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Great Life Church is a place where strangers become family and fosters relationships through our community, children and service to others.Hello There
Meet The Team
Pastor Bob And Pastor Joleen Barker
Great Life Lead Pastors
Pastor Bob is focused on Preaching, Leadership, and Vision Casting.
Pastor Joleen is the Women’s Ministry Director and Children’s Director.
Pastor Bob and Pastor Joleen Are The Lead Pastors And Co-Founders Of Great Life Church, So Cal. They Have Seven Children And 8 Grandchildren.
GLC Was Launched In March Of 2020, One Week Before The Pandemic. The Church Has Grown And Built A Great Team With Two Campuses; One In Ventura And One In Oxnard. Great Life Church Is A Place Where Strangers Become Family And Experience A Transformation Through A Real Relationship With God.
Great Life Church Is A Church Focused On Being Real, Relevant And Relational. We Are Focused On People Encountering A Powerful God Through Worship, Community, And Preaching. We Serve A Real God, Not A Fake Idea. A God Whose Reality Is Expressed Through A Real Love Toward Each One Of Us. He Is A God Who Wants To Do Miracles In Your Life. He Is A Relevant God With A Relevant Message Found In The Bible. Furthermore, He Wants To Be In A Relationship With You. We Are Focused On Winning The Lost, Making Disciples Of Believers, And Empowering Servants To Honor God Every Day.
Bob Has Pastored Churches That Ranged In Size From 0-800 And Has Seen Over 4,000 People Come To Know Christ In Those Cities. He Supervised The Construction Of A Brand-New Church Facility And Saw Over 20 Percent Of The People In That City Come To Christ. These Experiences Have Prepared Him To Give Insight That Help Christians And Churches Of All Sizes Move Forward, Grow, And Live Out Their God-Ordained Destiny.
Pastor Barker Coaches Other Pastors And Churches Through Speaking And Training Across America. He Is Committed To Winning The Lost, Discipling, And Empowering Christians And Christian Leaders To Do The Same. “Together We Will Make An Eternal Impact On Humanity In Ventura County And Around The World One Christian, One Pastor And One Church At A Time.”
Pastor Bob Barker And Pastor Joleen Have Authored A Book Entitled “SWAAT” (Soul Winning As A Team). He Is Presently Finishing A New Book, “40 Days To Becoming An Impact Player” That Is Scheduled To Be Released In 2023.
To contact Pastor Bob or Pastor Joleen you can email them at pbjbarker@gmail.com
Gene And Susan Fend
GREAT LIFE ASSOCIATE PASTORS
Gene and Susan Fend recently celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary! They have been in ministry for over 35 years, serving in Oregon, Washington, and various locations throughout California, giving themselves willingly to assisting Pastors Bob and Joleen Barker in planting these new churches. Gene currently serves as the Executive Assistant Pastor of GLC in addition to serving as Director of worship while Susan serves as the multimedia director.
Together, they also strive to help in any way that might be needed to bless a growing congregation.
To contact Pastor Gene or Susan, you can email them at gls682@yahoo.com
Donnie And Patty Dunehew
Connection And Teaching Pastors
Pastor Donnie And Pastor Patty Have Served The Oxnard Area For Over 20 Years. Both Grew Up In Ventura County And Have Been Married For 35 Years. God Has Gifted Them With 2 Amazing Grandchildren, Emma And Paige. As Loyal And Faithful Servants Of The Lord, They Understand The Importance Of God’s Love And Forgiveness. Christ’s Mercy Has Brought Many Miracles To Them, Especially Through Their Community And Other Faithful Believers. They Are Privileged To Be Able To Serve Their Community With Passion For God. Pastor Donnie Contributes To Bible Studies And Sermons, While His Wonderful Wife Patty Is One Of The Lead Singers In Our Worship Ministry.
To contact Pastor Donny or Patty, you can email them at donnydunehew@gmail.com
Ben and Dolores Pearch
Great life children’s Teacher & youth leaders
Ben And Dolores Share A Passion Of Speaking Life And The Promises Of Christ To Future Generations. This Passion Has Led Them To Become The Youth Leaders and Children’s Church Teachers. They Bring Years Of Experience Sharing The Good News With K-12 Grade Children and Youth.
