A Northern Virginia Church with Three Languages Under One Roof
On the western edge of Vienna, Virginia, the Chinese Christian Church of Virginia holds three Sunday morning services side by side. In the Sanctuary, a Mandarin congregation sings and prays at ten o'clock. Down the hall, a Cantonese group has already finished worship at nine and moved into Sunday school. In the Chapel, the Living Hope English ministry meets in a blend of hymns and contemporary songs, with communion on the third Sunday of each month. After the services, a catered Chinese lunch brings the three groups together.
What began in 1978 as a small family Bible study now reaches hundreds of families each week across two campuses. The mother church sits at 541 Marshall Road SW in Vienna (the congregation moved here from its long-time Falls Church home in February 2026), and a sister congregation meets in Springfield at 7800 Rolling Road. The church belongs to the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), and its own statement of faith follows the Westminster standards that define the denomination.
Its motto, drawn from Matthew 5:14, is also its prayer for Northern Virginia: "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden." The vision statement echoes Paul to the Philippians, asking that the congregation "shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life."
A Forty-Year Story Beginning Around a Kitchen Table
In the summer of 1978, Rev. John Chiou began gathering a handful of families in Northern Virginia for worship, Bible study, and prayer. The first meeting place was Shirlington Presbyterian Church in Alexandria, where Rev. Dick Smith generously let the group use the building at no cost. A few months later the fledgling congregation moved to Munson Hill Presbyterian Church on Leesburg Pike in Falls Church, the building that would eventually become CCCVA's own. Worship was held at one o'clock in the afternoon, and Sunday school had not yet taken shape.
The Presbyterian character of the church was established early. In April 1980, CCCVA joined the Presbyterian Church in America, which gave the young congregation access to both ministerial assistance and financial support. That October, Wu Tze-Hsiung and Liu Ching-Pong were installed as the church's first ruling elders. By April 1981, with about forty people attending worship and thirty members on the roll, the congregation moved from mission-church status to a particular (self-governing) church.
For more than a decade the church continued to grow inside a building it did not own. In 1988 the leadership began looking for a permanent home, and in 1992 God provided one in an unexpected way: the Munson Hill Presbyterian Church property came up for sale, and the congregation purchased the entire facility for $330,000. On July 5, 1992, fourteen years after the first service at Shirlington, a dedication service filled the new sanctuary. Morning services replaced the old one o'clock hour, and Sunday school and fellowship groups took organized shape.
Pastor Chiou retired in 2001 and was named Pastor Emeritus. He was followed by Rev. Iho Tree (崔誼厚牧師) as associate pastor, and in 2007 Rev. John Chua (蔡明恩牧師) became Senior Pastor. The church continued to grow steadily, and by 2017 the building and parking lot were straining to hold the three congregations. A building committee was formed and fundraising for a new facility began that January.
The search for space led the congregation to Vienna, where worship services moved to 541 Marshall Road SW on February 1, 2026. The Falls Church building that had been home for thirty-four years is no longer the main worship location, though the address 6071 Leesburg Pike remains part of the church's story.
Two Daughter Congregations and an English Ministry
As CCCVA grew, it multiplied. In 1989 Rev. Chiou saw the rapid growth of Chinese families in Reston, Herndon, and Centreville and the shortage of Chinese-speaking churches there. He began a mission work that met first at Chantilly High School, then at Greenbriar Elementary School, then at Community Christian Church of Herndon. In 1992 Rev. Toon Yeo (楊敦興牧師) joined the work and was ordained in 1996. By the end of 1996 the Herndon mission had purchased the old Herndon courthouse, renovated it, and held its first worship service on March 2, 1997. On January 1, 1999, the Herndon mission became an independent PCA church named Grace Chinese Christian Church and later, Grace Christian Church, now pastored by Rev. Paul Wang.
