to worship, teaching, prayer, mutual love, and the spread of the gospel. Two sacraments are observed: baptism, the outward sign of faith and union with Christ in his death and resurrection, and communion, in which believers remember his sacrifice and share in his presence. The statement closes with the personal, bodily return of Jesus, the final judgment, and the renewal of all things.
Leadership
A board of elders, also called pastors, provides spiritual oversight. The current elders are Ron Swenson, Phil Godley, Chad Francis, Stephen Petiti, and Joe Roethlisberger. Chad Francis serves as Lead Pastor, Phil Godley as Worship Pastor, and Stephen Petiti as Family Pastor. Jenny Roethlisberger directs Kids Ministry, Eric Vale leads the Men's Ministry, and Lorrie McConaughy oversees the Senior Ministry Fellowship.
Online and Giving
Services are livestreamed on YouTube each Sunday at 10am, with replays and a deep archive of past messages available for later viewing. Sermon notes, response guides, and small-group discipleship guides are posted weekly for the current series.
Giving can be done in person via the offering boxes during the service, by mail to the church office at 1925 Risdon Road, Concord, CA 94518, or online. A weekly email keeps subscribers connected to news, stories, and events.