A Basic History of Our Church
The College Church of Christ began in 1964. Back then, Fresno was a much smaller city. As the city began to grow, folks at the Palm Avenue Church of Christ (close to Belmont) saw the importance of starting a new church in Fresno’s expansion northward. They sent a group of members to start the College Church near the campuses of Fresno State University and Hoover High School. Bullard Avenue was a simple two-lane road in those days, and farmland surrounded the new church building. In the years that followed, neighborhoods sprung up, and the city built new schools such as Ahwahnee Middle School and Eaton Elementary.
As the community grew, so did the College Church. From an initial average attendance in the 300s, the church grew to 800 in weekly services by the 1980s. For many years, it was one of the largest Churches of Christ on the West Coast.
Churches of Christ comprise the eleventh-largest Christian denomination in the United States. Pepperdine University is our flagship institution on the West Coast. Other liberal-arts universities associated with Churches of Christ include Abilene Christian University, Lipscomb University and Harding University. The largest and strongest congregations are in places like Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Alabama. In Texas, for example, Churches of Christ are the fifth-largest “denomination” with over 350,000 people.
Over the years, the College Church has hosted many large gatherings, conferences and regional events. We’ve enjoyed prominent guest speakers from across the country such as CNN’s Top Ten Hero for 2016 Becca Stevens, bestselling author Dan Kimball and many others church leaders, pastors and professors. The College Church has also partnered with global outreach efforts and compassionate projects in Colombia, Kenya, Mexico, Ukraine, China, Haiti, Switzerland and beyond.
In recent decades, the neighborhood and the church have both gone through dramatic changes. The surrounding community is much more diverse, and the College Church struggled to keep up with the changing world. And the church’s aging infrastructure was a growing burden for our faith community. Many North American churches like ours face growing challenges as fewer people attend church services. These challenges call for churches like ours to reinvent ourselves and to rediscover our calling.
In 2023, our leaders made a momentous decision to sell our aging campus and move. We had a desire to do more than physically relocate. We wanted a process that would energize our church and launch us into a new season of outreach, discipleship and growth.
The proceeds from the sale of our old campus allowed us to buy a beautiful piece of property in one of Fresno’s most densely populated neighborhoods, Fresno Council District 7, at the intersection of Fresno and Shields. By investing the proceeds into the new property, we now have a beautiful, modern facility that can serve us and the community for years to come. And our church is committed to engaging our neighbors to build Christ-centered community.
We look forward to partnering with all kinds of good people in the years to come.
Meet our team
Jason Locke, Preaching Minister
Dr. Jason Locke has been the preaching minister for the College Church since 2009. He and Julie have two grown sons who were born while they were in Prague as missionaries. Jason has a degree in mechanical engineering, along with 3 graduate degrees in ministry, missions, and theology from Abilene Christian University. He tries to learn every day what it means to follow Jesus. Jason loves to cook, travel, read, and follows lots of sports. He enjoys talking with others about any of those things. Julie is an early-childhood, special-education teacher at Century Elementary in the Clovis Unified School District. She loves to garden and create mosaics, and also teaches classes in education at Fresno Pacific University. Their son Jericho lives in Washington, DC. He and his wife Taylor are part of Capitol Hill Baptist Church. Their son Jacob is married to Brenna. They live in Fresno and are part of the College Church.
Contact Jason via email: jlockeca@gmail.com.
You can read his occasional musings on his blog site: https://jlockeblog.blogspot.com/
Sandra Henderson, Worship Minister
Sandra has served in various capacities at the College Church since the early 1990s. She worked as our worship minister and has served in that role for about 20 years. Sandra and her husband Lex are native Fresnans. They have two grown children. Ashley is married to Ian Oehlschlaeger, and they live in Madera Ranchos just outside Fresno. Avery and his wife Jody live in Fresno. Sandra and Lex and many deep roots here in the church and the community.
Contact Sandra via email: sandrahenderson@comcast.net.
Family Minister Chalé Wesson
Chalé Wesson was hired as our youth minister in 2019. Her role has since expanded to family ministry, in which she oversees ministry & outreach to teens, K-6, pre-k, and emerging adults. She is a graduate of Fresno Pacific University and is currently working on a master’s degree from Fuller Seminary. Chalé has worked in the mental health field and continues to volunteer with 4141 Ministries for the Build-A-Child program in one of Fresno’s underserved communities. She was also named “Fresno’s Woman of the Year in 2018 for District 7.” She and her husband Serafino have three children.
You can contact Chalé by email, chalewesson@gmail.com.
Meet our elders
Dale Drury
Dale Drury has served as an elder since 2008. Dale has often served as a Sunday morning adult class teacher or as a bass on the praise team. He is a native of Washington and a graduate of Columbia Christian College. Dale retired from Grundfos Pumps at the end of 2022. He served as Senior OEM Sales Engineer for the western US. He and his wife Bev have been married for more than 40 years. Bev spent her career in Christian education. She was a long-time teacher and former principal at Mountain View Christian School until the school’s closure in 2013. They have two grown children and three grandchildren.
Roman Gonzalez
Roman Gonzalez was born and raised in Fresno. He graduated from Roosevelt High School and then attended Fresno State University for four years. In 1970, Roman married his junior-high sweetheart, Helen. They have been blessed with a long and rich marriage that has resulted in two children and five grandchildren. Roman worked various jobs throughout his career but ended up working for PG&E. He retired from PG&E back in 2013 after working thirty-one and a half years with as a supervisor in the Dispatch Operations. Roman enjoys camping in the Pismo and Morro bay areas. His quiet time is walking on the beach and just admiring God's creation. Roman and Helen are both gifted at working with people, and they enjoy talking to people and sharing Christ. Roman and Helen have been members of College Church of Christ since 1982.
Terry Hutchison
Dr. Terry Hutchison is our longest-serving elder. He grew up in Central California before studying and working in various parts of the United States. He is a semi-retired pediatric neurologist at Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno and the UCSF Fresno Medical Education Program. Terry also has a PhD in Molecular Biology. His wife Ruth has a Masters in Early Childhood Education and has been involved in non-profits for years. She spends her time in various charity and church works. She has been chairperson the board of Easter Seals, and has directed the Ronald McDonald house and other good works. Terry & Ruth have three children and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Don Pierce
Don Pierce is a preacher’s kid who was born in Abilene, Texas but spent most of his growing-up years in Kansas. He graduated from McPherson High School. As a student at Harding College (now University) in Arkansas, he met his wife Ann, who led him to her native Fresno. Don finished his education at Fresno State University. He had a long, decorated career with the County of Fresno. For many years, he was the Director for the Department of Employment and Temporary Assistance (now the Department of Social Services). He has also directed the county’s Human Services System and taught in the School of Social Work at California State University, Fresno. His wife Ann died in 2012. They have one grown daughter and one grandson. Don loves keeping tabs on people along with sending loads of encouraging messages, phone calls and cards.