Pastor Jonathan Velasquez has been a part of The Church of Nazarene in Fallon for three years and is now the leading pastor. Velasquez hasn't seen a church so involved with the community as much as this one.
Velasquez said, "My heartbeat as a Pastor is real simple, and it is to love God and people." According to Velasquez, the church's Agape Christain School has grown a lot. It first started with eight students and now has more than 80. The church would love to expand the school more and has been looking into buildings in downtown Fallon to see what is possible. Moving the junior high and high school students to a downtown building may be an option, but nothing is solidified yet. The current building is maxed out where the kindergarten through 12th grade attend. The school starts every day with chapel, and different pastors come to preach. "We are hoping someday that the high school could be more of a trade school," Velasquez said. He believes there is a need for a trade school and hopes there will be in the future.
The church is not there yet but hopes to open a youth center eventually. "We bought an 18-hole miniature golf course that is sitting in a storage shed and hoping to put it into use eventually," Velasquez said. Lindsey Pellandini, who handles the church's community relations, states, "There is so much opportunity in this community for growth, and especially to help the youth, and that is something that we are all passionate about."
Pellandini was recently bought on board to focus on events and build community awareness. The Agape school has an upcoming event, Paint & Pasta Night. The event will take place on February 11 at 6 p.m. at the church. Tickets are $30 for a single or $50 for a couple. You can drop your kids off at the school for those in need of free childcare during the event. This event will be fun where you can paint a canvas and build your own pasta bowl. The proceeds go to benefit the school. Tickets can be purchased at their locations or online at ascfallon.org.
The Church of Nazarene works with the Fallon community to bring resources to those in need. The Out of Egypt food panty run by the church is open from 9:30-11 a.m. on Thursday and is located at 1075 Taylor Pl. for those in need of food. The pantry feeds about 1,400 people in the community per month. Kind-hearted Volunteers and fantastic staff make this possible. The food pantry needs a running forklift. The pallets are extremely heavy, and a forklift would be much appreciated. The Nazarene church has teamed up with Chuck Doucett's Soup Kitchen for anyone in need of hot meals. Hot meals are served on Wednesdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Nazarene church located at 1520 Grimes St.
The food pantry is just one of the organizations Church of Nazarene runs. The church also runs the Thrift and Gift store. According to Velasquez, this store can meet people's needs that are searching for clothes and other items. They accept donations. At the same time, T&G Gifts is more of a gift store for those looking for anniversary or birthday gifts. This store has many local vendors like those selling honey, clothes, repurposed furniture, and other merchandise. You can also find Greenwave, Wolf Pack, and other Nevada items here. Both of these stores' proceeds go toward feeding the community, tuition for students in need, and helping pay the employees. With all the organizations the church runs, they employ over 40 people.
A recovery group meets every Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at the church for those struggling with addiction.
Pastor Aaron Mcbeide of Fallon's Victory Baptist Church says, "We stand in support of the Agape school and the mission of the school." The Victory Baptist Church has started helping the school with 50 dollars a month and hopes to grow that more. Both churches have started a prayer meeting for people to come together at the pregnancy center on the second Monday of the month to help uplift the town. Pastor Jonathan Velasquez chairs the board at the pregnancy center, while the Victory Baptist church has members working on volunteering at the pregnancy center. Victory church is also teaming up with another ministry to get on the naval base to hold bible studies.
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