On a stretch of south Santa Clara County where garlic fields and a growing downtown shape the character of Gilroy, The Foothills Church of Gilroy holds its Sunday service each week in the multipurpose room and classrooms of Solorsano Middle School. The congregation has been around since 1990, when Pastor Mark Wilson and his wife Joani planted it in the area, and the church still gathers under the leadership of the Wilsons - only now without a building of its own. After a sharp separation from the Foursquare denomination in February 2023, the Foothills family relocated its worship, children's ministry and youth group to Solorsano and has stayed there ever since, while Pastor Mark continues to lead a court fight to recover what he believes the church is owed.
Meeting at Solorsano Middle School
Every Sunday morning, Foothills people arrive at Solorsano Middle School, set up the sanctuary space, teach in rented classrooms, run a full children's ministry, and then tear it all down again before they head home. The pattern is not new for this congregation. When the church was first launched in July of 1990, the Wilsons and a small group of believers hauled a trailer of equipment to Gavilan College every Saturday afternoon and disassembled it again after the service each Sunday. They did that for about two years before they had a place to call their own. The current arrangement echoes that early season, except the haul is shorter and the volunteers are older.
The legal name of the original church was The Gilroy Foursquare Church, which meant the building, the bank accounts and the assets were all in the denomination's name. When Pastor Mark and Joani told Foursquare in early 2023 that they wanted to withdraw, three officials came to their office on February 13 and informed them they were being removed as pastors and that the denomination was seizing the building, the assets and more than half a million dollars in church funds. The locks were changed within the hour. That is the morning Pastor Mark has described more than once in his monthly letters, calling it proof that they had made the right decision. Three years on, a court case is still in progress, and Pastor Mark frames the wait as a "NOT YET" answer from God rather than a final "NO."
In the meantime, Sunday worship happens at Solorsano Middle School at 9:45 AM. The service runs one hour, from 9:45 to 10:45, beginning with congregational worship and followed by an encouraging and practical message from Pastor Mark. Children's programming runs for the entire service, and students in grades 6 through 12 worship with the adults before being dismissed to a separate classroom for their own time together.
Pastor Mark and Joani Wilson
Pastor Mark Wilson has been faithfully serving in Gilroy with his wife Joani since 1990. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Biblical Studies from Life Bible College (now L.I.F.E. Bible College), and his preaching emphasizes how the principles of Scripture are transferable to whatever life situation a listener is walking through. He has raised two sons with Joani, has a grandson and a granddaughter, and is the kind of pastor whose sermons will leave you with a sports reference, a Bible verse, and a clear next step. He is also an avid golfer and an Amazon-published author of two novels, "The Hours That Changed My Life" and "The Road That Changed My Life."
Joani Wilson serves as Co-Pastor and oversees Women's Ministries. Her fingerprints are all over the monthly newsletters and Sunday touches - back-to-school prayers, Easter reflections, Mother's Day encouragement, and the kind of "Don't give up" pastoral care that comes from someone who has lived through the church's hardest seasons alongside her husband. She also reaches out to members who can no longer attend services, keeping them connected to what is happening at the Foothills. In one of her recent letters she told the story of a woman she visits regularly who told her, "I'm so glad you come to visit me. It reminds me I belong to God and His church."
The Sunday Service and Children's Ministry
First-time visitors can expect a one-hour service that begins with sung worship and moves into a Bible-based, practical message. The dress is whatever you would wear to a casual school event, the atmosphere is warm, and the people tend to greet you as if they have known you for years. Children from birth through 5th grade are welcomed into Kids Church for the entire service. The kids' ministry is led by Children's Pastor Shanna Korjenek and is built around the conviction of Proverbs 22:6 - "Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it." Every adult volunteer in the children's ministry is fingerprinted, classrooms always have at least two volunteers present, and parents check their children in through a computerized system before dropping them off.
The children's ministry hosts an annual Kids Christmas Program each December, and the church also opens its doors to the wider Gilroy community for an annual Trunk or Treat held in the Solorsano parking lot on Halloween evening. That event features decorated car trunks, candy, games and a free, family-friendly environment designed to give the neighborhood a safe alternative to traditional trick-or-treating.
Thrive Youth Group
Students in middle school and high school have their own community inside the Foothills called Thrive Youth Group, led by Pastor David Ortega. Thrive meets in two rhythms. On Wednesday nights from 6:30 to 8:00 PM at Solorsano Middle School, students gather with five to six adult leaders - all of whom are fingerprinted and active church members - for three or four games, a teaching time, and small-group discussion. During the message, cell phones are placed in a designated "phone holding" spot so everyone can be fully present. On Sunday mornings, after the adults finish worship, the youth are dismissed to a separate classroom for their own time together at about 10:00 AM.
Thrive focuses on three things: loving God through learning about Jesus and praying together, honoring God with both speech and action, and serving God by giving time and energy to the group and the wider church. The youth attend summer camp together when the schedule allows, and follow Thrive on Instagram at @thrive_youth.
