One Family, Many Locations: Saddleback Spreads to Sacramento Through Online Extensions

Picture this: A busy living room of people hundreds of miles away from a Saddleback campus, looking to make lifelong connections centered around God. All of them call Saddleback their home church, but attend church online. Or picture this: A vacant lot filled by people struggling with homelessness who have never been to Saddleback, but were brought by their search for a place of worship. Both groups are deeply connected to Saddleback despite their distance from a church location. Instead, they circle around a television as members of Saddleback’s online community — brought together and fostered by two couples. 

Tom and Judy’s love for Saddleback was ignited when they were living in Lake Forest, where they felt God calling them to serve in multiple ministries — including the church’s online community. Saddleback was not only their church, but their second home. Little did they know the online program they were providing for would one day provide for them. 

The couple moved to Sacramento to be closer to their children and grandchildren. Moving to Sacramento meant moving away from Saddleback, leaving them without the church community they had loved for so many years. Once they moved, the COVID pandemic halted their plan to visit their family. They were then left without their church or family. 

What followed next was a difficult season of waiting and searching for a new church. While they attended many churches in that time, none of them quite fit. In the meantime, they enjoyed Saddleback’s online services, but were missing an essential part of the church: fellowship. 

Tom and Judy fasted and prayed relentlessly during their search. Their prayers were finally answered when Jay Kranda, Saddleback’s Online Community Pastor, sent out an email about Saddleback Extensions. After responding, Pastor Jay invited them to coffee with another couple in the Sacramento area. That meeting would change everything.

In that meeting, Tom and Judy met Dennis and Vicky, a couple who shared the same love for Saddleback and the same problem of being too far away from a campus. This was the offer: What if there was a way for other online Saddleback attendees in the Sacramento area to meet up and watch the service together? 

This was the start of their team, united by a quest to share their blessings with everyone so that people could attend Saddleback no matter where they lived. Vicky and Dennis volunteered to open their home as the location, which would be the birth of Sacramento’s first Saddleback Extension. They were excited to see so many people interested in attending, so many who loved Saddleback despite having never visited a campus. 

“We experienced real people … There’s nothing like being in a real environment where people are meeting each other, worshipping the Lord … there’s no substitute for that,” Tom said. 

Judy was also overjoyed at the launch of the extension. “To find people who really love Saddleback but had never attended was amazing. [Dennis and Vicky] immediately wanted to open their home. Immediately. We met them for an hour and a half, and it was set!” She added, “It’s one thing to be in your pajamas watching it at home, it’s another thing to be with other people and feel that connection.”

For Dennis and Vicky, providing for the extension went hand in hand with serving people struggling with homelessness, who they wanted to show love to in the midst of difficult times. After hosting the extension on Saturdays, Dennis and Vicky saw the opportunity to minister to the growing homeless population in Downtown Sacramento. They wanted to go beyond just physical necessities by connecting with them on a spiritual level. “There’s a lot of people that are just like you and me. They’re just going through this process,” Vicky said. Adding, “The most important thing for us is to help them [form] a connection … and to learn about God.” 

This was the calling that transformed a vacant lot into a place of worship and connection. Sunday mornings would be a time for Dennis to get food and drinks for visitors, all of whom would be invited to attend the makeshift worship service afterwards. About a dozen people who live on the streets of Sacramento — each with their own unique story — attend the weekly service shared through an outdoor TV purchased by Dennis and Vicky. 

The bonds and friendships made through extensions brought back a sense of Christian fellowship that felt missing from both couples’ lives. “It’s very emotional. It’s something we wanted for a long time, and God has answered so many prayers for us over the years. But this had to be one of the most significant — that we could be a part of this,” Judy said with tears in her eyes. Tom stated, “We haven’t had a connection in three years. And it's just a wonderful feeling, to be able to just have that real experience.” 

Since its launch, Saddleback Extensions have been a huge hit. More than a dozen extensions were made right away with several others showing interest in starting their own. There are currently 30,000 people watching Saddleback services online every week, from more than 125 countries and 48 states. Tom and Judy continue to pray for more people to join in.