by MaryJo McNeill

SAN DIEGO - "Go somewhere."

For Jeremy McGarity, Jason Page and Sergio Ceja, the calling was the same: go somewhere and start something new. All three answered the call by starting churches in San Diego County.

Working with church planting strategists from San Diego Southern Baptist Association, California Southern Baptist Convention and Vision San Diego, the men are each reaching out to many people who previously had no church to attend. The pastors' responses to the call were similar, but God gave each of them a distinct mission within His Kingdom.

For most people, seven is just a number, but in Chula Vista it is the name of the area's newest church. Seven San Diego, led by Jeremy McGarity, will officially launch Feb 10. After five years of serving as the adult ministries pastor at High Desert Church in Victorville, McGarity felt a call to go somewhere, but was not exactly sure where.

He started by researching the country's fastest-growing locations, noticing that five out of the top 20 were in Southern California. A native of San Diego County, McGarity was surprised to see Chula Vista on the list, since that area was sparsely populated when he was growing up. Now, Chula Vista is filled with new homes and even more development under construction, but few evangelical churches.

He and his wife Janie began praying for confirmation, and they sensed God's call to Chula Vista. Although they had numerous ties to Victorville, McGarity said they realized God's purpose for them to reach people with the message of Christ had to take priority over their own comfort. God began to give the couple a heart for the people of Chula Vista, and that has deepened as they realize the great need there.

"It's an area where people have nice homes and nice cars, but they need the Lord," McGarity said.

In order to meet that need, Seven is reaching out to Chula Vista in practical ways, such as a community safety fair and neighborhood block parties. McGarity said it's all part of being the kind of church where people are welcome just as they are.

For Jeremy McGarity, going somewhere meant moving to a new physical location, but for Jason Page, pastor of Ethos, the calling was to reach out to people who are not traditionally sought after or accepted by the church. Ethos, a new congregation ministering in the Golden Hills/Downtown San Diego area, seeks to work across economic, cultural and generational boundaries.

Ethos was born out of a conversation amongst the Pages and their friends about who they are, what they care about, and the need for change inside and outside of the church. During this honest conversation, the friends began to unfold a vision of what a church would look like if they were part of it.

What has resulted is a congregation where friendship is not only the starting point, but also the underlying philosophy and mission. As part of the church's launch, Ethos unveiled a documentary film about different transitions of friendship over a lifetime and relational concepts like acceptance and rejection, authenticity and superficiality, and isolation and community.

Ultimately, the premise of the film was John 15:13, the foundation upon which Ethos is basing their outreach, realizing that no matter someone's age or background, the need for close relationships is universal.

Sometimes, going somewhere can mean going to a new country. For Sergio Ceja, pastor of Iglesia Familiar Linda Vista, God's call to start something new led him across the border from Mexico to San Diego. For 10 years, Ceja and his wife Rosalia were involved in ministry in Tijuana, but in 2006 God led them to start a Hispanic church in San Diego's Linda Vista community.

One of their first obstacles in working on both sides of the border was not being able to bring the team from Tijuana.

"When you're used to working with certain people, it's hard to form a new team and make it happen," Ceja said.

As he was praying about the new venture, Ceja explained God led him to a solution through another local church, Calvary Baptist University Fellowship. Pastor Howard Everett and his congregation had also been praying about starting a Hispanic church, and in November 2006, Iglesia Familiar Linda Vista officially launched.

Now, Ceja brings his unique gifts to one of San Diego's most diverse areas. He speaks Spanish and English, so the church is able to reach out to both groups. And due to the community's large Vietnamese population, the church is also looking for ways to tailor their ministry to other language groups.

No matter the audience, the vision is clear for Ceja: "Evangelize these kids and adults; that is what is strong on my heart for our vision for next year."