In 1996, Shawn Robinson was a youth pastor at a large church in Walnut Creek while living in the Clayton area. He had seen many families make the long commute to churches in the Walnut Creek area because there was nothing for them near home. Shawn had a vision for reaching out to these families and their neighbors with a contemporary family friendly church that had a heart for those who didn’t go
to church (or even like it for that matter!). He wanted these neighbors to see that church could be genuine, relevant and life-changing, something that would add meaning and purpose to their lives on a daily basis. With the blessing of his home church, Shawn, his wife Patty, their 3 young children and 12 families began meeting and envisioning what would eventually become Clayton Community Church. In the spring of 1996 the small group began meeting on Sunday afternoons at the Clayton Library. They grew to about 50 in attendance each week and discovered what the first church was meant to be by studying the New Testament Book of Acts. By fall of ’96 the small group felt it was time to branch out. Buoyed by financial support from their home church, the EPC denomination and a whole lot of prayer, they sent 10,000 invitations to Clayton and Concord residents to “join the excitement” on September 23rd. It was this first Sunday at Diablo View Middle School that over 300 adults and 100 children officially began the adventure of Clayton Community Church. In those first few years over 200 people gave their lives to Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Now with over many different adults, teens and children attending each Sunday, the family of Clayton Community Church is still passionate in their purpose:
To glorify God as we connect, grow, and serve!