The Cantonese congregation at the mother church took shape in 1999 when several Cantonese-speaking families from Falls Church joined others from the Herndon mission for worship. After Herndon became independent, the Falls Church Cantonese group (about ten families) formally organized. In the early years, Rev. Chiou preached in Mandarin with translation by Elder John Tam. After seminary, Elder Tam became the Cantonese ministry's full-time minister in June 2004 and was ordained in 2009. He retired in June 2015 but continues to preach occasionally and to visit the Cantonese families. The church has been searching for a new Cantonese pastor ever since.
In 1995, the English ministry, now called Living Hope, was established to serve the English-speaking children of immigrant families. Brother Calvin Tan helped during his seminary years, and in 2001 the church called its first full-time English pastor, Rich Coffeen. Minister Raymond Seto succeeded him in 2007 and served for a decade. Rev. Tim Carroll joined the English ministry as assistant pastor in May 2017 and now leads it.
The Springfield campus was planted in 1999 when Rev. John Chua began outreach among the Chinese communities in Springfield and Woodbridge. The first meeting place was a Taekwondo studio, and the group later moved into a multi-purpose room at Harvester Presbyterian Church after its renovation. Pastor Ron Bossom of Harvester was a faithful partner during the early years. Pastor Li Zhou Tan (譚立洲牧師) joined the Springfield campus in 2014 and now leads it.
What CCCVA Believes
The church's confession is concise and Reformed. Members affirm that the Bible is the Word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit, inerrant in its original manuscripts, and the highest authority for Christian life and faith. They confess one living and true God, existing eternally in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They affirm that Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, lived a life of perfect obedience and was nailed to the cross for the sin of mankind, becoming the once-for-all propitiation and the only salvation for those who trust him.
The Holy Spirit, the statement teaches, dwells in every believer, giving ability and wisdom and leading them to follow Christ. He is one of the Trinity and gives gifts for the building up of the church. All people, the church confesses, are fallen sinners, lost and without hope apart from God's salvation; only by faith in Jesus Christ are they justified and reconciled to God. Salvation is entirely the grace of God, received by trusting and obeying Christ and repenting of sin, not by human effort. Finally, members look for the bodily return of Christ, who will judge the living and the dead and gather all who belong to him into his eternal kingdom.
As a member congregation of the PCA, CCCVA subscribes to the denomination's Church Order and Standards, which include the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms.
Three Sunday Mornings at the New Building
Worship services in the new Vienna building follow a steady weekly rhythm across three languages. The Cantonese congregation meets first, from 9:00 to 10:00 AM in the Sanctuary, and stays in the building for Cantonese Sunday School from 10:00 to 11:30 AM in Room 228. The Mandarin service runs from 10:00 to 11:30 AM in the Sanctuary, with Mandarin Sunday School following from 11:45 AM to 12:30 PM. The Living Hope English service meets at the same time as the Mandarin service, from 10:00 to 11:30 AM in the Chapel, with English Sunday School at 11:45 AM. The English service includes a mix of hymns and more contemporary music, and communion is observed together on the third Sunday of every month.
For families who cannot attend in person, the church livestreams the Mandarin service on YouTube and offers Zoom access for all three services. The Cantonese Zoom room opens at 9:00 AM (Meeting ID 854 9561 7931, passcode 202301). The Mandarin Zoom room is open for the 10:00 AM service and 11:45 AM Sunday school (Meeting ID 896 457 739, passcode 092535). The English service uses Meeting ID 403 207 957 with the same schedule. Audio-only access is available by dialing 1-646-876-9923. Technical support is reachable at 703-820-1010.
Before the live Zoom services, the church publishes a set of guidance notes for online worshipers: eat beforehand, turn off distracting devices, take time to meditate on suggested passages, and follow along with a physical Bible. The notes also remind worshipers that baptism and the Lord's Supper are administered only by ordained pastors and should not be conducted at home.
