Twin Lakes Church is a gospel-centered congregation beside Cabrillo College in Aptos, California, with a 136-year history rooted in grace, unity and hope in Jesus Christ. The church's life combines worship with education, care for families, recovery support and practical outreach. Saturday worship begins at 5 p.m.; Sunday services begin at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., with the 11 a.m. gathering conducted in Spanish. People can also join in person or online.
From Two Small Lagoons to Cabrillo College Drive
Twin Lakes Church traces its roots to 1890, when a Baptist summer retreat center opened in Santa Cruz between two small lagoons on 7th Avenue. Weekly church services soon began in the camp auditorium known as the Little Brown Church by the Sea. The church and camp closed in the early 1920s. On March 30, 1930, 11 young people restarted services in the leaky old building with 19 cents in the treasury. A congregation called Twin Lakes Baptist Church emerged under Roy Kraft, who began leading it in 1947.
In 1973, Twin Lakes left its harbor-neighborhood campus and moved to land beside Cabrillo College in Aptos. Expansion through the 1980s brought a gym, preschool and elementary school, and the church also funded ministry buildings in under-resourced countries. Roy Kraft retired in 1990 after 47 years. René Schlaepfer became senior pastor in 1993 at age 32, while worship leadership eventually passed from Paul Barton to Dan Baker. With renewed facilities, new leadership and the shorter name Twin Lakes Church, the congregation entered a season of renewal and growth.
A fall food drive begun in 2007 grew into a tradition credited with providing millions of meals locally. Twin Lakes released its first curriculum in 2008, beginning a line of books and sermon series used by churches around the world. Twin Lakes Christian School doubled in 2011. In 2013, the church added a children's center on its Aptos campus and a classroom and health clinic in India, tying its local life-development work to an international ministry.
During the 2020s, Twin Lakes continued growing through the pandemic and the CZU fire. Its response included raising more than 2 million meals, expanding staff, taking its online ministry to 187 countries, serving as a fire-relief camp and serving 6,000 people through People's Pantry. The Loft coffee house and college ministry center opened in 2022, extending the church's life beyond the auditorium and into the surrounding Aptos community.
Saturday at 5, Sunday at 9 and 11
Saturday worship begins at 5 p.m., with Sunday gatherings at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. The 11 a.m. Sunday service is held in Spanish, and all three gatherings can be joined in person or online. Each service is typically a little over an hour. Congregants sing a few songs and hear a Bible-based message, while friendly greeters help visitors find their way, answer questions and feel welcome. The church describes worship as an encounter meant to leave people encouraged, inspired and renewed.
Attire is deliberately low-key. A T-shirt and jeans are typical, and some people dress up a little, but the central instruction is to wear whatever feels comfortable. The visit experience also welcomes children, students and adults, with places to build friendships and grow in faith. A free Welcome Lunch runs monthly in Monschke Hall. It lasts about an hour, covers the church's history, vision and values, includes pastors and staff, and welcomes kids.
Twin Lakes states its vision as being a healthy, gospel-centered church reflecting Christ as it loves God and neighbors. Its beliefs are rooted in the truth of God's Word and the life-changing message of Jesus, and people are invited to come as they are and grow from wherever they are in their spiritual journey. Spanish-language ministry is part of the regular life of the church, with a dedicated Spanish ministries team alongside the English ministries.
Messages can be watched through the church's livestream, and the sermon archive is organized by year, scripture, topic and speaker, with entries dating back to 2011. Audio messages also appear through Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Music from Twin Lakes Worship is available on digital platforms, and volunteers can serve as musicians, singers or sound engineers for weekend services.
Children from Six Weeks Through Fifth Grade
Twin Lakes Kids runs year-round on Sunday mornings for children from 6 weeks through fifth grade. Infant-toddler care covers ages 6 weeks to 24 months; preschool serves ages 2 to 5; lower elementary spans kindergarten through third grade; and fourth- and fifth-grade students join Boarders, where they stay with a consistent small-group leader. The rhythm combines age-level rooms with worship, Bible teaching, Scripture memorization and relationships with peers and volunteers.
Preschool and elementary classes use Brite curriculum, which traces the Bible through curiosity, belief, faith and identity, with four core ideas: God knows me, Jesus loves me, the Holy Spirit leads me, and I am a child of God. Children check in through Church Community Builder. A first-time family completes a new family form and receives a temporary name tag; returning families use a phone number to print a child's name tag, classroom roster label and parent pickup code. Volunteers are fingerprinted and background checked.
Awana serves kindergarten through fifth grade on Wednesday nights from September through May, and Twin Lakes also offers Wednesday Night Kids every week. Children's ministry is led by Pastor Yolanda Beaudoin, with Brittney Carlton directing preschool ministry and Sophia Montes serving as elementary ministry assistant director. The team describes its aim simply: children should know God's love and Word, grow in faith and relationship with God, and learn to serve others by showing love in God's name.
The Ride, the Greenhouse and the Hub
The Ride is the church's sixth- through eighth-grade ministry. During the school year, students meet at 11 a.m. Sunday and 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, when Wildside combines pizza, games, worship, biblical teaching and small-group discussion. Its motto is Reach Up, Reach Out, grounded in Jesus' command to love God and others. Students are encouraged to welcome peers regardless of school, sport or faith background, and a brief junior-high service on Sunday includes donuts, fellowship, games and a biblical message.
The Greenhouse serves grades 9 through 12. High-schoolers gather for Bible study at 9 a.m. Sunday in the Youth Center, then meet together at the 11 a.m. service in the left side of the auditorium balcony. Wednesday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m. bring live worship, teaching, games and room for honest questions. The ministry emphasizes being with Jesus, belonging to a caring community, becoming like Jesus, and serving others.
