Anaheim First Church of the Nazarene, known to its congregation as A1Naz, has stood at 1340 North Candlewood Street for more than half a century, and in Anaheim itself for nearly a hundred years. The church holds Sunday worship in three languages, opens its gymnasium to neighborhood men on Monday nights, gathers its teens over Friday pizza and Bible study, and each December transforms its campus into a Christmas village for hundreds of families from surrounding schools.
100 Years on Candlewood Street
The story of A1Naz begins in the summer of 1924, when twenty-six original members launched what would become Anaheim First Church of the Nazarene. They came with little but conviction, and the local carpenters', painters', and electricians' unions donated their labor to erect a large, temporary meeting place on the corner of Claudina and North Street in a single day. From that humble beginning, the mission to the people of Anaheim grew steadily.
Over the following decades, the congregation moved more than once to accommodate its growth. On Easter Sunday 1970, the people of Anaheim First moved into their current home on Candlewood Street. The campus expanded again in the early 1990s with the addition of education space and a gymnasium. As Anaheim itself diversified, the church broadened alongside it, building ministries designed specifically for other language groups. Today it offers services in Spanish, Korean, and English, with additional outreach to Arabic-speaking and Filipino-culture communities.
As the church approaches its hundredth anniversary, its stated aim remains the same one that launched it: to bring the hope, transformation, and love of Jesus Christ to the people of Anaheim and beyond.
A Sunday at A1Naz: Three Languages, One Campus
Sunday is the heart of the week at A1Naz. The morning begins with Sunday School at 9:30 a.m., offered in both English and Spanish. From there, the day unfolds in three distinct worship gatherings. Spanish worship begins at 10:30 a.m. The English service follows at 10:45 a.m. in the Main Sanctuary, a gathering that lasts about an hour and features inspirational music and a message aimed at everyday life. Korean worship begins at 12:30 p.m.
The congregation describes its mission simply: leading people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. Services are also livestreamed on Facebook Live and YouTube for those who cannot attend in person.
What to Expect on Your First Visit
The church invites first-time guests to come as they are. There is no dress code: shorts and flip-flops sit comfortably alongside suits and ties in the same room. Visitor parking spaces sit right at the front of the lot. From there, guests can step into the courtyard for a free coffee and a donut and stop by the information desk for a warm welcome and a quick tour.
For families, the children's ministry offers programming during services for preschoolers through fifth grade, along with a nursery for the littlest ones, ages zero to three. Every children's teacher and volunteer has been background-checked and prepared to create a safe, engaging environment so that children can learn while parents focus on worship.
Children, Youth, and the Next Generation
The children's ministry serves preschoolers through fifth grade, with Children's Church during the Sunday worship service at 10:40 a.m. and a Children's Group on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. Sixth graders have the choice of staying in the main service or joining Children's Church.
The youth ministry gathers students in grades six through twelve. Teens sit together during Sunday worship, and Friday nights belong to them. Open-court basketball runs from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m., followed by pizza and a Bible study from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. The youth ministry adds additional events throughout the year.
Men, Women, and the 50+ Community
Beyond the children and youth programs, A1Naz maintains a steady rhythm of adult ministries. The Men's Ministry centers on Monday night open-gym basketball at 7:00 p.m., with no admission fee: just guys gathering to shoot hoops in the church gym. The Women's Ministry hosts events roughly every one to two months, focusing on spiritual support, growth, and fellowship among women of college age and up.
The 50+ Young at Heart group meets on the third Friday of every month for a time of fellowship over lunch. The Arts Ministry provides Christ-centered, interdisciplinary performing arts for both the church and the wider community.
The Spanish Ministry and the Hour of Hope
The Spanish Ministry, also known as A1NazMH, serves the Hispanic community in and around Anaheim First. The congregation describes itself as Christian, with faith in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, committed to preaching and teaching the whole of Scripture and guiding others into a close relationship with Christ.
During the 2020 pandemic, the ministry launched La Hora de la Esperanza, the Hour of Hope, online to bring a word of hope into homes dealing with loss, fear, stress, depression, and anxiety. The broadcast continues to reach families who cannot yet meet together in person, and the ministry maintains an active presence on Facebook.
Christmas Now: A Neighborhood Tradition
Each December, A1Naz hosts Christmas Now, an annual outreach that has grown from a small giving event into one of the largest community programs in the church's calendar. Christmas Now began in 2013 as the Great Christmas Giveaway, when the church partnered with Thomas Edison Elementary School to provide gifts and support for children in low-income homes. About fifty families were included in that first year, with Kids Can Cosplay providing activities, refreshments, a visit with Santa, and a wrapped gift for every child up to age eighteen.
In November 2015, a devastating apartment fire in the neighborhood displaced eight families. A1Naz was able to help with housing and furnishings and, because the program was already underway, included those families in that year's Christmas Now. The outreach has since expanded to Abraham Lincoln Elementary, Thomas Jefferson Elementary, and Benito Juarez Elementary, as well as the McKinney Vento Program at the Anaheim Elementary School District.
Local partners including Second Harvest, Blaine Event Services, and Toys-4-Tots have joined Kids Can Cosplay in the effort. During the pandemic, Christmas Now adapted into a drive-through event that served close to three hundred families and six hundred children, roughly double the previous year's reach. Because the church is a not-for-profit organization, donors can receive receipts for tax purposes.
Life Groups, Teams, and Partnership
A1Naz offers a clear pathway for those wanting to get more deeply involved. Life Groups are small gatherings that meet at different times and places around the city, focused on growing in faith, serving like Jesus, and reaching out to others. Serve on a Team invites members to find their place in one of the church's many volunteer roles. My First Steps is a short introduction for newer attendees and those making recent decisions to follow Jesus. Become a Partner, a four-week class, walks participants through the church's life, leadership opportunities, and shared mission.
What Nazarenes Believe
A1Naz holds to the historic Christian faith common to Nazarenes worldwide. The church's statement of belief affirms belief in one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and in the Old and New Testament Scriptures as the truth necessary for faith and Christian living. It teaches that human beings are born with a fallen nature inclined to evil, that the atonement through Jesus Christ is for the whole human race, and that whoever repents and believes is justified, regenerated, and saved. It teaches the ministry of the Holy Spirit in bearing witness to the new birth and to God's sanctifying work, and it looks to the Lord's return, the resurrection of the dead, and final judgment.
Leadership and Giving
Rev. Scott Riemer serves as lead pastor. Holland Lewis is pastor emeritus. The associate pastor is Liz Izquierdo, who oversees Pastoral Care ministries. David Colmenares leads the Hispanic Ministries, and Thomas Kim leads the Korean Ministries. The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and can be reached at (714) 635-1331. Giving to the church's mission is available online, by mail to the Candlewood Street address, during Sunday morning worship, or through bank bill pay.