Abide Women's Ministry
The women's ministry at the Foothills is called Abide, and it is led by Co-Pastor Joani Wilson. Abide offers two weekly Bible study options for women in the Gilroy area. The daytime study meets each Tuesday at 10:00 AM when the Gilroy public schools are in session, with the location shared when you contact the church. An evening study meets Tuesdays from 6:45 to 8:15 PM in Gilroy; childcare is not provided for the evening session. Both studies emphasize solid Biblical teaching and fellowship, and the ministry also produces the Abide Ministries Podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
The Rooted Girls Bible Study is another women's offering connected to the church, giving teenage girls and young women an additional place to study Scripture together. There is also a MOMCO group on site - the successor to the classic MOPS program - that gives moms of young children a place to build friendships and be encouraged.
The Forge Men's Ministry
The men's ministry is called The Forge, and it meets on Tuesday nights from 7:00 to 8:00 PM in Gilroy. The name is intentional: the group is for men who want their minds sharp and their lives to have an edge. Each week includes large group teaching and small group discussion, prayer, and practical encouragement to follow God in the workplace, the home, and the community. Men can join at any point during the year. To get the current location and details, email Associate Pastor David Ortega at david.ortega@thefoothillschurch.org.
What the Foothills Believes
The church's beliefs are stated plainly on its website under four headings.
- The Holy Scriptures. The Bible is the Word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit and the final authority in matters of faith and practice. Everything the church affirms as true rests on the authenticity and primacy of God's Word (2 Timothy 3:14-17).
- The Trinity. There is one God, eternally existing in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 13:14).
- The Work of Jesus. Men and women are made in God's image, but disobedience brought sin and death into the world. All people need a Savior because of sin, and no amount of good deeds can earn forgiveness. Jesus came into the world, died, and rose again so that our relationship with God could be reconciled. Forgiveness is received by grace through faith in Him (Ephesians 2:8-10, John 14:6).
- God's People. The local church is an important part of God's plan for the growth and maturity of His people. Accepting Jesus as Lord connects us to God the Father and makes us brothers and sisters in Christ, called to worship together, pray together, and encourage one another (Hebrews 10:23-25).
Pastor Mark's Letters and the Annual Word
Every month, Pastor Mark writes a pastoral letter to the church. The letters mix Bible teaching, family updates, cultural commentary, and an open look at what is happening behind the scenes at the Foothills. Recent letters have walked through the story of David and Goliath to ask how we want to be remembered, used Ezekiel's valley of dry bones to pray for the Spirit's breath over the congregation, wrestled with the court case against Foursquare, and pressed into the prayer prompt of "Pray at 3 PM." Each January, Pastor Mark shares a single word or theme for the year - recent ones have included "Your Best You" and "Ancient Paths to a New You." Older newsletters are archived on the church website for anyone who wants to read back through them.
The Podcast and Online Reach
The Foothills publishes two ongoing podcasts. The Foothills Church of Gilroy podcast carries Pastor Mark's messages and other teaching. The Abide Ministries Podcast is the women's ministry arm and features teaching from Joani Wilson and guest Bible teachers. Both are available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and selected sermons and teaching videos can be found on the church's YouTube channel. Giving is handled online through the church's ChurchCenter giving portal, and a dedicated mobile app is available through Subsplash for those who prefer to listen, give, or follow along from their phone.
The Team
Beyond Pastor Mark and Joani, the church staff includes:
- David Ortega - Associate Pastor, Worship Leader, and Youth Pastor. He oversees the worship team, leads Thrive Youth Group, and preaches occasionally in the monthly rotation. He also runs The Forge men's ministry.
- Shanna Korjenek - Children's Pastor and Social Media Manager. She leads Kids Church and keeps the church's online voice consistent with what happens on a Sunday morning.
- Lori Balog - Executive Administrator, who keeps the office, communications, and logistics running smoothly.
Mark and Joani have raised two sons, are proud grandparents, and have made the city of Gilroy their ministry home for more than three decades. The team is small, and many of the same people who preach on Sundays also set up chairs, check in children, lead a youth small group, and pack the trailer back up again before lunch.
Getting Connected and Staying Connected
New visitors are encouraged to fill out the "I'm New" form on the church website, which puts them in touch with the staff for any questions about the service, the kids' ministry, or what to expect on a first visit. The church also takes prayer requests seriously - there is a prayer page on the website and a phone line during business hours. Anyone wanting to go deeper can join a small group, sign up for the Abide women's study, bring a middle or high schooler to Thrive on a Wednesday night, or simply commit to praying at 3 PM alongside Pastor Mark and Joani.
Giving to the Foothills is handled online through the church's giving portal. The church is supported entirely by the regular tithes and offerings of its people, and Pastor Mark is open about the financial realities of running a church without a building, asking the congregation to give willingly and to trust God for the rest.
A Church That Refuses to Leave
The Foothills has been meeting in borrowed rooms for a long stretch now, and the letters are candid about how that wears on a congregation. Pastor Mark has described sitting on benches at Solorsano, walking past the doors he used to walk through every day, and wondering whether the court will ever return what he believes the church is owed. But the same letters keep circling back to the same conviction: the Foothills is not a building, it is a people, and "our willingness ensures the future of The Foothills." For more than thirty-five years, that willingness has meant setting up chairs before service and packing them away after. It has meant hauling a trailer to Gavilan College, then to Solorsano, and trusting that God is in the details. It still does.