Children and Students from Toddlers to Twelfth Grade
The church takes care to make room for the youngest members. A toddler class for ages two to three and a half runs from 10:00 AM to 12:45 PM in Room 124, giving parents the option of staying for the entire morning. Children from age three through fifth grade join a dedicated Children's Worship at 10:00 AM (Younger Worship in Room 229 and Junior Worship in Room 231) and then move into Children's Sunday School from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM, with classes grouped by Pre-K, Grades 1-2, Grades 3-4, and Grades 4-5 in their own classrooms.
Middle and high school students worship with the Living Hope English ministry at 10:00 AM and gather for Youth Sunday School at 11:45 AM, with the middle school group meeting in Room 227 and the high school group in Room 228. A children's choir rehearses at 9:20 AM on Sundays in the elementary classrooms.
Beyond Sunday morning, the IGNITE Youth Fellowship (English) meets in the church basement on the first and third Saturday afternoons each month at 4:00 PM, with Pastor Tim Carroll and a team of leaders guiding the program.
Weekday Fellowships Across Northern Virginia
Fellowship groups form the connective tissue of the church. The Sunday prayer meeting begins at 9:00 AM in the church office under the leadership of Rev. John Chua, and a Wednesday evening prayer meeting gathers at 8:00 PM in the same space. A Mandarin fellowship called 友愛團契 meets Wednesday mornings at 10:00 AM in the church's fellowship hall.
Friday evenings are the busiest night for home groups. The Fairfax fellowship meets at 7:30 PM at 8404 Kay Court in Annandale, hosted by Elder Luuwen Day and his wife. The Family fellowship meets the first, second, and third Fridays at 7:30 PM, alternating between homes on Riviera Drive and Garrett Street in Vienna, hosted by Elder Ben Hu and his wife. The Grace fellowship meets at 7:45 PM in the church office, led by the Yee family. The Faith Hope Love Young Adult fellowship gathers at 7:30 PM in Burke, hosted by the Yuan family. ROCK, an English fellowship for young adults, meets at 7:15 PM at a home on Braeburn Drive in Annandale, hosted by Jay Yap. The Springfield Living Water fellowship meets the first and third Fridays at 8:00 PM at a home in Springfield. The Faith Home fellowship meets at 7:30 PM in Great Falls, hosted by Elder Howard Chi and his wife.
Several Cantonese fellowships also meet on Fridays. The Cantonese fellowship gathers at 7:30 PM in the church basement, and a Cantonese group in Chantilly meets at 8:00 PM on the second Friday each month at a home on Smallwood Lane. Both are led by Elder Menh Tran (703-919-3720).
The English Young Adult Fellowship meets at 7:00 PM on the second and fourth Wednesdays at The Parsonage, 3318 Glenmore Drive in Falls Church, with a shared meal, worship, Bible study, and prayer. The Adult Fellowship meets Friday nights, and the women's fellowship meets on the fourth Saturday each month in the church basement.
Becoming a Member
Joining the church is a deliberate process shaped by the PCA's Reformed convictions. Membership is described as a commitment to be built together as "living stones," growing in faith, serving one another, and worshiping Christ together. There are two paths into membership: baptism, for those who have not yet been baptized; or a letter of transfer, for believers who have already been baptized in another church.
The journey has four steps. The first is the New Life class (held during Sunday school each week for those seeking baptism) or the periodic Membership class (for those transferring from another church). The second is filling out an application, which can be downloaded as a PDF or picked up at the church office; the completed form and a personal testimony are then submitted to the pastors or elders, or emailed to info@cccvapca.org. The third step is an interview with the Session (the elders' board), after which the Session votes on the application. The fourth step is public reception during a Sunday service, where the candidate affirms the membership vows; those who have not yet been baptized are baptized at that service.
Separate application forms are available for adult baptism, covenant child baptism, and confirmation.
