A Rainbow Church on Old Badillo Street
Covina Community Church occupies a quiet property on Old Badillo Street in Covina, a small congregation widely known in the surrounding San Gabriel Valley by a different name: the Rainbow Church. For more than a decade the congregation has built a public identity around welcome for LGBTQIA2-S people, advocacy, and restorative justice, even as it carries on the work of a typical neighborhood church with weekly worship, Bible study, fellowship, prayer shawls, and micro-loans to families abroad. Members describe the community with two words, diverse and loving, and a worship bulletin that still prints "God is still speaking," the United Church of Christ motto that has become the congregation's own.
A Family Church of the United Church of Christ
The church is a member congregation of the United Church of Christ, an affiliation that shows up in practical ways: a denominational comma in the church's logo, partnership with the UCC's Southern California-Nevada Conference, and shared giving channels such as Neighbors in Need, Crisis Response, and Global Ministry. As a congregational church, Covina Community Church remains self-governing. The congregation writes its own bylaws, calls its own minister, and has updated its governing documents and conflict-resolution process in 2022. Visitors who want to read the church's covenants, bylaws, and flow charts can find them.
Two covenants shape the church's public life. The first, an Open and Affirming covenant, is the church's commitment to welcome, support, love, and advocate for the LGBTQIA2-S community. The second, a W.I.S.E. covenant, commits the congregation to support the mental health of the community, welcome people with diverse needs, and include those with mental health challenges in the life and leadership of the church. Together the two covenants are the church's missional identity, and they are referenced again and again in worship, education, and outreach.
Sunday Worship and the Digital Sanctuary
Sunday worship begins at 10:00 AM, both in person and on Zoom through what the church calls its Digital Sanctuary. The same Zoom link is used for the Thursday night Bible study. There is no dress code, and most people dress casually. The sanctuary is accessible to persons with mobility concerns, and handicap parking is readily available in the lot.
Communion is celebrated on the first and third Sundays of each month. The congregation currently uses individually wrapped serving cups with a bread wafer attached. There is no test, no screening, and no membership requirement. The invitation comes from God, and all are welcome at the table.
Children are part of every aspect of church life. There is a nursery for families who want some quiet time or a quick change, but children are otherwise included in worship, with special printed bulletins and activity bags provided. Crying, laughing, fidgeting, and general restlessness are welcome from all ages.
Refreshments follow worship at 11:15 AM in the Fellowship Hall. The church asks visitors to plan on being greeted warmly by name; inconspicuous attendance is difficult here, and the hospitality is intentional.
Bible Study and Prayer by Zoom on Thursday Nights
Bible study gathers on Thursday nights at 7:00 PM by Zoom, using the same Digital Sanctuary link as Sunday worship. Studies are conversational, and the church's stated philosophy is that God speaks through everyone and the more members listen to each other, the more they learn and grow.
The church treats Bible study, prayer, and theological reflection as core practices rather than optional programs. Bible study resources include a written introduction to how the Bible came together, an estimated timeline of biblical events, an online Bible, a Bible Gateway reading plan subscription, and links to the Bible Project and Overview Bible for video learners. The church has produced a multi-week sermon series with downloadable activity sheets for both adults and children, covering Creation, the Flood, the Covenant, Joseph, Exodus, Joshua, the Kingdom, the Prophets, the Messiah, Esther, Rebuild, the Empires, Calling, Serving, and Mission.
Prayer resources include written devotions from the UCC, self-guided online retreats (Loyola Press 3-Minute Retreats, d365, Pray-As-You-Go, the Upper Room Prayer Center, and the UKirk Daily Podcast), audio prayer with music, and guides for yoga and prayer, praying in color, and mind-clearing meditation.
The Open and Affirming Covenant and the Lazarus Project
The congregation's LGBTQIA2-S advocacy has a documented history. In 2023 the communion table from First Presbyterian Church of Baldwin Park made its way to a new home at Covina Community Church. The members of First Presbyterian selected this congregation because of its public advocacy and commitment to the LGBTQIA2-S community. The church is now also the steward of the Lazarus Project's history as well. The Lazarus Project (1977-2007) was a Presbyterian outreach ministry in West Hollywood that welcomed gay and lesbian people into the life of West Hollywood Presbyterian Church, worked for social justice, combated homophobia, and supported LGBTQ Christians in other churches. Covina Community Church describes itself as a modern evolution of that movement, asking "what's next" and committed to working toward reconciliation, healing, and a deeper understanding within the broader culture.
The church hosts a Rainbow Day each fall, a multi-hour event of worship, music, workshops, and exhibits that has run since 2018. Recent Rainbow Days have included featured speakers such as Rev. Sandhya Jha and Rev. Ben Bohren, and panelists from the LA LGBT Center, the Pomona Pride Center, the SGV LGBTQ Center, PFLAG Los Angeles, Colors LGBTQ Counseling, and Penny Lane Center. Workshops have covered non-binary identity, intersectionality of race and gender identity, conversion therapy, power of self-care, mental health and spiritual abuse, and the history and future of the Pride movement. The church's YouTube channel hosts recordings of past Rainbow Day services, music, and panel discussions.
Restorative Justice and Prison Ministry
The church's justice work is rooted in a single conviction: the dignity of every human being is not a political issue. Poverty, sexism, racism, homophobia, health care, and the power over life and death are, in the church's own words, spiritual issues. Members see silence in the face of pain as a failure of faith.
The congregation's primary partner in this work is the California Institute for Men (CIM) in Chino, where Rev. Nora Jacob, the church's Minister of Reconciliation, leads several ongoing programs. A bimonthly Restorative Justice Book Group reads and discusses books focused on healing and wholeness. A monthly group called CAGE (Cultural and Gender Education) focuses on personal identity and celebrates the beauty of each person, and welcomes guests to visit, share stories, or bring resources. A six-week Grief and Loss training equips participants to accompany their peers through experiences of grief or loss, with skills that translate into many caretaking roles.
