Reflections on One Year at 1836 B St.
I write this on the anniversary of our first official service on the campus of 1836 B. St.
Since our inception in 2010 we primarily met in school cafeterias in Castro Valley (the pandemic also forced us to be creative with other meeting spaces), for which we are thankful. But none of those places ever felt like home. We dreamed of having a space we could call our own, but such a thing seemed out of reach. In 2024 we began a relationship with Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, and in 2025 we were invited to occupy the building on B St. that they oversee. On March 30, 2025 we held our first service there.
It’s difficult to capture the many thoughts that I’ve had since we’ve been in the building, but three come to mind.
Gratitude.
I’m thankful for the crew that pays attention to the needs of the building. As a decades-old building, there are plenty of opportunities to fix and clean for the glory of God. Having our own space has given us a place where our members can take ownership and exercise their gifts and imaginations to make the property a more beautiful and functional place to worship.
I’m thankful for the stability that a dedicated space affords. For fifteen years we had to set-up and tear-down in our meeting places every week, and having meeting rooms required making reservations and planning days or weeks in advance. Now we can direct our energy toward other types of ministry.
I’m thankful for the generosity of the leadership at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. More than managers of the property, they have become good friends of our church. We’re excited for the ministry they’re doing in the community and we’re glad that God is using them to tell others about Jesus.
Wonder.
It hasn’t gotten old. Going so long without a dedicated space makes us appreciate the space we do have on a deep level. It’s a place for the gathering of God’s people and it’s a place where God meets with his people. Yes, the omnipresent God can and does meet with us anywhere. But there are also places that are set aside for encounters with God. We see this when Jacob renames a city Bethel in Genesis 28. We see it when God commands Moses to remove his sandals on the holy ground in Exodus 3. We see it in 1 Samuel 7, when Samuel erected the ebenezer stone.
The B St. campus is a holy place where the infinite God meets with finite man. It’s where the God who lives in eternity hears the prayers of those of us who live in skin. It’s where the very power of God is set forth whenever the gospel is preached. It’s where hardened hearts are cracked open by the Holy Spirit. It’s where ordinary bread and wine feed starved souls. It’s where people who would otherwise never be in the same room together stand next to each other and confess the same truths. It’s where the ugliness of our sinful hearts is met with grace and mercy. It’s the place where every carpet stain is a reminder that life happens within the walls. It’s a place that our children will remember fussing in and making a mess and hearing about a God who loves them so much that he sent his only begotten Son that they might have eternal life if they would believe in him.
Hopefulness.
On any given Sunday you’ll see babies crawling, children running around, the youth group meeting in the church office, college students clustered around the coffee station, families settling into the pews, older folks mingling about. And our people will drive by the apartments and homes and businesses on the way to service. If God is sovereign then our presence in this place is intentional. And if God is wise then there is a good reason the people of IGC worship among the people of Hayward. And if God is loving then he will make sure that his good purposes will be achieved as the people of Indelible Grace Church inhabit the space at B St. God is all of these things - far more than we can wrap our heads around. And he offers himself to us through Jesus Christ.
We pray that God’s kingdom come and his will be done at 1836 B St. as it is in heaven. And we hope that Jesus be worshiped and made known here as long as God allows us to meet in the space.
Pastor Wade
