Somis Thursday Club, a beautiful space just north of Camarillo is Christ Covenants' - our new church - hew home. Built in 1890, the club has a large porch, kitchen, and lawns in front and back for the children to play.
Looking out at hills and farmland, this is a tremendous human space, transporting back to small town America.I believe Somis is unincorporated.
The natural beauty and setting anchors our little band of believers in a way needed and uncharacteristic of SoCal. You pass Los Posas Berries on the way, local Japanse strawberry farmers, reminding me of similar farms in Torrance (now gone) and Buena Park.
Speaking of small-town America, the national past-time was where our new pastor, Ben Alexander, wanted to go...
It's a good year to become a Dodger fan, in terms of pay-off. Drug use and the strike back in the early '90s ruined the game for me, personally, but it's still a thrill to watch these guys hit balls out of the park, run around the diamond, as we eat for 3 hours. This new Dodger line-up reminded me of the squeaky clean bunch years past: Garvey, Cey, Welch.
This is a time of new beginnings which echo the past, returning to Somis for worship after several years hiatus. We arrive early to set-up and there's just enough folks to make the job doable - watch out for cold/flu season! - printing, stapling the hymns as handouts, until we purchase actual HYMNALS(!), which contains, as Pastor Rob from Tacoma used to remind us, the history of the church.
Parting shot: A magnificent California oak on a church's lot in TO.