Jubilee Christian Church, 7190 Hollister Ave., will celebrate 50 years of ministry to Goleta with a series of events March 15-17.

Community members are invited to attend the anniversary events in the church sanctuary that include guest speakers from across the state such as Rev. Shirley Bridwell, 7 p.m. Friday, March 15; Prophetic Presbytery, 3 p.m. Saturday, March 16; Revs. Paul and July Harmon, 11 a.m. Sunday, March 17.

Jubilee Church began in the fall of 1972 as a small gathering of UCSB students in an Isla Vista storefront. They were led by a young couple, Jonathan and Julie Eymann, who graduated and then continued theological training through Shiloh Bible College.

The Eymanns were ordained in March, 1974 and began serving as pastors at Jubilee where they have been for 50 years.

As the group continued to grow, they moved to several locations in the Goleta Valley. In 1977, they purchased the historic Joseph Sexton property at 5494 Hollister Ave., remodeling the 100-year-old barn into a chapel.

Because the church became known for its exuberant, charismatic style of worship, the Eymanns were invited to the faculty of the International Worship Symposium from 1980-05. With the symposium, they taught on “Praise and Worship” in cities across the U.S. and on three continents.

In 1982, the church founded Jubilee Christian Academy, a private school which became a state-accredited institution for grades K-12 until 1999.

Over the decades, the church and school hosted holiday events, Give Thanks Goleta, various parades, the Hard To Find music venue and many elections events.

The church moved to its current location in 1996 where it continues to serve the community with Sunday worship services, training seminars, youth ministry and professional counseling services.

For more information, visit www.jccgoleta.com.