Our Story
Our Story
The Beginnings of Bay Presbyterian
Since the late 1980s, the idea of starting a church in Bonita Springs had been on the mind of the founding pastor of Bay Presbyterian, Doctor Reverend John Anderson. Although he had been asked to start a church in Bonita in 2000, it wouldn't be until the fall of 2004 that he finally felt the Lord's leading, and stepped out in faith to gain the denominational approval from the PCA's Assessment Center. He gained that approval in February 2005 and began the work of establishing Bay Fellowship in Bonita Springs.
On February 27, 2005, Bay Fellowship held its first Sunday morning Bible study in Dave Youngs living room, one of our founding congregant’s homes – 10 people attended. By Easter time that year, there were a whopping 18 people! In April of 2005, the Florida Sun Coast Presbytery gave its approval to become an official church. Their first communion was held in the middle of April, 2005.
Dave’s living room was getting crowded, it was decided that the newly named Bay PCA needed something a little more permanent. Pastor John began the hunt for the new home of Bay PCA and came up with thirteen possibilities, but none were geographically, financially, or strategically suitable. But there was one location that Pastor John dreamed about but knew it was out of reach, our current location, Bonita Bay's former sale's center. One of his congregants was a secretary to the owner of the building and Pastor John tested the waters to see what she thought of the idea. She told him to keep looking, there were plans to tear the building down and replace it with an office building.
Pastor John settled on what seemed to him to be the best location of the thirteen, the Trianon hotel where another church had attempted to establish a congregation in their meeting room. When he took the check to the hotel to secure the room, the sales manager had gone on vacation and wasn’t available. Frustrated, Pastor John drove over to the building of his dreams and sat in the parking and prayed for direction and let the Lord know that the building he wanted was sitting in front on him but knowing the plan for the building, he went home feeling defeated. Later that afternoon, Pastor John received word from his congregant, the secretary of the man who owned his dream building. She told him that the owner of the building wanted to meet with him and some of his congregants. The next day, Bay PCA came away with an agreement to use the building for free, they didn’t even have to pay for the utilities!
In 2006, one year later, Bay's Easter attendance had grown from 18 to 206 people. Praise God from Whom all blessings flow! What an amazing and gracious God we serve.
Soli Deo gloria!