Somewhat like Abram, Dustin and his wife felt called to another place without knowing quite where.

Feeling moved by God, they left their newly renovated home and teaching jobs in Florida to “move to California to start a church.”

There was no direction toward a specific town, so they moved to Oceanside because that was the first school system to offer his wife a job.

Having landed, their prayers for further direction led them to Ryan Delameter and OCNWTR churches.

Ryan offered the right kind of direction because that movement is built around very young people, mostly planting churches in coffee shops after closing time on weeknights.

Upon meeting Ryan, they decided the beach might be a better place, so they and two friends lit a bonfire one Friday night, offering s’mores to anyone who might stop to listen to the guitar and worship songs.

As you might imagine, they touch a broad mix of people.

Disenchanted former church members mix with people bound by drugs alongside homeless people looking for free food. They’ve even had a couple of crazies try to physically attack Dustin.

But following the Spirit has its rewards. There are now four churches spread along that stretch of beach. One meets in Malibu, though they’ve moved indoors. There are more, but we’ll let Dustin tell you about them in the interview.

The churches are called Jesus parties.

One important lesson is that you can start churches with almost no funds if you think bivocationally and are willing to meet in unorthodox places. The more significant lesson is that the Spirit is moving, and excitement lies in our path if we’re eager to follow.

Old men have a fondness for their younger days—for me, what I encounter when I’m with Dustin and his friends takes me back to the Jesus Revolution. There is a hint of something delicious in the air that I tasted very long ago…

You can follow these guys on Instagram at “jesuspartyca” or email Dustin at [email protected].

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