As a Church family we love being together. We worship together, study together, play together, and serve together. We get tremendous joy from it. It's such a wonderful church family!
We also love being part of beautiful Sarasota, and spending time with our neighbors and friends. In fact, our hearts have long been open to anyone to come learn with us how to follow Jesus. In recent years we have become increasingly multi-generational, multi-ethnic, and multi-denominational. While we have remained Anabaptist in our theology and practice, we are in every sense a "community church" where anyone can feel welcome. As we say, "Grace happens here."
However, many people felt that our name, "Bahia Vista Mennonite Church," meant we were a church for Mennonites only. So, in early 2017, we began a discussion about how to lower the barriers, and how to more permanently prop our doors open to the community. We held several church family meetings with open discussions, and decided that a different name would help us present ourselves more effectively to the community.
So, from 1950-1980, we were Tuttle Avenue Mennonite Church. Then, from 1980 to 2017, we were Bahia Vista Mennonite Church. Now, effective September 2017, we have entered a new era by a new name: Sarasota Community Church -- a church for anyone in the Sarasota Community.
We also love being part of beautiful Sarasota, and spending time with our neighbors and friends. In fact, our hearts have long been open to anyone to come learn with us how to follow Jesus. In recent years we have become increasingly multi-generational, multi-ethnic, and multi-denominational. While we have remained Anabaptist in our theology and practice, we are in every sense a "community church" where anyone can feel welcome. As we say, "Grace happens here."
However, many people felt that our name, "Bahia Vista Mennonite Church," meant we were a church for Mennonites only. So, in early 2017, we began a discussion about how to lower the barriers, and how to more permanently prop our doors open to the community. We held several church family meetings with open discussions, and decided that a different name would help us present ourselves more effectively to the community.
So, from 1950-1980, we were Tuttle Avenue Mennonite Church. Then, from 1980 to 2017, we were Bahia Vista Mennonite Church. Now, effective September 2017, we have entered a new era by a new name: Sarasota Community Church -- a church for anyone in the Sarasota Community.
