Christ First Covina sits at 200 N. Second Avenue in the heart of Covina, a city in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County. The congregation is known today for running two Sunday worship services back to back - one in English and one in Spanish - and for running a long-standing preschool that has served generations of Covina families. The church's roots reach back to 1896, when an "Evangel Car" railcar rolled into town and held worship services on a railroad siding. More than 130 years later, the congregation still gathers on the same parcel of land purchased by those first members, although the name has shifted from First Baptist Church of Covina to Christ First Covina to reflect a wider ministry focus.
Two Sunday Services in English and Spanish
Christ First runs two Sunday worship experiences out of the same campus. The English service meets at 9:00 a.m. and the Spanish-language service meets at 10:45 a.m. Both services are also livestreamed on YouTube for those who cannot attend in person, and weekly sermon notes are posted on the Church Center app.
The English service uses a blended style of worship that weaves together uplifting anthems, powerful hymns, and contemporary worship songs. Music is led by a professional worship band, the Chancel Choir, and accomplished pianists and organists. The flow of the morning is intentionally varied: moments of praise with raised hands and clapping, moments of quiet reverence, times of contemplation that recognize the holiness of God, and corporate response. The aim is to create space for the congregation to worship in Spirit and in Truth.
The Spanish service, or Servicio en Español, centers on contemporary praise led by a worship team and welcomes everyone who walks through the door. The congregation emphasizes the preaching of the Bible, with the Spanish-speaking community also offering small groups that meet in homes during the week. Children's programming during the Spanish service is taught in English for children whose first language is English, so families can land in either service and find their kids cared for.
Kingdom Kids and Family Ministry
Children are central to the life of Christ First. Kingdom Kids runs during both Sunday services and is divided into three age groups. A nursery serves children from birth through age 2, with volunteers caring for babies and toddlers while parents supply diapers, bottles, formula, and snacks. The preschool environment serves ages 3 through 5 with Bible stories, crafts, snacks, and playtime. The elementary environment serves kindergarten through fifth grade, with kids split into two small groups - K through 2 and 3 through 5 - to discuss the morning lesson after a hands-on opening activity and a Bible story. Each week parents receive a handout with information about what was taught so the conversation can continue at home.
Family Life Pastor Nicole Hurte oversees children's ministry and leads the Kids Choir for first through eighth graders. She holds a Master of Divinity from Azusa Pacific Seminary and a Bachelor of Music in Music and Worship from Azusa Pacific University, and the children's ministry recommends the YouVersion Bible App for Kids and the Bible Recap for Kids as family resources.
The children's ministry also runs Lightseekers Camp each June. Completed second through fifth graders head to Mile High Pines in the Angelus Oaks area of the local mountains for a week of games, outdoor activities, and Christ-centered teaching alongside other Southern California church groups that have partnered together for years to put the camp on.
The church operates a separate First Baptist Preschool for children ages 2 through Transitional Kindergarten. The preschool began in 1970 with just 14 students and today is licensed for 89. It is a member of CRECEF (Church Related Early Childhood Education Fellowship) and offers half-day and full-day schedules with optional summer programming. Tuition runs August through May in ten monthly installments. Daily activities include whole-group instruction, small-group instruction, hands-on learning through center-based activities, chapel, music, art, and outdoor physical movement. Preschool Director Jennifer Smith, who has worked in child development since 1996, oversees the program and holds license #191500173.
CHAOS Youth Ministry on Wednesdays
Youth ministry at Christ First goes by the name CHAOS, an acronym for "Christ Has All Our Solutions." CHAOS meets on Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. for middle school and high school students, with doors opening at 6:00 p.m. The evening begins with a fun game, moves into a message from Youth Pastor Frankie Barron, and ends with small-group questions and connection time. On the first Wednesday of every month the church provides dinner for the students and hosts Communion. CHAOS meets on the second floor of the Administration Building.
Frankie Barron grew up in CHAOS as a high school student, then returned as a volunteer small-group leader in 2013. He took on the staff role of Youth Pastor in May 2022. He and his wife Alex met at Christ First and were married there in September 2020. The youth ministry maintains an active Instagram presence at @chaos.youth.
Life Groups, Men and Women, and Squad Young Adults
Life Groups are the small-group ministry that anchors the broader community of the church. Groups meet in homes throughout the week to study Scripture, share life experiences, and pray for one another. The church describes Life Groups as places where members can build deeper relationships, ask honest questions, and find accountability and support. Spanish-language community groups also meet in homes for spiritual growth.
For young adults transitioning out of high school, the church offers Squad, a ministry designed to help people navigate college, work, and relationships while deepening their faith.
The church also runs Men's and Women's Ministries with events, retreats, and Bible studies that build community and deepen faith across different seasons of life.
Music and the Chancel Choir
Music is a distinctive feature of Christ First Covina. In addition to the contemporary worship band that leads modern songs in the English service, the Chancel Choir performs anthems and hymn arrangements each week. Director Richard Crain is a licensed minister and trained conductor who attended Azusa Pacific University's Masters in Conducting Program. He previously served as Worship Arts Director at First Family Church in Whittier, sang with the Bonner Singers - recording in London and performing at the opening of Disneyland Paris - and led the Southern California Edison Company Chorale in community performances.
