Today we’d like to introduce you to JJ Vasquez.
Hi JJ, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I got lucky. I knew from a young age what I always wanted to do: help people have a relationship with God. I know that’s not everyone’s story, and I also know that the topic of faith can be divisive. But that’s exactly why my wife and I felt called to start Journey Church in Winter Park, FL. I grew up in NYC, in a very multiethnic, multigenerational, multifaith community. Then at 16, I moved to Brandon, FL, which was extremely monolithic at the time, i.e. farmlands and caucasian. In summary, I did not fit in, was an outsider, and misunderstood.
Fast forward, one day while my wife Liz was pumping gas and a man named John came to ask for money to fill his tank. My wife said yes and walked over to his car to fill it when she noticed that in the back seat, there was a woman with an infant in her arms and some blankets. Her name was Rita. Come to find out John had just been released from prison and they were living in the backseat of their car. My wife out of compassion, filled the tank, gave him some extra, connected him to a network to find a job, and offered to pray for him. John & Rita didn’t just receive a tank of gas that day. They received a friend, a community, and a hope. That day my wife came home, shared her experience and said “What if there were a place where Jesus were accessible to anyone?” That word “accessible” stuck with us. And ended up becoming the mission statement of our community. We felt like faith, God, and Christianity, in general, had been misrepresented by so many. And, as a result, became exclusive. So we decided to make church simple. A place where you don’t need to have it all together, a bible degree, or history and experience with faith to belong. And in September 2016, we launched Journey Church in Winter Park High School. Since then, it has been an amazing ride. In 2019 we were recognized as the 10th fastest growing church in the United States. And since launch, our church has given over $300,000 away to non-profits, internationally, nationally, and locally right here in the Orlando area.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No. But our greatest challenge came before we even started. Six months before launching the church, my wife went in for a routine sonogram. We were two months pregnant with our 3rd child. During our visit, we were told that our son’s kidneys were not developing correctly and that the pregnancy would not be viable. Our appointments changed to weekly visits, starting with a heartbeat monitor, waiting for him to pass. But he didn’t. He made it all the way to birth. Unfortunately, at birth, his lungs had not fully developed. So after fighting to be born, he fought for another 7 hours to live, suffocating in my arms. This was devastating. But also formative. You see, his name was Journey. So when we started to get stories on social media about how his fight for life encouraged others to fight for their lives, we realized that God had turned our tragic story for good. That’s when we decided to call the church “Journey”. Not in memory of him, but to remember that our stories are not over until they’re over. Stay with your story, God can turn it around.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Journey Church is located in Winter Park, FL. We’re a portable church, which means we rent our space to hold Sunday services. At the time of this writing, we rent the auditorium of Trinity Prep. We have services on Sundays at 9:15 & 11:00 am. What sets us apart and what we’re most proud of is our “accessibility.” From the warmth of our dream team (what we call our volunteers) to the music and teaching, everything feels “understandable” and more importantly, “doable”.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I love the diversity and the weather! The traffic if you don’t know how to get around it. 😉
Contact Info:
- Email: connect@journeyorl.com
- Website: www.journeyorl.com
- Instagram: @jj_vasquez // @journeyorl
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JourneyOrl
- Twitter: @JJLVasquez / @journeyorl
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/JourneyChurchOrl