“Train Up A Child In The Way He Should Go, And When He Is Old He Will Not Depart From It.” – Proverbs 22:6
To contact Ben or Dolores, email them at dolores.greatlife@gmail.com
Paul and Lysandra Garcia
Men’s Director And Administrative Coordinator
“But You, O Lord, Are A Shield Around Me; You Are My Glory, The One Who Holds My Head High.” – Psalm 3:3
To contact Paul or Lysandra, email them at plgarcia.greatlife@gmail.com
Come Join Us
Ways To Get Connected
Join a Volunteer Team
- Adult Ministries: All Ministry Opportunities, Women’s, Men’s, Worship, Marriage, Recovery, And Others.
- Kids Ministries: All Ministries That Work With Or Involve Kids.
- Tech Support: Help Us Reach More People Through Our Website, Social Media, Video, Multi-Media.
- Event Support: Help Us With Event Planning, Organizing, Outreach, Decoration, One Event Or All Of Them.
- Hospitality Team: Greeters, Ushers, Refreshments, Signage, Follow Up, And More.
- Facility Team: Cleaning, Building Projects, Maintenance, Decorations, Yard Work, Seasonal Decorations, And More.
- Volunteer Application: It Only Takes Three 1 Hour Classes To Get Started.
We have volunteer opportunities during all of our services. From our Service Team Ministry to KidsLife, there is a place for everyone to serve.
If interested, please email pbjbarker@gmail.com
Join a Life Group
We believe that connecting with our church community is a vital part of the life of Great Life Church and our Christian walk.
Join our Men’s Group on Saturdays for breakfast. Connect with our Women’s Group to share your faith and experiences. Our Tuesday Youth Group is a great way to connect our children in faith, fostering the values of our Christian walk while having fun together. Come to our Bible Study on Thursdays.
Give
We believe in being generous with our treasure, time and talents. When you choose to give and sow any of those 3, you choose to connect your heart to a greater cause. The Bible says, “Where your treasure is, there your HEART will be also”. When you give, watch your heart grow, your life flourish and know your giving is making an impact all over the world!
Local Missions
We love our city and area! We exist as a way to serve and make our city better! One way we do this is through local Mission Work. We are excited to have you join us to make a tangible difference and express the love of God with us here in Ventura, Oxnard and the surrounding area.
If interested in serving in Local Missions Opportunities, please reach out to us!
BAPTISM
Make A Commitment To Jesus
Water Baptism declares that you are a follower of Lord Jesus Christ and is a symbol of your new life as a Christian. We bury the ‘old life’ and we rise to walk in a ‘new life’, we become a “new creature in Christ”.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17
It is the outward symbol of the commitment you made in your heart, a commitment that has to be followed through and lived out by being obedient to The Lord. The Bible tells us to baptise believers “… into the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit”- Matthew 28:19. We believe in the Trinity, the unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three persons in one Godhead and that receiving all gives you a blessed life.
If you want to learn more, or if you are ready to make your public declaration to Jesus and ge baptized at Great Life Church, please reach out to us.
We All Need A Savior... JESUS.
We keep things simple at Great Life Church. People, families and children matter to us, no matter what stage in their life or where they come from. We invite you to learn more about God and his unconditional love and salvation for us.
Our Beliefs & Values
Great Life is a church in Ventura with a passion to help you know God and grow in your relationships so that you can discover your purpose and impact the world. We believe that church isn’t just a building you walk in to, but a family you can belong to—so whether you call one of our many locations home or join from home, church is wherever you are!
The Bible
The Bible is God’s Word given to us. It is a true story of love and redemption. It is the final authority in determining all doctrinal truths. Written by human authors, inspired by God, the Bible is infallible and inerrant. Because it is inspired by God, it is the ultimate source of truth and is relevant to our everyday life.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 | 2 Peter 1:20-21 | Proverbs 30:5 | Romans 16:25-26
The Trinity
God has existed since the beginning of time. He exists as three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Even though each member of the Trinity serves different functions, they each have equal power and authority.
Colossians 2:2-3 | 1 John 5:7 | Genesis 1:26 | Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19 | Deuteronomy 6:4 | Hebrews 3:7-11 | Isaiah 9:6 | Luke 1:35
The Father
God is all powerful, all knowing, ever present and He never changes. He is Holy and He deserves all of our trust because He is faithful to His promises. He is a loving, compassionate Father and wants a relationship with his children.
Exodus 3:14 | Numbers 23:19 | Leviticus 11:44-45 | Psalm 11:4-6 | Colossians 1:16-17
The Son
God loved people so much that He sent Jesus, His Son, to earth to give us a visible picture of God. Jesus Christ is completely human and completely God. Born of a virgin, He lived a perfect life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sin of all men by dying at the cross. But He didn’t stay dead! He resurrected—rose up— from death to demonstrate His power over sin and death. Because of this, we can have a relationship with God and we can live our lives with destiny and purpose.
