Our Story

In the summer of 2005, theeffect was what we were lovingly calling a guerrilla faith community–one that popped up all over South Orange County, CA: meeting Sunday mornings in the living room of one family, bible studying in the living room of another, directing a weekly recovery service at one local church, while our worship band played at various “hard copy” churches and other venues across South County.

We were led by a pastor and ministerial leaders from several churches in the area with the common thread among us a driving desire to know truth through a Hebrew Jesus, and through that truth, the freedom of spiritual recovery and transformation. In our growing conviction that we are all recovering from something that is holding us back from full spiritual transformation, we began laying plans for a full-service, spiritually-centered facility that would give us a seven day a week footprint and real community center.

The concept was to build a vibrant recovery ministry that would build its own faith community almost as a by-product of its work.

• In May, 2007, we began regular Sunday morning and Tuesday night gatherings in space on the docks of Dana Point Harbor.
• October, 2008, we moved into our own facility in San Juan Capistrano as the need and desire for more weekly events and gatherings had grown with us
• June, 2011, some members of our leadership started a counseling and outpatient addiction treatment center physically placed on our site to be able to offer fuller recovery services in our community, which currently offers licensed psychotherapy, clinical and pastoral counseling, outpatient treatment, spiritual direction
• April, 2015 the same leadership group launched a fully licensed detox and residential rehab facility
• January, 2018 we moved to a larger facility in San Clemente, but the building was sold mid-year, so…
• April, 2019 we moved back to San Juan Capistrano into space that accommodates both faith community and counseling center

theeffect maintains a full daily and weekly schedule of gatherings that have defined a real faith and recovery community for those who want to build the balanced foundation in their day to day lives and relationships so they can really engage the spiritual Way of life Jesus called Kingdom.

New gatherings, studies, and events most often begin as people with the specific passion and skills show up to lead them. As far as we’ve come, we’d like to say we meant all this, but in reality, much of it has been driven by people driven by Spirit, showing up in our midst and making our decisions almost foregone conclusions.

What’s next? We’d like to say we know…and we do have plans, but we’ll be waiting to see who shows up before finalizing anything.