Our Values Christ-centered compassion In all that we do and all we call others to, we do in compliance with the command of Jesus: "Love each other as I have loved you." Without this love, all we do is in danger of becoming a vain & empty action. In love, we enter into the lives & needs of our clients w/ compassion. Founded in God’s love, we show respect for human dignity, hope for and commitment to transformation, and a servant attitude.Safe-haven The Jesus Center will be a place safe from the rigors of street living - free from bad language, violence, and a sense of hopelessness. Driven by our belief in the importance of compassion, our staff will ensure that we provide food and shelter in a supportive environment for those needing our services.Community-oriented The Jesus Center exists as part of a continuum of service providers, churches, local government, schools, and community groups who together care for the various needs of the population we serve. As part of the transformation of lives, we make efforts to bring individuals into the community in a relationship of interdependence from a life of isolation.Accountability We recognize our accountability to the Lord our God, to our clients, and to the community in which we live. We invite our clients to the same standard of accountability as ourselves.The Jesus Center originated from two separate efforts to feed hungry people in the early 1980s. Mary Thekston, a member of the Church of Our Divine Savior in Chico, was determined to help the poor. After completing a master’s degree in spirituality, she began Bible studies among homeless people and gave out food in crock-pots and hot plates that soon turned into informal meals. At about the same time, a group of young people at the St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church raised money for a ski trip but ended up using the money to feed the hungry. They started a monthly and then weekly dinner program called the Chico Free Dinner Program. Both efforts by Thekston and the Episcopal Church youth resulted in the establishment of the Jesus Center or as it became known - Jesus Provides Our Daily Bread – located at 1530 Park Avenue. In January, 1996, the Park Avenue building received minor damage through fire. In February a second suspicious fire resulted in the facility shutting down. Three more arson fires were started with the last one leading to the building being burnt down. As the Chico Enterprise Record reported on September 28, 1997: “The ‘Jesus Provides Our Daily Bread’ building was demolished by fire reported at 11:48 p.m. Friday (September 26), stated a city of Chico Fire Department news release.” The Salvation Army on 16th and Laurel had provided immediate help and the Newman Center at Third and Cherry streets allowed the Center staff to use their facility to feed people. In fact, the relationship with the Newman Center lasted for two and a half years. A community fund-raising drive raised over $100,000 and through this effort and other means the Center bought the Old Ice House at 1297 Park Avenue, not far from its previous location on the same street. Sabbath House, a women and children’s refuge facility in a trailer, opened in the grounds of Neighborhood Church in 1997 and in 2002 was completed as a permanent facility alongside the Ice House complex, and so with a commercial kitchen and a woman and children’s facility the Center established itself in a permanent location. The Center has come a long way – from Mary Thekston’s initial beginnings in the early 1980s, through Executive Director Jonelle Pena’s establishment of the Center as an organization consistently providing meals to hungry people, to subsequent Director Katy Thoma’s trials in the 90s – coping with 5 arson fires and public opposition to a further facility after the original building on Park Avenue had been burned down. Through all these things, these women maintained a tenacious belief that the right thing to do was to help broken people in Chico and not leave them to be rejected and ignored. From its elementary beginnings to its present state, the Jesus Center has given opportunity to over 3,000 volunteers whose energy, time and money have made the Center what it is today—that is, a community-owned enterprise focused offering hospitality in the name of Jesus to Chico’s hungry and homeless people.
Bill Such – Executive Director "I am pleased to introduce the Jesus Center to you. On a daily basis we provide food and shelter for people in the Chico region - in 2008, hearly 93,000 meals were served. Anyone can come and eat breakfast and dinner at the Center between 7:30 – 8:30 am and 3:30 – 4:30 pm each day. We also have a ministry called Sabbath House that houses up to 24 women and children." "I am English and have lived in the north of England, New Zealand, the United States, Scotland and Africa. I have been in teaching and ministry for over 20 years. In Scotland I completed a Ph.D. in New Testament and then taught biblical studies in Swaziland in Southern Africa, where I became involved with AIDS awareness and a UNESCO program to stop children living on the streets of one of Swaziland’s major cities. From Africa I came to Chico and the Jesus Center." "I am amazed at how the Center is a meeting place where people come together to eat food or to volunteer serving food or to put on orange jackets and patrol the neighborhood as the Center’s ambassadors. The Jesus Center is a focal point for people who want to help the homeless among us. I want to encourage you to come down to Park Avenue and 13th Street in Chico and let me show you around our facilities. I also want to invite you to come and serve meals or work in the warehouse, in fact, to support our ministry in whatever way you can."
Rich Young - Assistant Director
"All cities and towns have poor folks somehow to relate to; the spirit of that effort speaks to the heart of a city or town. The heart of Chico is alive and well. The Jesus Center is in the midst of that heartfelt desire to serve.
I have lived in Chico for over 40 years and feel privileged to now be part of the team with Bill and the staff of the Jesus Center. It is a lively and amazing place. My wife Liz and I have three grown children and enjoy them and the company of their collective six kids here in this great city."
Donna Aro – Office Manager "I started work at the Jesus Center at the height of the Christmas rush. So many people were streaming in the doors to volunteer, donate money, or give tangible gifts to the clients we serve here. I was completely amazed at the overwhelming support for the Center and the care and concern our community members felt for the needy. In fact, the day I came in to interview for the Office Manager position, I met a young girl who, with a beaming smile told of how she did extra chores and recycled cans and bottles to be able to give the dollar bills and change she donated. Even though things have calmed down considerably since the holidays, I am blessed beyond measure to be a part of the giving nature of the Jesus Center. I know that each donation of time or money comes at a personal cost to the giver, and I do so appreciate all the help we receive from our supporters." "It is so rewarding to try to make a client’s life a little bit easier or take care of a problem or help someone with a need. To see a smile on a client’s face is my goal." Lori Wilbourn– Volunteer Coordinator
Lori started working at the Jesus Center as volunteer coordinator February 8, 2010. She was greeted with a pile of volunteer applications she is now going through. Please bear with us as we meet and assign the wonderful volunteers who come our way. Thanks!
Andy Hawes – Kitchen Manager Jesus Center Kitchen Staff: Charles Leman, David Crow and Jamie Watson 
Connie Nicolaus – Sabbath House Director "I was born and raised in Chico. While I have lived other places I always gravitate back to Chico. My husband, George, and I returned to Chico in 1988. We are pleased to be able to raise the last of our 4 children here in my hometown. I have known for many years that I like to work with people and enjoy interaction with others." "For 13 years I served as a Lay Counselor at the Tandem House Counseling Center of Neighborhood Church in Chico. Besides one-on-one counseling I have also taught parenting classes. In the Spring of 2005 I graduated from Butte College and also received my certificate of achievement in their Alcohol and Drug Studies program. It has been a joy to be here at the Sabbath House and use the skills and training I have received. I look forward to serving the women and children that come our way. Sabbath House is a wonderful respite for those who have become homeless."
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© The Jesus Center
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