Church plans to move into new campus on July 11
Intermediate projects continue in preparatin for Grand Opening, Sept. 19

June 27, 2010 -- The worship center floor is stained, chairs are delivered and preschool updates continue. The office area and restrooms are next.

So continues the work at Good Shepherd's new camus, located at 380 Arneill near Old Town Camarillo. Supervisor Brad Schaub oversaw the worship center re-do, and the Free Lutheran congregation plans to start worshiping in the recently purchased facility on July 11. The new Good Shepherd sign will soon replace the historic First Lutheran iconic signage, with just a little controversy, and volunteers are also painting the top floor of a fourth building on campus, the two-story "Day School." 

"People are excited and patient," said Pastor Jim Johnson, who has heard several Camarillo friends lobby for retaining the 50-year-old sign with individual letters and weekly mottos since 1967. "We're moving forward," said Pastor Jim, "and yes, that will include the sign, too, at least for now." For years the sign has drawn stares and queries at drivers and pedestrians who have passed by. Known throughout the community as "the church with the sign," First Lutheran members enjoyed a ministry of word play that sometimes earned the church a note in the local paper. One week the sign would say, "Know Jesus, Know Peace." The next week it would say, "No Jesus, No Peace." The sign would say, for instance, "I was going to waste, then Jesus recycled me."

"We're going to try a little break," said Pastor Johnson. "I think our new church needs it's own identify," he said. "We'll put the sign away for a while and replace it with the Good Shepherd logo in a new style. We'll store the old one. I've been telling people in the community, 'If God makes it clear that He really wants that sign back, I'll be the first to help re-install it."