Running the Show — An Event Staff’s Unique Connection to a Church Family

Leonora’s work uniform doubles as her Sunday best. As the event manager at The Grove in Anaheim, she works weekends and late nights, setting up and taking down. In 2012, everything began to change when she learned that the newest addition to The Grove’s lineup was Saddleback Church.

“It seemed like such a perfect fit,” she says. “There is something really special about this church family.” The more she was around the members, the music, and the campus pastor, Jeremiah, the more she became part of that family. “I knew I’d found a home,” she says.

Showing up for work on Sunday feels less like work to Leonora and her staff and more like a family gathering. “On Sundays, we’re not addressing technical issues or security issues, it’s truly about coming together,” Leonora says. The staff has become so much like family, that they wear jeans with their uniform shirt on Sundays and are encouraged to dress up on Easter. She has seen how this attitude of comradery between her staff and Saddleback Church has impacted them. “There’s a different energy with our Sunday crew than with the other members on our staff,” Leonora says. “They’re a much gentler, compassionate, close, and cohesive team.” And they bring that energy to work the rest the week.

Stacy has been on the event staff at the Grove for almost seven years, but unlike Leonora, she had never heard of Saddleback Church before they came to the venue. For Stacy, the Christian faith and Jesus Christ had always been one big question mark. “I believed that there was a higher being, but I wasn’t aware that I could have a relationship with him,” she says. As a part of the Sunday staff, she was excited to experience what the church had to offer without being involved as a member. But the welcoming spirit of Saddleback gave her a perspective on life she never knew existed. “I wanted to be as warm, welcoming, and inviting as the members of that church,” she says. Every Sunday, she would take notes diligently and kept chasing after the pure joy she knew could only be found in Jesus Christ.

By supporting each other in small group, Leonora and Stacy have fallen deeper in love with Jesus and have both declared their faith through baptism. Even though she’s busy running the show on Sunday, Leonora gets to enjoy the 11:15 service with her husband, stepdaughter, and stepson. She and her family love coming together to fuel up on the Word. Pastor Jeremiah has also played a huge role in their faith-based family. “I love how real and practical he is when he shares his message,” she says. “He is someone we trust with our spiritual journey.”

Both Leonora and Stacy say they have a lot more peace of mind and less worry since being baptized. “Things that I used to worry about I now give to God,” Leonora says. Leonora has been touched by the way her staff has been transformed by Saddleback and has seen the church grow in numbers and in love. Stacy says the fullness of her heart has come from the time she spends with God. “My relationship with Jesus has completely changed my perspective on life.”