Ethnos

Multi-​Ethnic Community Church… Allows to take 2 min time to talk to people before message (gives a chance to meet new people, you don’t feel like a stranger through out service anymore), pray for community and then will walk is in to sermon time…

Ethnos is an amazing church community! My husband and I stumbled upon it googling «multi-​ethnic church» and the first time we were there we were blown away. It’s located at Doyle Elementary (the church rents out at the school) and there was ample parking. We were greeted by the welcome team followed by meeting Pastor Yucan (he is awesome) and we got connected to some people who were hosting a Community Group (midweek Bible study). The people were great, the music was awesome, the message was relevant. Moving here from Hawaii and being actively involved in our church back home, it was important to us to get connected and start serving at a church we now can call home here in San Diego :) Ethnos is truly amazing; it’s now led by Pastors Tim Buechsel & Scott Eng. They have a great staff team, and just a family style community! You will not be disappointed, if you will only give Jesus a chance!

I first attended in Jan 2015, after looking for a new church for a while, and have been going ever since. The worship is great and the people super friendly. Make sure you get connected, it was easy making friends by sharing life together at a community group and getting involved by serving. I’m glad I chose a smaller church where I feel less intimidated and the pastors know me by name. It feels like family.

I spent most of my childhood in Korean churches, so this church was very refreshing for me. I can bring friends from different nationalities and it doesn’t feel isolating or awkward like it used to be for me in the past.
I find Ethnos to be different because it feels community-​oriented. Here are two interesting aspects about Ethnos that I haven’t seen in other churches:
1. There is a time for prayer before the main message. You can use that time to pray for your own needs or just meet the person right next to you.
2. There’s a special time of questions & answers after the message so that you can comment or question material from the main message. I’m not the type of person to ask questions in front of large groups of people, but it’s nice to know what other people are questioning and commenting about. I feel included when they share their thoughts.
In terms of logistical information, there are 2 meeting times for the church. One is at 9am and the other is at 11am, so you can choose if you want to be an early bird or a later stroller. Each meeting will have about 60 – 70 people, so if you want to blend in with the crowd, you can sit towards the middle. Of if you want to stand out, by all means, you can sit way in the front.
If you haven’t been to church before and want to check out faith, this can be a good way to get started because Ethnos tends to be pretty aware of using lingo that Christians and non-​Christians will both understand. That’s why I feel comfortable inviting my friends (both Christian and non-​Christian) to visit my Ethnos community. I have been feeling that way for about 5 yrs. now.

I have only an outsiders opinion to share about Ethnos. I have been to one event with this community because a friend invited me a few years ago. My friend Courtney and her husband had been going for several years and it was their spiritual home. They are top notch people whom I admire for their approach to religion and spirituality… so when they invited me to the event I went to, I felt blessed.
We went to a gift wrapping toy drive for a community outside the US… it was also a pot luck. Yummy food, friendly people, and very welcoming without the creepy factor that some Christian organizations can wield.
If you are looking for an open minded, spiritual community that is Christian-based…Ethnos might be worth trying.

Been going to this church for almost 5 years and have enjoyed every bit due to the community and welcoming atmosphere. But overall learning that God is the center of this church more than any program, person or pastor. Yet all those pieces are very well run.

I have to give Big-​ups to Ethnos community church.
I attended a service at Ethnos community church due to a school project. I was expecting a typical religious service that was monotone and boring. That is not what I found.
I found a new age rock band playing as the service started. I found that most of the people in attendance were in their early twenties to early thirties. I do not believe I saw someone over the age of forty in the joint.
I happened to meet the man in charge, Yucan Chiu. He is the warm and welcoming pastor at this community church. I spoke with him for a few minutes before the service as I tried to take in the entire ordeal. He was a friendly person who made me feel welcome at this church.
If you are looking for a church, consider checking out ethnos. It’s a different type of church experience in my opinion. Too bad I’m not looking for a Church.
One more time. I’d like to give Big-​Ups to Ethnos church.

First, I should note the following: I am agnostic and think Christianity is bullocks. Given that, why did I attend a service at Ethnos today? I was duped. Somewhat.
A friend of mine started attending Ethnos over the summer. She claimed she was atheist, and that she went for curiosity’s sake. I internally groaned and thought, «Noooo, they’re going to get to her too! Damn it!» Yes, I fully admit I’m a bigot when it comes to one or two things in life.
Anyway, last week I asked her if she was still going to the weekly services. MK indeed was, and told me all about the previous sermon; it seemed pretty interesting and had little to do about religion. She claimed that the pastor rarely touched upon religion and usually just philosophized for an hour or so. When MK told me this week’s topic was sex, I thought, «Hmm, maybe I should check this place out.»
And I did. As we were approaching the entrance this morning, she gave me some surprising news: «Uh yeah, for the first hour we sing.» Uh, thanks for letting me know that in advance. Singing and me have a rather unpleasant relationship.
Thankfully the lights were turned low and not everyone was singing along. A non-​singer such as myself could feel quite comfortable just listening to the music. I should also note the music was very lively. And my friend was wrong– the music session was 30 minutes at most.
Following that was a prayer session for 10 – 15 minutes. We were supposed to get into groups of 3 – 4 people. Given the fact I only pray during sporting events, I just chatted to MK and her friend. No one seemed to mind. So props for that.
Finally came the pastor and his talk on sex. He chose to focus on Proverbs 5:1−23. I thought it was a pretty sweet passage and even us heretical agnostics could apply its lesson to our lives. I liked the sermon until the pastor’s solution in handling sexual frustration: turn to God. When he elaborated, he actually chose some Pslam that said «right hand» and I thought that was appropriate. Unfortunately he wasn’t making an innuendo to masturbation; had he done so, I would have immediately decided to make a return visit. The pastor wasn’t as liberal as me, and still insisted that one should wait for sex until marriage. Yeah, that’s when I remembered why I’m not a church goer, and the «Give me a freaking break» line started to run over and over through my mind.
So overall, it is a pretty nice service. It isn’t SUPER liberal, but it ain’t Pat Robertson territory either. And lastly, if anyone tells you about Ethnos, and claims religion is downplayed here, DON’T BELIEVE THEM!
(just to make it clear, last line was a joking reference to my friend, and not anyone directly related to Ethnos)

I’m a bit biased, but I love Ethnos. I first heard about the church from a friend when it was starting with no more than ten members in the UTC area. I was intrigued but happy at Flood, the night service at College Avenue Baptist Church. However, I had the chance to get reacquainted with Yucan Chiu, the pastor, at a wedding in the summer of 2004. We were at the wedding of a pair of long time mutual friends of ours; he was a tall white guy from Iowa, she a loud Filipina from Stockton. It was like watching «My Big Fat Greek Wedding,» Manila addition.
Yucan told me that he was leading a new church in the UTC area that was focusing on taking the love and hope of God to people regardless of cultural, ethnic, or socioeconomic backgrounds, and instead building a church that embraced and celebrated diversity in culture and identity. As a multiracial American (and a delightful Halfrican), I was drawn, intrigued and challenged by that idea. Since then, the church as grown immensely, holds community group meetings (like bible studies) throughout the city – including one on Monday’s in North Park, perfect for a North Parker like me – and tries to just meet and love on people in the area.
I’m one of those people who was challenged by the idea of a chruch that cared for and celebrated people’s cultural backgrounds as well as who they were deep down. That’s why I love being a part of Ethnos.