Not Just a Move: Saddleback Yorba Linda Expands to Brea

There were nothing but smiling faces at the Brea Community Center during the last weekend of September as Saddleback Brea, formerly Saddleback Yorba Linda, celebrated its grand opening in a new city.

“We had an incredible time welcoming in the people from our community who we have been praying for and serving for many years,” Campus Pastor Santosh Swamidass said.

Several hundred longtime Saddleback members and first-time visitors were in attendance for the launch. While people were thrilled about the top-of-line facilities, including an indoor-outdoor venue for worship and spacious classrooms for students, those who attended were also in awe of God’s presence and could sense his plan for the campus.

“As we come here, it’s not so much about how many seats are filled and it’s not so much about the facilities and how nice it looks, it’s about the transformation that this community is going to experience,” he said. “So we’re excited about what God has in store.”

Expanding from Yorba Linda to Brea has been a long time in the making. Pastor Tosh said he could sense God leading the campus to that specific community during the COVID-19 pandemic. It started after campus volunteers began serving the people of Brea through grocery distribution events at the Brea mall.

After much thought and prayer, it became clear to Saddleback’s leadership team that God was opening up doors in Brea — especially when the Community Center, which is located in the heart of North Orange County, became available to host weekend services.

“We saw that there’s all sorts of needs and all sorts of people who are hurting, not only with physical needs, but desperately needing spiritual hope as well,” he said. “That’s what has been exciting. It hasn’t been a move, it’s been an expansion.”

While Pastor Tosh and his team have many dreams for the new campus and how to spread the hope of Jesus to the people of North Orange County, they are surrendering everything to God. As the campus ushers in a new season in a new location, he said he needs the prayerful support of the entire Saddleback Church family.

“I would encourage all of us, as one Saddleback family together, to be praying for what God can do through this place and through us as we are here, the hands and feet of Jesus Christ in North OC and that we would be able to figure out how to use this new place for the kingdom of God.”