In an 8-by-12 block neighborhood of 923 homes in Fresno, California, Pastor Joe White and Neighborhood Church live out Jesus’ command to love your neighbor.
“We see our neighborhood like a geographical area of spiritual responsibility,” White says.
As different neighbors face educational, economic, political, spiritual or relational issues, Neighborhood Church seeks to address needs by proclaiming the good news, as Jesus does himself when he reads from Isaiah 61 in Luke 4:18-19.
Since 2016, one way Neighborhood Church does this is through a community-wide Easter celebration, which came about through a desire to be public for Jesus.
“We wanted to not be a light hidden under a bowl,” White says. “But we wanted to be a light on a hill so everything we do is because we love Jesus.”
This has led Neighborhood Church to collaborate with other churches located nearby to host an Easter-weekend celebration event.
In this collaborative effort across different denominational and theological lines, White acknowledges the opportunity for churches to show their neighbors that the churches love each other.
One aspect of the celebration is a stations of the cross display throughout the neighborhood. On different light poles are art pieces and written liturgies, taking the reader through the life of Jesus, heading into his crucifixion on Good Friday.
On Saturday, the churches host a party at Jackson Elementary, located half a mile from Neighborhood Church.
“We as a host, as a group of churches, really focus on providing an environment where people can be around Jesus in a party atmosphere,” White says.
The event includes gospel presentations, Easter-egg hunts and food vendors. Community nonprofits also provide resources on financial literacy, food stamps and government services.
Several nonprofits, including Neighborhood Church’s own Jackson Community Development Corp., join in, creating a space where families can connect with local leaders—from school administrators to city council members, firefighters and police—under joyful circumstances rather than crises.
In 2025, about 200 neighbors attended the celebration.
“We pray that folks will make connections with our neighborhood churches, feel the love of Christ and enjoy being together as a community,” says Rhonda Dueck, executive director of the Jackson Community Development Corp.
On Sunday, Neighborhood Church holds an outdoor Easter gathering. The service allows neighbors to meet Jesus and features baptisms for those who make that profession of faith.
The gathering then moves from the backyard to the front yard, where the church enjoys a picnic, celebrating Jesus by being together.
This celebration, among other events, has become a regular rhythm for Neighborhood Church as they seek to invest in their community.
“Our neighbors have come to depend on us to be a light in the neighborhood—because there’s so much dark,” White says.
Rather than trying to solve every problem, Neighborhood Church seeks to flip on some light, focusing not on the output, but what they are providing to the community.
“Are we actually telling people about Jesus?” White asks. “Are we doing things to actually get to know our neighbors?”
Cody Meyer is associate pastor of youth and discipleship at Ebenfeld MB Church, Hillsboro, Kansas. He is a 2024 graduate of Tabor College with a major in Adaptive Ministry Leadership and a minor in Communications. Cody credits his time at Tabor and his experience serving at Ebenfeld while in college and at Camp War Eagle, a children’s summer camp, as milestones in his call to ministry.