Isaiah 7:14 | Matthew 1:18-23 | Romans 5:8 | John 3:16
The Holy Spirit
Soon after Jesus rose from the dead, as promised by God the Father, Jesus sent His Holy Spirit to empower the church and give spiritual gifts. The Holy Spirit assures us of our relationship with God. He guides us into truth, comforts us, and convicts us of sin when we get off course.
1 Corinthians 2:12, 3:16 | 2 Corinthians 3:17 | John 16:7-13 | John 14:16-17 | Acts 1:8 | Ephesians 1:13, 5:18 | Galatians 5:25
Salvation
Salvation is God’s gift to us. It comes when we accept Jesus and the sacrifice that He made as a payment for our sin. Salvation comes to us when we place our life in His hands. We can’t earn it; it is a gift of God’s grace.
John 14:6 I Acts 16:31 I Romans 10:9-10 I Ephesians 2:8-9 I Galatians 2:16, 3:8 I Titus 3:5 I Hebrews 9:22
The Christian Life
Obedience and the Christian life is the ongoing process of yielding to God’s Word and His Spirit in order to complete the development of Christ’s character in us. It is through the present ministry of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God that the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.
2 Corinthians 3:18, 6:14-18 I 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3, 4:3 I Romans 8:29, 12:1-2 I Hebrews 2:11
The Church
The Church is a community of diverse people—from different races, cultures, and backgrounds—unified through faith in Jesus Christ. The Church is committed to the teachings of Jesus, and it exists to shine the message of God’s light and hope to the world so that everyone can know Him in a personal way. Jesus is the hope of the world, the Church is how His body brings His hope to the world. The church is not a building to walk into, it’s a family to belong to.
John 17:11, 20-23 I Ephesians 1:22. 2:19-22, 4:16 I Hebrews 12·23
Eternity
We were created to live forever, not just a few short years on earth. Our forever can be spent in Heaven with God when we choose to have a relationship with Him through His Son, Jesus. Or we can choose to reject Him and be separated from Him forever. Heaven and Hell are real places in eternal existence.
John 3:16 | 1 John 5:11-13 | John 14:2-3 | 1 John 2:25 | Romans 6:23 | Revelations 20:15
Humanity
We were created in God’s image and the masterpiece of all of His creation. Every person in humanity has dignity and value and is worthy of love and respect. God created us for a relationship with Him, but we became alienated from Him through disobedience. Each of us is born with this tendency, which is referred to as a ‘sinful nature.’ No matter how good we try to be, we can’t regain our relationship with God on our own.
Genesis 1:27 I Psalm 8:3-6 I Isaiah 53:6, 59:1-2 I Romans 3:23-24 I Colossians 1:27
Repentance
Repentance is the commitment to turn away from sin in every area of our lives and to follow Christ. Through repentance we receive forgiveness of sins and salvation.
Acts 2:21. 3:·19 11 John 1:9
Spiritual Gifts
The Holy Spirit is demonstrated through a variety of spiritual gifts to build and sanctify the church and confirm the power of the Gospel. These gifts always operate in harmony with the Scriptures and should never be used in violation of Biblical guidelines.
Hebrews 2:4 | Romans 1:11, 12:4-8 | Ephesians 4:16 | 2 Timothy 1:5-16, 4:14 | 1 Corinthians 12:1-31, 14:1-40 | 1 Peter 4:10
Baptism Of The Holy Spirit
Given at Pentecost, it is the promise of the Father, sent by Jesus after His Ascension, to empower the church to preach the Gospel throughout the whole earth.
Joel 2:28-29 | Matthew 3:11 | Mark 16:17 | Acts 1:5, 2:1-4, 17, 38-39, 8:14-17, 10:38, 44-47, 11:15-17, 19:1-6
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
Romans 10:9
F.A.Q.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I join Great Life Church?
You can join by coming to our Sunday Service at 10:30am and talk to our Lead Pastor or our supporting pastors. If you have any questions, please reach out to Pastor Bob Barker directly at (707) 799-0410.
How do I find Great Life Church?
We are located at 405 Jordan Ave, Ventura. A little hidden gem. The main road is Seaward Ave, make a turn on Ocean Ave and you will see us right there, a beige building.
What Does Great Life Church Believe In?
We believe the Bible to be the inspired, by the only infallible, authoritative Word of God. We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.
How can I get connected?
Please look at our Ministries. We have a Men’s Breakfast Group, A Women’s Group, a Youth Group, Bible Study and Kid’s Academy. We love to have you and your family get plugged in!
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