East County is getting its Rock on

East County is getting another megachurch.

The Rock Church, headquartered at Liberty Station in Point Loma, is breaking ground on its third branch Saturday in El Cajon. The new worship center — a 22,100-square-foot space vacated by Michael’s Arts and Crafts, near Parkway Plaza — offers three ingredients needed for a successful expansion, Pastor Miles McPherson said: plenty of parking, room for up to 700 people in its main room and proximity to its large East County evangelical base.

McPherson, who founded The Rock in 2000 after playing for the Chargers and then developing “a heart to help people,” said his church has always drawn the largest percentage of its worshippers from East County. Expanding to El Cajon will offer residents greater convenience and serve as an anchor for the church’s philanthropic activities in the region, he said.

“One of the big benefits for us is that we want the people that community to serve that community,” he said. The church’s volunteers will team up with local organizations to offer programs that focus on homelessness, elder well-being, unemployment, crime, drugs and other problem areas, he added.

El Cajon Councilmember Gary Kendrick, who ran for the council in 2002 on a platform that supported the opening of Foothills Christian Church in a local mall amid prolonged council infighting, said he welcomes any new house of worship in El Cajon. Other large churches in East County include Foothills, Shadow Mountain Community Church and Skyline Church.

“Any time a new church opens up in the city, whatever denomination it is, it’s positive for the city,” Kendrick said. “Some people don’t like churches because they don’t pay property or sales taxes. (But) they provide enormous benefits for the community, with social services.”

Kendrick added that he expects local businesses to thrive from the anticipated increase in activity: “A megachurch of this type will draw people from East County and attract people to the shops and restaurants.”

Saturday’s invitation promises a hybrid event — part groundbreaking, part prayer service, part festival, with food trucks, a kids’ zone and a discussion of the church’s “vision” in East County. Some public officials were invited. Kendrick said he’ll attend. Fire Chief Rick Sitta and City Manager Douglas Williford said they declined, citing previous commitments.

Lt. Tim Henton, with the El Cajon Police Department, said police will monitor traffic when services start and address problems as they come up. Some Point Loma residents have complained about the traffic in their neighborhood.

Ray Lutz, an El Cajon political activist, said he hopes the church will pay for any road changes that end up being necessary as a result of the increased traffic. He said El Cajon has enough churches and needs to attract more businesses and industrial companies.

With worship centers in Point Loma, San Marcos and soon El Cajon, The Rock is a now multi-site church, which McPherson called a fast growing trend. He preaches from Point Loma as people watch on screens in that church and at the other locations. “In Point Loma … probably 90 percent of the people watch the screens, anyway,” he said.

McPherson hopes to add branches in South Bay and City Heights next. The church’s East County Facebook page already has almost 600 fans — and the first service months away, when the new location opens this fall.