The church also has a Kids Choir for first through eighth graders, led by Nicole Hurte. The church's worship archive holds hundreds of recorded sermons and music specials from Lead Pastor John Miller and other teachers, all available to watch on demand.
Operation Christmas Child: 2,500 Shoeboxes a Year
Each fall before Christmas, Christ First runs one of its largest mission projects: Operation Christmas Child. Coordinated by Judi Spotswood and Judi Barrett with a year-round volunteer crew, the program packs shoeboxes full of toys, hygiene items, clothing, school supplies, and handwritten notes. The church sends over 2,500 shoeboxes each year to boys and girls in countries affected by poverty, famine, war, natural disaster, and disease.
Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan's Purse. Since 1993 the organization has delivered more than 168 million shoebox gifts to children in over 160 countries and territories, and for many of these children the gift-filled shoebox is the first gift they have ever received.
What Christ First Believes
The congregation holds to historic Christian orthodoxy. Beliefs include one God eternally existing in three Persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - and the confession that Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, died in the place of sinners, rose bodily on the third day, and now sits at the right hand of the Father as the only mediator between God and humanity. The Holy Spirit's ministry is to reveal Christ for salvation and sanctification, to teach believers, and to give gifts that equip Christians to serve.
The Bible is held to be God-inspired and of supreme and final authority in faith and life. The church teaches that all people were created in God's image, that human free will leads people into sin and spiritual death, and that salvation is received only through personal faith in Jesus Christ. Life is described as a gift of God beginning at conception.
The Lord's Supper is observed as a remembrance of Christ's death until He returns. Baptism is practiced by immersion as an outward witness of the believer's identification with Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. The church looks forward to the imminent, visible return of Jesus Christ to establish His kingdom of justice and peace. Marriage is taught as a union between one man and one woman as defined in Scripture.
Four core values shape the congregation's life together: Inviting Community, Intentional Discipleship, Outward Focus, and Authentic Worship.
From the 1896 Evangel Car to a Renovated Sanctuary
The church's story begins in 1896, when an "Evangel Car" - a chapel-on-rails complete with pews, hymnals, Bibles, a pump organ, a pulpit, and stained-glass windows - rolled into Covina and pulled onto a siding for worship. Families gathered inside the railcar week after week, building relationships and growing in faith.
Mr. W. Q. Custer, owner of Custer Christiansen Mortuary, partnered with Reverend E. G. O. Groat, then pastor of a church in San Dimas, to begin a Sunday school. On March 15, 1896, twenty-four people gathered in Covina's public school building to organize the First Baptist Sunday School of Covina. The church was founded on November 17, 1896, incorporated on May 24, 1897, and dedicated its first building on October 3, 1897.
A second sanctuary was built in 1907, with Pastor S.W. Gage making the cement blocks and church members doing most of the construction. The current sanctuary was constructed between October 1951 and September 1952. The administration wing, chapel, fellowship hall, and kitchen were added and dedicated on October 19, 1958.
After a devastating storm and major flooding damaged the facility, the congregation came together to fully renovate the main building. The rededication of the remodeled sanctuary took place in 2024, with care taken to honor the original character and spirit of the church even as systems were updated and deferred maintenance was addressed. The Fellowship Center was also refreshed to bridge the gaps created by earlier additions and partial renovations.
The preschool began in 1970 with 14 students. Today it is licensed for 89 and continues to provide quality, developmentally appropriate programs for young children and their families - often welcoming back generations of the same family.
Pastors, Staff, and Elders
Lead Pastor John Miller holds a Bachelor's degree in Religion from Vanguard University and master's degrees in Teaching and Administration from Azusa Pacific University. Before becoming Lead Pastor he served the church as Special Projects Pastor for 18 months. He and his wife Paula have been members of the church for many years, and their roots run deep within the Christ First family.
Worship Director Josh Hurte has been involved with worship ministry for over ten years and enjoys both hymns and contemporary worship. He is committed to creating authentic moments that engage the congregation and lead them to the feet of God. Family Life Pastor Nicole Hurte oversees children's ministry and the Kids Choir. Youth Pastor Frankie Barron grew up in CHAOS and returned to the ministry as a volunteer before taking on the staff role in 2022.
The church is also led by a board of elders. Ty Tallakson serves as Elder Chairman and has been attending Christ First since 2000; he and his wife Sharon have been in the Chancel Choir since 2020. James Wotring serves as Elder Secretary, joined the church in 2015, and serves on the tech ministry and host team. Steve Miller grew up at Christ First, made his decision for Christ at age 10, has served as Tech Team Leader for over 35 years, and was married at the church in 1995. Richard (Dick) Allen was baptized at the church in the early 1960s and has served in many roles including feeding the homeless, leading XYZ ministry lunches, overseeing the kitchen, and visiting homebound members. Carlos Rodriguez has been part of the Spanish-language ministry for 15 to 20 years and has served as an elder for over four years. John Jauregui has been a member for over 20 years and lives in La Puente.
Christ First makes giving simple. Gifts can be made online through Planning Center Giving, in person during any service, by mailing a check to 200 N. Second Avenue, Covina, CA 91723, or through the Church Center mobile app. The office and preschool share the phone number (626) 332-5875.