A Landmark on Pico Avenue Since 1885
For more than a century, a church has stood on the corner of Hawthorn and Pico in downtown Fallbrook, watching the town grow up around it. Locals still refer to LifePointe Church Fallbrook as the church on the hill, and the 300-seat sanctuary that overlooks the city is a direct continuation of a building that has anchored this site since the late 1880s. The current name is newer than the building. Until 2014 the congregation was known as Fallbrook First Baptist Church, the same body that began with seven charter members in 1885 and was formally incorporated as the First Baptist Church of West Fallbrook in 1887.
From a Frame Building to a Sanctuary That Seats 300
The first pastor, Rev. W.H. Stenger, met with those seven founders in the old Methodist Episcopal Church. By 1888 charter member F.W. Bartlett had donated land for a permanent home, and a frame building went up on the corner. A bell hung in its tower and rang every Sunday morning until 1968. By then the wood was no longer safe. Termites had done their work, and on Easter Sunday, April 14, 1968, the congregation held its last service in the old building. It was then the oldest remaining church structure in San Diego County, and the steeple collapsed under its own weight even as volunteers tried to save it. A round stained glass window from that original sanctuary was preserved and now hangs in the current foyer.
Construction on the new sanctuary began in May 1968 under Rev. Henry Howell, and the building was dedicated on December 15, 1968. In 1990, during the pastorate of George Hreha, a parallel family center was added and dedicated on February 9, 1991. Both buildings remain in use today, and the round stained glass window is still one of the first things visitors notice when they walk through the door. After Gary Golike's tenure (2004-2012), Dr. Richard (Rick) Koole was installed as pastor on September 8, 2013, and the church officially changed its name from Fallbrook First Baptist Church to LifePointe Church in 2014, keeping the same doctrine and beliefs under the new name.
Sunday Mornings at 9:30
Sunday is the heart of the week at LifePointe. Doors open early enough for KidZone check-in at 9:15 AM, with the main worship service beginning at 9:30 AM in the sanctuary. The service is livestreamed on YouTube for those who want to join from home. Sunday School and the Youth Group both meet at 11:00 AM, after the service ends, with classes for preschoolers through sixth grade and a separate gathering for junior high and high school young adults.
Families with young children are welcome to keep their kids in the main service with them, and many do. For those who prefer a classroom setting, KidZone offers Bible-based, age-specific lessons from preschool through sixth grade. The check-in desk is staffed and ready by 9:15 AM each Sunday.
KidZone and Awana
The children's ministry at LifePointe runs on two tracks. Sunday morning KidZone covers preschool through sixth grade with check-in starting at 9:15 AM. Tuesday night Awana covers ages 3 through high school from 6:15 to 8:00 PM, divided into Cubbies (ages 3-4), Sparks (K-2), Truth and Training (3rd-6th), Trek (junior high), and Journey (high school). The church covers the cost of books, shirts, and vests so that any child in the community can participate, and the program includes special theme nights like crazy hair night and pajama night, plus an annual Pinewood Derby. Awana Ministry Director Sherri Cosby leads the team of volunteers.
Youth Group Twice a Week
Youth Pastor Eddie Walker oversees a youth ministry that meets twice a week. Sunday mornings bring the full group together at 11:00 AM, and Tuesdays add a second gathering at 6:15 PM, shared with Awana. The goal is straightforward: grow in spiritual wisdom and knowledge while learning how to interact with other believers and the wider world, with plenty of room for fun along the way. Walker came to faith at 12 in a small Baptist church on Long Island, graduated from San Diego Christian College, and joined the LifePointe staff on March 1, 2014. He and his wife Stacey have eight children.
Life Groups Around Fallbrook
Life Groups are the church's small-group ministry, meeting in host homes throughout the week rather than at the church building. The 2nd and 4th Wednesday evenings bring adults together at 6:00 PM at the Ellis Home, and a separate Life Group for young adults and families meets twice a month on Friday evenings at 6:30 PM at the Chan's. Life Groups are built around learning, fellowship, and encouragement, and the church asks anyone interested to contact the office for current locations and details.
Sojourners, Men's Bible Study, and the Rest of the Week
Tuesdays are busy at LifePointe. In addition to Awana and the youth gathering at 6:15 PM, the Sojourners 55+ group meets from 10:00 to 11:30 AM, and a Men's Bible Study gathers at 6:30 PM. The rhythms of the week are intentionally varied so that there is a place for almost anyone who wants to belong, whether that is a retired adult looking for midday fellowship or a working parent needing an evening study.
What LifePointe Believes
LifePointe describes itself as a Bible-believing church in the Baptist tradition. The full statement of beliefs runs sixteen sections and covers the Word of God, the Godhead (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), the person and work of Jesus Christ, the ministry of the Holy Spirit, angels, the creation and fall of man, salvation by grace through faith, the church, the ordinances of baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper, marriage and family, human sexuality, the dignity of the unborn, last things, the Christian walk, and the Christian's service. Two ordinances are practiced: believer's baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper, both understood as outward acts of obedience rather than means of salvation. Salvation itself is described as the gift of God through Jesus Christ, accomplished once for all and incapable of being lost.
The church is affiliated with the Pacific Church Network, an association of churches and ministries that began in 1954 and now serves congregations across Southern California, Hawaii, and Guam, with a focus on leadership development, church health, and church planting.
A Missions Family
LifePointe supports a small but specific set of mission partners. Locally, the church works with the Fallbrook Pregnancy Resource Center, now known as Hope Clinic for Women, which provides free services for women facing unplanned pregnancies. Internationally, Pastor Al Hawthorne and his wife Katherine serve as Regional Directors for Africa and the Middle East with Third Millennium Ministries, a nonprofit that builds free, multimedia seminary curricula for pastors around the globe who have no access to traditional theological education. Hawthorne, who was licensed as Associate Pastor in December 2015, is a Fallbrook native who spent five of the past thirty years living in Ethiopia and earned an MA in Global Leadership from Fuller Seminary in 2015. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry at the Antioch School in Ames, Iowa.
The Team Behind the Pulpit
Dr. Richard (Rick) Koole has served as Senior Pastor since September 8, 2013. A graduate of Cornerstone University and Grand Rapids Baptist Seminary, he went on to earn a master's and a doctorate in education from Western Michigan University. Before moving to Fallbrook he served as Senior Pastor of Chapel Pointe of Hudsonville, Michigan, and as Senior Pastor of Tri-City Church in Vista. He and his wife Carolyn have five children.
Dennis Drummond serves as Pastor of Congregational Care and as an Elder. Licensed in March 2014, he has held a number of roles in the congregation, including Elder, Trustee, Men's Coordinator, and LifeGroup leader, and works professionally as a landscape designer. Eddie Walker leads the youth ministry. Al Hawthorne serves as Pastor of Adult Ministries and as the congregation's connection to Third Millennium Ministries. The elder team includes Eric Mercy, Brad Nicoles, Tim Howell, Al Youman, Juan Santiago, and Kevin Campbell. Chandria Witwer leads worship with a mix of classic hymns and modern Christian music.
Joining on Sunday
Visitors on Sunday will find the church at 221 N. Pico Avenue, with check-in for children opening at 9:15 AM and worship beginning at 9:30 AM. The service is livestreamed on YouTube, giving is available online through the church's giving page, and the office can be reached at 760-728-7771 or at lifepointefallbrook@gmail.com. Office hours vary by season, so contacting the office ahead of time is the best way to arrange a visit or a conversation with a pastor. The church's mission, simple and stated the same way it has been since 1885, is to glorify God in everything they do and to share the good news of Jesus Christ with all who will listen.