Granite Creek Community Church meets on the north side of Claremont and draws families from Claremont, Upland, La Verne, Montclair, Pomona, Ontario, San Dimas, Chino, and Rancho Cucamonga. Its motto is three words long: "Relationship, Not Religion." The vision that has shaped the church since its earliest days is to see families and culture transformed by Heaven, a phrase the leaders use so often that it has become the congregation's compass.
The church is known for a come-as-you-are atmosphere (some people arrive in flip flops, some in suits), a charismatic stream of teaching that holds to miracles and the spiritual gifts for today, and a long-running Living Nativity Festival that brings thousands into the parking lot each December. Off campus, Granite Creek is closely tied to KidCare International, the humanitarian aid organization founded by its founding pastor that runs a Saturday food bank a few miles east in Upland.
From a 1997 Merger to a Family-Minded Church
Granite Creek Community Church grew out of a 1997 merger between Ontario Vineyard and New Life Community Church. Both congregations traced their roots to Larry Kapchinsky, who was ordained in the Assemblies of God before aligning himself with the Vineyard Movement in the 1980s. He started Vineyard Christian Fellowship of Ontario in 1984, and after New Life Christian Fellowship asked him to return as senior pastor, the two bodies combined into Granite Creek in 1997. He moved into the role of Associate Pastor in 2014, and his son Joshua Kapchinsky became Lead Pastor.
Joshua Kapchinsky came to the pastorate through an unusual route. A history graduate of Westmont College, he curated the Karpeles Manuscript Museum in Santa Barbara and later served as director of the museum's Charleston, South Carolina site before opening Preston Roberts Antiques on Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, importing French, Italian, and Spanish antiques. He and his wife Meko, the church's Teaching Pastor and College/Young Adult Pastor, share a passion for developing leaders, encouraging the arts, and creating a place where people find friends and inspiration to live their best life.
Today the church's members include both Republicans and Democrats, and Granite Creek deliberately avoids partisan politics, believing that neither party will usher in the Kingdom of God. "We value education, but we don't take ourselves too seriously," the congregation's self-description reads. "Some people wear shorts and flip flops to church, some wear suits." The community is described as kind, generous, artistic, funny, smart, hardworking, outdoorsy, and animal lovers, diverse ethnically, socially, and economically, with kids in band, sports, chess club, and theater.
Sundays at 10:00 AM in the Sanctuary
Sunday worship happens at 10:00 AM in the downstairs Sanctuary and is offered both in person and online. The service includes a children's program at the same hour. Granite Creek Kids gathers K-6 students upstairs, while the Little Creekers nursery and Pre-K ministry opens fifteen minutes before service across the hall from the Sanctuary entrance on the first floor. Each child is checked in by a volunteer, and parents receive a matching sticker that must be presented at pick-up.
Students in 7th through 12th grade are invited to attend the main worship service with their families. Ninth through twelfth graders sit together on the back left side of the Sanctuary as a designated youth section, and after worship the 7th through 10th graders head upstairs for Junior High and Froshmore Study, a lesson and game time that runs alongside the sermon. Sunday morning also includes ministry prayer time, when pastors and ministry leaders pray for anyone with a personal need, and visitors who want follow-up can submit a prayer card or sign up for the church's daily prayer chain.
Granite Creek describes its Sunday culture as casual and family-friendly. Shorts and flip flops are as welcome as a suit. The teaching style draws from the Vineyard stream and centers on the Kingdom of God, with a working belief in miracles and the gifts of the Spirit for today.
What Granite Creek Believes
Granite Creek's statement of faith covers the classic Christian essentials. God is described as the Creator and ruler of the universe, eternally existing in three co-equal persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is the Son of God who lived a sinless life, died on the cross as the sacrifice for sin, rose again after three days, ascended to Heaven, and will return to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son, present in the world to draw people to Jesus, and living in every believer from the moment of salvation. The Spirit provides power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right, and gives every Christian spiritual gifts to be used for the common good. The Bible is described as God's Word, written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit, the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living, and "without error" as God's inspired Truth.
Humans are made in God's image but marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called sin, which separates people from Him. Salvation is a free gift, received by trusting in Jesus Christ rather than by self-improvement or good works; eternal life begins the moment one receives Christ by faith. People were created to exist forever, and Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence.
Distinctively, Granite Creek centers its teaching on the Kingdom of God. Jesus' central message, the church teaches, was the Kingdom of Heaven, and He demonstrated its reality through healing the sick, controlling nature, and feeding the hungry. The Kingdom is both future and present, and Granite Creek believes that miracles and all the spiritual gifts are for today. Communion is celebrated at various times throughout the year and in small groups, framed as a simple act of obedience that remembers Christ's death and resurrection. Baptism is taught as an outward expression of an inward decision to follow Jesus, a statement of identification with His death, burial, and resurrection, and a public confession of His Lordship.
