An Internal Church of Open Doors
Tolerating uncertainty is too much to handle for a lot of people, but faith allows some to prevail.
Jared Almendras is a 20-year-old music major at Citrus College who embraces an unconventional life path guided by his Christian faith
Almendras has never been too certain of his life path, but he has trusted his God to open all the right doors, like the doors that opened to the Citrus College music program two years ago.
Almendras plays guitar in the second-highest skill-based ranking jazz band at Citrus College. He is also in bands outside of school. He plays guitar in an indie rock band called ITOI.
He also works as a worship leader at the Church of the Open Door in Glendora. Almendras said his role at the church is to oversee the audio-visual ministry and help coordinate the Sunday services. The coordination involves leading the worship services.
To keep himself on the path toward success, Almendras said he surrounds himself with like-minded people who are disciplined and structured. The people he has met through the music program at Citrus College have aligned with those values. Making connections through the program has allowed Almendras to get inspired and take on new musical endeavors.
Almendras said the connections that he has made and the opportunities he has gained are directly attributed to his faith.
“It’s cool because I get to do the worship stuff, I get to do the jazz stuff, every now and then I get to do the rock/pop stuff with people doing gigs,” Almendras said. “So I have pretty interesting dynamics.”
Those dynamics have led to diverse experiences in musicianship that has propelled his skillset toward his ultimate goal of becoming a Christian worship minister. Almendras said that has spoken to people in the Christian ministry field, and they said it is hard to make a living just doing worship ministry. That does not discourage him, though. He keeps his mind open and prays for more opportunities.
“I just pray for more opportunities and since then, I haven’t not seen more opportunities,” Almendras said.
Almendras’ growth and determination has been recognized by his music professor, Alan Waddington.
“In general, his overall musicianship has broadened immensely,” Waddington said. “He has a great character.”
Hard work and discipline keeps Almendras’ musicianship and character growing. He describes the music program as a “gritty work environment” that he is grateful for having. The intensity keeps him uncomfortable, which Almendras said is essential to keep him evolving.
The uncomfortability has only lasted so long. With his Citrus College journey coming to an end, it is the perfect time to transfer. Almendras is graduating from Citrus College and is headed for Biola University, with a scholarship under his belt, to pursue his goal of worship ministry.
“It’s the best time to leave when you’re just starting to get comfortable,” Almendras said. “You have to get uncomfortable and keep that momentum going.”
Almendras beamed with excitement as he described his goals to achieve next semester attending a Christian university. However, while he acknowledged that a career in a creative field like music is an unstable and unconventional path, he fully embraces it. He said hard work, a positive outlook on life and opportunities handed to him by his God will lead him exactly where he needs to be.
“I’m going to keep going as long as God keeps opening up the doors for me,” Almendras said.
While the door has closed at Citrus College, another has opened at Biola University. As he walks down the new campus halls, his God will continue to open doors to his divine path.
