Exchange Community Church

I have to start by saying attending any church is a very personal choice. No church can be all things to all people. I have searched my whole life for my home church and found it in Exchange Community Church.
I was raised Roman Catholic with all of their rituals and rigidness. In fact, I attended Catholic school for 12 years. Cleaned the altar on Saturdays, carried the nuns books after school etc. Was baptized, confirmed and served Eucharistic Adoration every Thursday night for 5 years. As I aged, I realized I loved the church, but simply needed more. I experimented with many churches in the Alamo and Danville area and couldn't find one where I seemed to fit. Attending church is very intimate for me. Through New Life Church, I met Mark and Ellie Cotter and became a part of their church plant. They have become my friends, my spiritual leaders and I can honestly say Exchange is one of Christ's greatest gifts to me. I am blessed beyond words at the community of believers I now do life with. They have truly become my family. Some of the most genuine, kindest, true Christians in every sense of the word. Earlier in the year, I had a very aggressive form of cancer and needed major surgery. My church family totally enveloped me in love and prayers. The Sunday before my surgery, they prayed over me. As everyone's hands touched my body, I could honestly feel the Holy Spirit flow through me. It was simply amazing. Through the powers of their prayers, I am now cancer free. A total miracle. At Exchange, they see me from both the outside in and the inside out and they still accept me, even love me. I have never felt that at a church before. I can be vulnerable, share my deepest feelings, fears and still be accepted. I feel totally safe there.
We are a church that teaches the true Gospel of Jesus Christ and our core is our biblical teachings. Our leaders read the gospel and then relate scripture into everyday life. They tell stories where we laugh, cry and walk away with a message you can think about all week. Not so with many other churches. We have amazing worship and great fellowship. A church where we have fun. For the first time in my life, I LOVE going to church!!
Exchange has become my home church in ever sense of the word. So much so that I was baptized in May....
A huge step in my faith journey. A decision I pondered for many years and totally made on my own. I now serve in kids ministry, I am a greeter and a communion server.
I am so blessed I found Exchange. There is no doubt one of the reasons I moved to the East Bay was to put me on the path of this church plant.
Mark and Ellie are truly non judgemental, and totally non political. Everyone is welcome. Our congregation is very diverse in age, sex, nationality, wealth and political preference. We are a mixture of many Republicans and Democrats ( of which I am one), but we leave our politics outside the doors and come together to serve Christ as a church family.

Each time I attend Exchange Community Church I feel connected in and encouraged through the body of Christ. The teachings are rooted in scripture and translate with ease to encourage me in my day to day struggles and vicotries. The teaching staff is incredible, the worship is amazing I can't say enough good things about the house Exchange Community Church has created!

Wow! This person was able to form such overstated, negative opinions of Exchange Community Church after a couple of visits? I have a completely different picture of the Exchange Church I have been attending for the past year.

After becoming disillusioned with organized religion in general more than 30 years ago, I started attending Exchange at the suggestion of a friend. What I found was a scripture based church led by two very compassionate, welcoming, unbiased, unpredjudiced, nonjudgemental pastors, Mark and Ellie Cotter. They were open and honest about the mission of the church and provided the atmosphere I needed to get back in touch with my God and my religion.

The church congregation is very diversified and I have never heard a message, a statement, or a conversation from either of the pastors that would lead me to believe they felt any hatred for any other religion nor have they ever introduced a political direction for the church. I know the church, like most organized institutions, contains Democrats (like me) and Republicans. Political affiliations are checked at the door. I have never heard either of the pastors, nor any of the church leaders discuss politics within the church services.

I have finally found a church that preaches the gospel of Jesus in a clean, clear way and does so without the heavy handed guilt laid on by some churches. For the first time in decades I go to church on Sundays because I want to, not because I feel I need to go. I love the pastors, the people, the message I receive, the worship music….everything! I’m not sure that would have happened without Exchange Church and those who lead it. At Exchange, I have found my home church and feel good about the positive impact it has had on me.

My husband and I are Bible college graduates and have been active in church ministry all our lives. In the past we have helped plant a church in the San Francisco East Bay which is going strong today. We are also volunteers for the organization, City Impact, that ministers to the poor and needy in one of the worst districts of San Francisco called the Tenderloin. I mention all of that to make a point that we have always been careful to attend churches that teach the true gospel of Jesus Christ and that have the heart of Jesus at the core of all that they do. We have been active members of Exchange Community Church for over a year now and consider it a joy and privilege to serve there. We have come to know the pastors personally, as well as others who serve in leadership roles, and have found them to be people with hearts that genuinely love Jesus and people. Just as important, we sense the presence of God during the worship services in a powerful way, and the Biblical teachings have been sound, accurate, and inspired. The children's program is two thumbs up too! There is no doubt that God has His hand of blessing on this church and that He has a great purpose for it in the community and beyond.