College and young adults ages 18 to 29 gather at The Hub on Thursday from 8 to 10 p.m. in the 9000 Building for worship, a message and community. Soul Groups add Bible studies for women, men and co-ed groups at varied times and locations. Pastor Kyle Pitchford leads the ministry with Johanna Seib, Grace Wysong and other staff and volunteers. The Hub TLC app and the Up in the Clouds podcast extend those teachings beyond the weekly gathering.
Small Groups and Adult Community
Twin Lakes small groups gather in homes, online, in coffee shops and on the church campus. Most groups have 8 to 12 people, meet weekly or every two weeks, and last 60 to 90 minutes. Trained facilitators guide Bible exploration, questions, prayer, shared meals and service. The church presents small groups as a primary way to build friendships and support through changing seasons, while also offering leader training and study resources.
Adult gatherings include men's Bible studies on Tuesday evenings, Thursday mornings and Saturday mornings, plus men's gatherings on sexual purity and anger management. Women meet through Bible studies, recovery groups, Twin Lakes Mamas and other gatherings designed for friendship, faith and support. Seniors have the Inheritors class at 10:30 a.m. Sunday in Room 7107 and a monthly Grub, Games and Gab gathering. Pastor Dan Baker and Director Carrie Clark oversee care and senior-adult ministry.
Young families can take part in parenting classes, marriage investment, single-parent resources, a family run club on the second Saturday of each month, an online parent support group on Mondays and an ADHD parent support group that meets about once each month on Sunday at 11 a.m. Marriage Ministry offers studies, date nights and resources intended to strengthen communication, intimacy and shared faith. The broader goal is that strong marriages build strong families and strong families build strong communities.
Twin Lakes' wedding teaching describes marriage as a sacred covenant between one man and one woman, designed by God to reflect his love and faithfulness. Couples are encouraged to share faith, and pastors do not perform weddings between a Christian and non-Christian or for couples with significantly different beliefs. Premarital counseling includes teaching on physical intimacy and encourages couples who are living together or sexually active to live separately and remain celibate until marriage. Weddings are one of the church's stated ministries.
Learning, Coffee and the Aptos Campus
The Aptos campus grew as a connected place for worship, learning and service. Twin Lakes Christian School has been part of the church's expansion since the 1980s. The Children's Enrichment Center, led by director Suzanne Borreson, is listed with Kruz Kidz among the church's school-and-camp ministries. The gym supports church activities and a co-ed volleyball outreach, while the Loft brings a coffee shop and college ministry center into the life of the church.
The Loft also hosts the Tuesday gathering for young professionals. Dinner begins at 6 p.m., followed by small groups at 6:30, with time to continue at the coffee shop afterward. That combination of a neighborhood gathering place, conversation and spiritual discussion reflects the church's emphasis on building relationships through ordinary shared life.
Care, Recovery and Practical Help
Twin Lakes' care team includes volunteers who give rides to medical appointments and cook meals for people stuck at home. Its recovery ministry holds weekly meetings for honest conversation and support around addiction and compulsive behaviors. Monday and Saturday Beloved Women's Recovery groups, the Men's Locker Room, Rigorous Honesty, Grace Recovery, a Tuesday 12-Step Study and a Wednesday Recovery Bible Study form much of the ongoing schedule. Divorce Care and Joyful Noise, a class for adults with developmental disabilities, add other places for help, healing and community.
People's Pantry provides food for people in need. The church also supports Mom's Angels, which provides car repair for single mothers and widows, and Ministry to the Unhoused, which includes a Showers for the Unhoused program. Bridge of Hope serves disabled and confined people, while Sports Outreach hosts co-ed volleyball in the Twin Lakes Gym. Dress A Girl sews dresses for girls around the world, and Giving Grove provides gifts for children, low-income families and older adults.
Other local work includes Acts of Kindness for neighbors, Bible study and prayer through Jail Ministry, a disaster-relief team that supplies food, sandbags and cleanup, House a Cabrillo Student, which invites people to rent a room and support a student, and ESL Teachers who connect with immigrants in the community. CityServeX coordinates county resources, and volunteers serve as resource coordinators by connecting neighbors with concrete help. Volunteer teams also welcome guests, support hospitality, keep the campus prepared for emergencies, assist children's ministry and produce video and media.
TLC's outreach reaches beyond Santa Cruz County as well. Its Disaster Relief Fund provides a way to respond quickly when disasters strike, and short-term mission teams prepare and serve globally. The church's global partners and mission preparation connect local teams with international needs, while the classroom and health clinic in India remain a concrete expression of that global work. Online ministry reaching 187 countries became another avenue for sharing Christian teaching and the church's life during the pandemic and CZU fire.
Giving and Service
Giving supports the mission through online gifts, an offering during any service, gifts sent by mail, and non-cash gifts such as stocks and assets. Volunteer teams include the Welcome Team, Adult Ministry hospitality team, Care Team, Emergency Response Team, Local Outreach, Small Group facilitation, Special Events, Twin Lakes Kids, Video and Media, and global mission teams. The range brings hospitality, care, children's formation, media and outreach into the same shared life of service.
A Foundation of Grace, Unity and Hope
Lead Pastor René Schlaepfer, Executive Pastor Mark Spurlock and Staff Pastor Valerie Webb serve alongside a team of pastors, worship leaders and ministry directors. Twin Lakes' identity rests on three words repeated throughout its history: grace, unity and hope in Jesus Christ. The congregation welcomes people without requiring them to arrive with a settled faith story, and its ministries move from the nursery through senior adulthood. The church's stated aim is to love God and neighbors, share the gospel in practical ways and remain a healthy church reflecting Christ. From the original summer auditorium to the Aptos campus beside Cabrillo College, Twin Lakes Church continues to center worship, formation, education and service.