From the True Love Christian Team 

Bringing the creativity of God and His agape perfect True Love together for all to see and hear.

In this festive Christian gathering of different denominations that align with Christian faith based, Nicene creed* and biblical family values, we see the beauty and uniqueness in each family member, like all the body parts uniting to create the body of Christ in 1 Corinthians 12:27. The joy is multiplied when we unite as the whole body of Christ with all its members knit together like in Ephesians 4:15-16, praising God Almighty together, and serving our neighbors with His agape true love. 

  Matt Valencia, senior pastor from ReGeneration church, reflected that Jesus prayed  “I in them, and You in Me; that they may be perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me and have loved them as You have loved Me” John 17:23 NKJV. The True Love Music and Art Festival is a great opportunity to come together in a fun and collaborative way to glorify God together so that the world may know that God sent Jesus into the world because He loves them! When the body of Christ is unified for the good news, friendships are formed and churches enter into collaboration instead of competition.”

 Vito Chiaramonte from Twin Lakes church explained “We all want to bless our community and show that the Lord is not far away. Rather, He is inviting us into a vibrant and fulfilling life in relationship with Him”. Lisa Hernandez, a teacher from Green Valley Christian Center said, “When churches gather together, like the True Love Christian Festival, they reach out to all generations”.  Isaiah Guzman from Convergence and Reeve Lively from ReGeneration both stated,  “We are all searching for true love and acceptance, but many of us are not sure what that looks like and how to find it.”. Lawrence Martinez from Calvary Chapel Aptos shared, “Last year’s True Love Christian Festival was full of joy and praise everywhere. We can’t wait to see what it will be this year.”

 One day His chosen will be united in Heaven, praising our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Father, and Holy Spirit, in unity, for all eternity. Oh, what an amazing, glorious joy that will be! Why not gather together now, a few precious days a year, and prepare ourselves for heaven.

 Thoughts to pray and ponder why we should gather together for all to see and hear: 

1. When we glorify God Almighty together, in unity, like in John 17:23, the world will know that Jesus Christ is Lord for all to see and hear. This inspires us to be bold and invite friends and neighbors so they can also receive God’s eternal agape true love.

2. Christ is promoted to all generations in a positive uplifting way as we have fellowship and encourage each other with uplifting words (Eph 4:29) while serving & loving our community neighbors together.

3. Opportunity to share the gospel when answering “What is True Love?”  

4. We can network and learn what each church is doing to serve our community and see it in action at the festival.

5. We present His awesome creativity in Christian uplifting music, worship, and arts for all to see and hear.

6. Can be shared with the media in a positive, uplifting, lifesaving Christian message.

7. When His family gathers together our heavenly Father receives a glorious joy just like Jacob had when seeing his beloved family united again with Joseph. We share in God’s awesome joy when we unite as the body of Christ. 

As Santa Cruz means Holy Cross, our hope is to show the world that our Christian community can be Holy as we gather together in the love of Jesus in a painfully divided world.   

Our Prayer

We pray the Holy Spirit will empower us to gather as the body of Christ as in 1 Corinthians 12:12.

We pray with one voice, we sing unto the Lord in harmony, like an orchestra, presenting a praise symphony to love and worship our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as in Romans 15:5-6. Let us start and end the festival with singing praise songs “We love you Lord” and “We Exalt Thee” in Spanish, English, and possibly other languages.

  We pray we glorify God Almighty together, as one, like in John 17:23, for all to hear and see so our community will know Jesus Christ is Lord of all in these last days.

  We pray we share words that are uplifting to edify and comfort each other according to their needs like in Ephesians 4:29. Thus, coming together in fellowship we can find out what our neighbors needs are and thus be able to say uplifting words that edify, encourage and comfort each other in these times of much division.

We pray we do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility and value others above ourselves as in Philippians 2:3.

  We pray our fellowship together will be full of the fruits of the Spirit as shared in Ephesians 5:22-23 with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control to each Christian church* member and our neighbors.

Thoughts on what a “Christian church” is as follows: The Nicene Creed (Trinity) with faith based historical Christian biblical family values. Please see *What we Believe.

We pray these scriptures will be branded in our hearts as we serve our community with His love.

John 17:21-23 "that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me.... That they may be brought to complete unity then the world will know that you sent Me... " Colossians 3:14  But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. John 15:13  Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7  Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;  bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Hebrews 10:24-25  And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,  not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 2:1-11 Therefore is there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. John 13:34 A New commandment I give you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. Ephesians 4:15-16 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—  from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. Eph 4:29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

A possible closing thought to pray and ponder on the diversity of trinity believing churches gathering together, by Simon Cassar

Jesus said in John 8:12, “ I am the light of the world.” Could the many diverse true abiding churches be like God’s perfect pure true light going through a triangulated shaped “Trinity” glass prism? The light that comes out of the triangular shaped glass prism is now many colors like red, green, blue, etc. I wonder if the different colors could represent these unique diverse trinitarian churches?  Maybe God allowed this because not everyone is drawn to the color red or the color blue, or green, etc. We have Gospel churches, biker churches, surfer churches, cowboy churches, deep meditation type churches, rock, contemporary, rap music type churches, etc.  Maybe God allowed this diversity so that nobody can now say, “I could not find a church I felt comfortable with.” Maybe God allowed something that looks tragically bad, the breaking up of His church, into now something good like in (Romans 8:28). Now envision if all these colorful churches unite physically, for one day, and their combined shining light is placed on top of a lamp stand for all to see and hear.