The Inside-Out Art Project is the church's stewardship of artwork created by incarcerated artists. The collection is shared in worship, public gallery viewings, and church programs, and proceeds from pieces sold support the healing work that inspired them. Churches and local nonprofits can host their own "Imagine Justice" art show by contacting the church office. Featured artists include Jorge Luna, Oscar "Angel" Romero, Brett Radabaugh, Luis Valencia, Armando Martinez, Albert Mondragon, Ezequiel Gonzalez Lemus, Timothy Vergason, Arnulfo Vargas, Jose Soto, Aaron Adam Arroyo, Rigoberto Gonzalez, Albert Ortega, Sal Raymond Martinez, Matthew A.L. Murry, and David Leonardo.
Rev. Jacob founded a nonprofit in 2024, the Restoration and Resilience Alliance, to provide education and encouragement to justice-impacted individuals, and she received the UCC Southern California-Nevada Conference Matthew 25 Award, which honors ministries of advocacy and empowerment that invite collaboration with two or more local churches in service to marginalized communities.
Mental Health Ministries
Mental health support is woven throughout the congregation's life. The W.I.S.E. covenant commits the church to include people with mental health challenges, brain disorders, addictions, histories of abuse, and trauma in the life and leadership of the church. Specific offerings include Mental Health Recognition Sunday, observed annually in May; Trauma Informed Care classes offered biannually; a Rainbow Moms Support Group that meets monthly; and Grief and Loss classes and trainings inside the California Men's Prison, led by Rev. Jacob and sponsored by the church (guests are welcome after application and screening). The Personal Identity Project offers ongoing self-reflection resources.
The church maintains a roster of trusted mental health care providers and a dedicated video playlist. A CE Workshop on mental health leads participants through three phases of personal exploration, group sharing, and reflection, with prompts on neurodiversity, diagnosis, stigma, and the role of faith communities in welcoming all kinds of brains.
Prayer Shawls and Kiva Micro-Loans
Two long-running service ministries give the church ways to care for neighbors near and far.
The Prayer Shawl Ministry gathers volunteers who knit or crochet shawls with the prayerful intent of giving them away. Shawls are gifted in response to grief, illness, or other emotional challenges, and they also mark sacred moments such as the birth of a baby or serve as a sign of solidarity for those living with injustice or discrimination. Some volunteers live out of state and have never attended a Covina worship service.
The Kiva Micro-Loans ministry redirects what the church might have spent on Mother's Day and Father's Day trinkets into interest-free loans to individuals and groups abroad. Each year the congregation selects one mother and one father from the Kiva roster and offers a loan to help expand a family business. Recent honorees include Bernadith, who runs a basic goods shop and supports six children, and Pascali, a Ugandan banana farmer and father of four. Loan recipients are remembered in prayer throughout the year, and repaid funds are re-loaned to the next year's honorees.
CE Workshops and Identity Reflections
The church's CE Workshops, named for what members describe as Culture and Ethics and Community Engagement (and possibly a Christ Encounter), are structured in three phases: personal exploration on one's own time, sharing and connecting in a facilitated conversation, and personal reflection. Topics include Anti-Racism, Mental Health, LGBTQ+ identity, and Theology. Workshops draw on writers and speakers such as Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, Dr. Robin DeAngelo, and Summer Gomez. Participants can complete the workshops for personal growth or as part of a facilitated conversation with a pastor or church council member.
Identity Reflections is the church's ongoing Personal Identity Project, an invitation to download an identity worksheet and a journaling guide and to explore the intersectionality of one's own identity in conversation with others. A monthly Rainbow Moms Support Group also gathers for sharing and connection.
Pastoral Team and Staff
Rev. Lee Yates serves as pastor. A Kentucky native, he first came to California in 1992 to attend Chapman University and returned to Southern California ten years ago after serving churches in Kentucky, Missouri, and Indiana. He has done extensive work in faith formation and trauma-informed care. Outside the church, he serves as Vice President of Higher Education and Leadership Ministry for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), overseeing leadership programs for high school, college, and graduate students. He has served as Project Manager for InsideOut Camp Curriculum, a partnership between six Christian denominations that creates summer camp resources, and continues as a writer for the project. He is married to Rev. Dr. Mandye Yates, and they have two children. When he is not working, he enjoys soccer, basketball, and time at Disney with his family.
Rev. Nora Jacob joined Covina Community Church in 2021 as Minister of Social Justice and now serves as Minister of Reconciliation. She came to ministry after retiring as Library Services Director at Orange Public Library and earning a degree from Claremont Theological Seminary. She has built restorative justice programs inside the California prison system and developed support programs for people re-entering society after incarceration.
Irene McConnell is the church's office administrator and the longest tenured member of the staff, keeping Sunday mornings running and reminding everyone of the things they have forgotten to do. Emily Morley is the church's primary accompanist, a student at Cal State Fullerton with a passion for classical music and a deep appreciation for sacred music and church community.
Building, Calendar, and How to Connect
The church building at 1551 Old Badillo Street is in use all day Saturday and Sunday with three different worshiping communities calling the space home, and is not available for outside events on those days. Monday through Friday the building can be reserved for meals and family celebrations, meetings and presentations, counseling and support groups, clubs and civic groups, service organizations and outreach ministries, and weddings and funerals. Building use inquiries can be submitted to the church.
Online giving is available through Tithe.ly, and the church publishes a calendar that visitors can add to their personal Google calendar. Those who have been hurt by a church in the past are invited to stop by and simply spend time on their own terms; the courtyard is, in the church's own words, a wonderful place to stop and pray or share a good conversation.