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C3 Church Welcomes Pastor, Will Dedicate New Sanctuary

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By DIANE LOEBEL, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 1, 2007

ODESSA - Sunday's a busy day for most churches.

This Sunday, City Church Center C3 has an especially full agenda: celebrate the 30 years its founding pastors, Jerry and Mary Magliulo, have spent in the ministry, welcome new pastor Steven Morgan and his wife, Coreen, and dedicate its new sanctuary.

The Magliulos' lives in the ministry began in the 1970s, when they were ordained and took over a Gospel Outreach church in Queens, N.Y. They stayed for seven years before they and 10 others moved to New Port Richey, where they founded the Gospel Outreach Church on U.S. 19. They led that church until leaving in 2003 to start a church in the growing Trinity area.

For a year, the Magliulos traveled the country, studying how other churches were laid out and expressed their faith. Their new congregation met in tents and various locations before opening in the West Pasco Industrial Center in 2004.

Since Mary Magliulo's bout with cancer three years ago, though, the couple has struggled to devote as much time to the church and its missions, so they decided it was time to turn over its leadership to someone else.

"We felt it was time to let a new pastor in and prepare the church for the 21st century," Jerry Magliulo said. "Mary and I have become very involved in cancer awareness in the community and want to continue in that as much as we can. We will still attend C3 and serve the pastor and congregation whenever we can."

Morgan had been serving as a youth pastor and assistant pastor at Countryside Church of God in Clearwater. The Church of God had been hoping to establish a church in the Trinity area. Then Morgan found C3 and met with Magliulo.

Since the pastors started sharing preaching duties at C3 several months ago, Morgan has been well-received by the congregation.

"This is a perfect fit for both of us," Morgan said. "I feel God has a tremendous vision for the Trinity area. We want to establish ourselves in the community by showing our love and compassion."

Morgan plans to expand the church's offerings. A coffeehouse will be open on Sundays and periodically during the week, starting in January.

The church also will launch a Hispanic ministry early next year. It will have its own pastor, service and music, but will be part of C3.

Morgan foresees a lot of outreach to the community through area businesses, block parties and concerts at the church. He also plans to expand youth programs.

The church's new 6,000-square-foot sanctuary has with state-of-the-art equipment and can hold 300 people. It will allow the church to host skits, plays, concerts and special programs for the community.

After the 10:30 a.m. service Sunday, there will be food, a multimedia presentation and music by the C3 Praise Band and Nothing New Under the Sun, which performs in Spanish and English.

CITY CHURCH CENTER C3
WHERE: 11134 Challenger Ave., Odessa

WORSHIP: 10:30 a.m. Sundays; C2X Youth meet at 7 p.m. Fridays.

CALL: (727) 372-2489

ONLINE: www.citychurch

florida.com

To suggest a Faith in Focus feature, call Diane Loebel at (727) 815-1081; write her at The Tampa Tribune, 6214 U.S. 19 New Port Richey FL 34652; or dloebel @tampatrib.com.

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