Springfield: The Sister Congregation
CCCVA at Springfield operates as a satellite of the Vienna mother church. It meets at 7800 Rolling Road in Springfield, Virginia, and is led by Pastor Li Zhou Tan, who joined in 2014. The Springfield campus shares the same denominational affiliation, the same confession, and the same approach to pastoral training as the Vienna location. Its Sunday services run on the same schedule as the Vienna campus, and it is supported by a separate set of deacons (David Ran and Yue Xie) who serve alongside the mother-church diaconate.
Two deacons and two named fellowships currently associated with Springfield are part of the wider church body: the Springfield Living Water fellowship, which meets the first and third Fridays at 8:00 PM at a home on Willowfield Way; and the Springfield sisters' fellowship, which meets the second Saturday at 10:30 AM in Woodbridge.
A Teaching Church with a Deep Sermon Archive
Sermons are a central part of the church's life, and the online archive reflects the breadth of its ministries. The collection holds 233 English sermons, 195 in Mandarin (國語), and 213 in Cantonese (粵語), spanning more than four decades of preaching. Senior Pastor John Chua has delivered nearly two hundred sermons in the archive (predominantly in Cantonese), Cantonese pastor emeritus John Tam about fifty-six, and English pastor Tim Carroll about 175. Elder Menh Tran, a frequent Cantonese preacher, has about forty-two sermons in the archive, and Pastor Li Zhou Tan another thirty-seven. Visiting speakers and church members also contribute, including missionaries, seminary students, and ministry leaders.
Recent English series have walked through 2 Samuel verse by verse, preached by Pastor Tim Carroll and Pastor Remargo Yancie, exploring David's kingship, the cost of peace, and the trustworthiness of God in the face of human unfaithfulness. Cantonese preaching has worked through Romans 8 and the Sermon on the Mount, while Mandarin preaching has covered Ephesians and 1 Peter. Each sermon is available as an MP3 audio file, with summaries and English transcripts provided for the Living Hope ministry's recent messages.
Twice a year the church publishes a bilingual newsletter that gathers written reflections from members and teaching articles from the pastors. The June 2026 issue, themed "A Praying Heart," included articles on prayer, church membership, personal testimonies of faith, and an English essay by Haixi Li titled "From Plato to Kant: The Epistemology of Unbelief," which traces the Reformed tradition of revelational epistemology and its critique of secular philosophy. The December 2025 issue, "Do You Love Me?," featured an English testimony by Ying Yin about a season of suffering and what she learned from CCEF biblical counseling courses, alongside articles on the church's gospel mission and the character of God's grace.
Prayer and Pastoral Care
The church takes seriously the call to pray for one another. Two prayer request forms are available: one in Chinese for the Mandarin and Cantonese congregations, and one in English for the Living Hope ministry. Requesters can choose whether to share their request only with the pastor, with the pastor and elders, or with the entire congregation. The English form was launched during the pandemic with a set of prayer prompts that have since been replaced by general guidance: pray for the spread of the gospel, for those in authority, for the sick, and for God's people to be faithful witnesses in a watching world.
Giving and Building for the Future
Members and friends can support the church through Zelle, PayPal, Venmo, check, or cash. Online gifts sent through Zelle go to finance@cccvapca.org; PayPal and Venmo gifts route to the same treasurer. Donors are asked to indicate whether the gift is for general operations, the building fund, missions, or benevolence, and to identify whether the gift is designated for the Falls Church or Springfield campus. Checks can be mailed to the church office, and cash gifts can be placed in offering envelopes at the building.
Building for the new Vienna location is the church's major ongoing project. Online giving through Zelle and PayPal explicitly supports the new building ministry, and a building committee has been at work since 2017. The vision for the new home is summed up in a single line: "Building up for our new home."
For more than forty years, from a borrowed room in Shirlington to a sanctuary in Falls Church to the present building in Vienna, the Chinese Christian Church of Virginia has followed the same calling: to be a city set on a hill for Northern Virginia, with three languages, three congregations, and one family of faith under Christ.