Community Involvement Focus of Recent Church Groundbreaking

Mayor Don Higginson was among eight to wield a shovel at the groundbreaking for the San Diego Central Seventh-day Adventist Church—an undertaking that’s been more than 45 years in the making due to financial restrictions and leadership turnover.

Higginson was joined by local pastors Hwi Kim, Joey Oh and Limuel Liwanag, as well as Victor Vaughn of the local Agape Baptist Church, David Zecha of Benchmark Construction and dignitaries Brian Neal, Verlon Strauss and Tom Staples from the Southeastern California Conference of Riverside’s SDA Church.

“The theme of the dedication focused on community,” said Bonnie Peterson, church clerk and longtime member, of the July 20 event.

Peterson says the church’s members want to be “more involved and present in the community” to help those in need with things like food and clothing supplies or yard work and neighborhood cleanup projects.

With financial assistance from congregation donations and the Conference—an organizing body of churches in one geographical area—construction is slated for completion in six to eight months.

“With the enlarged facility, the church members will offer cooking and nutrition classes, periodic health screenings and tutoring for children …” Peterson said, adding that they will consider other opportunities to best serve the community.

Oh, a pastor for 10 years who has served the San Diego’s Central congregation for seven months, says he most enjoyed the sense of unity among the approximately 100 groundbreaking attendees.

“I enjoyed just watching all the people come together and being so excited about the beginning of this new, big project,” he said.