HOW IT’S GOING

Branches Humboldt is a casual and thoughtful community;

A place where everyone is welcome

A place where you can breathe and be yourself

We’re a collaboratively-led, non-denominational church in the heart of Arcata, centered around Jesus and the good news of grace. Our Sunday gatherings are filled with joy, singing, learning, connection, and prayer. A volunteer team of over 50 people serve in all sorts of ways to bring this community to life; hosting, welcoming, and reaching out.

God is adding to our number each week, and it’s exciting to anticipate what He has in store for us on this journey of faith!

How it started

God had been nurturing a small seed of a dream in Justin and Heidi’s heart for a community-minded and outreach-oriented church in Arcata for over twenty years.

In 2020, they began stepping out in faith to see what might become of this vision and began inviting others into the mission of Branches. Prayer meetings, community dinners, outreach events, and info gatherings followed, and by the summer of 2022, a strong team began to plan and dream together. Branches launched that fall on Sunday, October 16 at the Arcata Veterans Hall, and it's been an incredible ride ever since!

Justin grew up in Humboldt and graduated from Arcata High. He met his wife Heidi at a Christian college in Santa Cruz while she was majoring in Intercultural Communications — smuggling Bibles into China, passionate about reaching all people with the hope of Jesus. At the same time, Justin was writing songs, using music and the arts to share the message in coffee shops, on street corners, and on high school campuses.

This passion for sharing God’s message of hope with those who haven’t heard it continues to guide our team. Our vision is to help every person connect with Jesus, the source of life, and our mission is to be rooted in Him and reaching out - together.

our vision

The VISION of Branches is to help every person connect to Jesus, the source of life.

John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”

We’re a community centered around Jesus and dependent on His grace, love, and leading.

our mission

Our MISSION is to be rooted and reaching out.

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

We accomplish this through our Sunday services, small groups, outreach events, and serving together.

our values

The primary VALUES we see in Jesus’ life that we want to emulate are:

SERVING OTHERS WITH LOVING COMPASSION

caring, and serving practical needs, for ALL

LEADING WITH HUMILITY & TRANSPARENCY

faithful, humble, vulnerable, shared, collaborative leadership

TRUSTING GOD WITH BOLD FAITH

dependent on prayer, faith that inspires others

WELCOMING ALL WITH LOVE AND GENEROSITY

everyone’s invited and equally in need of God’s grace

WALKING IN FREEDOM

not legalistic, flexible, adaptive, open to the Spirit and fresh, creative ways of reaching out

Frequently asked Questions

  • Branches is a non-denominational Christian church, focused on reaching out to those who have questions about the Christian faith and to provide a welcoming environment to explore the way of Jesus for the first time or to re-engage with a church community.

    We are accountable to our Board of Directors, our parent organizations (Stadia Church Planting, Transformation Ministries, and Excel Church Planting), and our many supporting partner churches. We hold a high view of Scripture as our ultimate authority and align with the belief statements in the historic Apostles’ Creed. For a more in-depth look at our beliefs and position statements, click here.

  • Branches is led by Lead Pastor Justin Fox and his wife Heidi; Director of Connection and Outreach. They look forward to adding to their staff team as Branches grows! Justin and Heidi serve alongside a Board of Directors, our Management Team, who are available to answer any specific questions and can be reached through our Secretary Debbie Collette (dbsquaw@yahoo.com).

  • Branches is a non-profit church (501c3) funded by donations from individuals and partner churches. Our budget is approved and managed by our Board of Directors and has been raised to partially fund the first three years of ministry, after which the church hopes to be self-sustaining through the ongoing, free-will contributions of its participants.

  • Jesus said in John, chapter 15 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” We are a community centered around Jesus as the source of life, dependent on him, and connected to him as “branches”, rooted and reaching out together.