Granite Creek Kids and Far Outpost
Children are described as "a priority" at Granite Creek. The children's ministry partners with parents to help kids grow up to love God and love others, using Orange Curriculum and the Parent Cue App, which sends weekly conversation starters and tips tailored to each child's age. Children's Pastor Sara Frias, a wife and mother of four who has been part of the church since 2009, leads the team. Sara started volunteering as a Sunday school teacher in 2010 and has watched the program grow into a full Sunday morning environment with games, worship, and age-appropriate lessons.
Far Outpost Live! is the church's creative puppet ministry, featuring characters named Skyler, Teaky, and the Tree Weasels in new Sunday lessons each week. The puppets also have their own Far Outpost YouTube Channel, where families can catch up on past lessons at home.
Kairos Youth and Young Adults
The youth ministry at Granite Creek is called Kairos. The Wednesday gathering runs from 6:30 to 8:00 PM and is open to students in 7th through 12th grade, meeting upstairs in the youth room. Students are welcome to hang out after the service ends at 8:00. Youth Pastor Mandy VanHolsbeck has been serving in the program since 2015 and is known for planning over-the-top events like Outbreak, Domed, Color Wars, beach outings, Invasion, retreats, and youth camps. The youth section in the Sanctuary on Sunday mornings is the place where 9th through 12th graders can sit together during "big church." The youth ministry keeps active social channels under the handle @kairosgcy on Instagram and Facebook.
Young adults ages 18 to 26 meet every 2nd and 4th Sunday from 5:30 to 7:30 PM in the upstairs youth room. Each gathering includes an ice breaker followed by Bible study and discussion, and the group keeps an active Instagram account under the handle @granitecreek.youngadults, where off-campus hangouts and outings are announced.
Marriage Alive!, Family Ministry, and Counseling
Marriage ministry at Granite Creek is called Marriage Alive! and offers classes, groups, and events designed to strengthen marriages and families. The volunteer team is led by Marc and Michelle VanDenvrijhoef along with Ed and Leslie Hoffman, and the ministry also provides pre-marital counseling, including a pre-marital inventory for engaged couples.
Family counseling is available through Pastor Michael Jones, the Family Pastor, who previously served as Granite Creek's Youth Pastor for over twenty years. He holds a B.A. in Psychology and Human Development from Vanguard University and brings experience working with special needs children and families, as well as a passion for movies, football, and comics. The Family Ministry equips parents with tools that feed mind, body, soul, and spirit, including practical classes and workshops on premarital preparation, marriage, and parenting. The ministry also encourages families to grow in the Spirit through prayer, worship, and the practice of the spiritual gifts.
Men's, Women's, and Growth Groups
Granite Creek's Growth Groups are the small-group engine of the church. The church describes them as a place for meaningful relationships, discipling and nurturing, leadership development, and accountability, with the conviction that "life change happens best in community." There are Bible study groups, men's groups, women's groups, interest groups, marriage groups and events, and topical studies. Many of them meet for seven to twelve weeks at a time around a chosen topic.
The Men's Ministry meets Saturday mornings at Granite Creek from 7:30 to 8:30 AM (except the second Saturday of the month) for a chapter of Luke and discussion, led by Men's Ministry Director Marc Van Den Vrijhoef. On the second Saturday of the month the men gather at the KidCare Food Bank in Upland at 7:00 AM to help give out food to families in need.
The Women's Ministry offers many groups, studies, and events throughout the year, and the women's team gathers on the third Saturday of each month at 7:00 AM at the KidCare Food Bank to distribute food. Jennifer Jones serves as the point of contact for women's ministry.
Healing Ministry and Pastoral Counseling
The Healing Ministry is built around James 5:15: "the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well." Granite Creek teaches that healing and the power of prayer are part of the church's calling and invites anyone with a prayer need to share it with the pastoral staff. Administrative Pastor Mike Noyes and his wife Kim function in the gift of prayer for physical healing and teach and train others in the use of spiritual gifts. They are longtime key leaders and elders at Granite Creek and have served across Men's, Women's, and Marriage ministries, as well as home groups and the Alpha course.
Pastoral counseling is available for those struggling with anxiety, depression, addictions, family issues, and other overwhelming situations. The counseling team consists of trained paraprofessionals who offer listening, clarifying, and goal-setting. Granite Creek also hosts Financial Peace University, the thirteen-week Dave Ramsey video curriculum that walks families through eliminating debt, saving, and giving like never before. Small-group discussion is built into each lesson to encourage accountability and discipleship.
KidCare International and the Saturday Food Bank
KidCare International (KCI) was founded in 1991 by Founding Pastor Larry Kapchinsky as a nongovernmental humanitarian aid organization. KCI sends medical and financial aid to distressed countries, developing nations, and people affected by natural and man-made disasters, and it also runs the KidCare Food Bank, which feeds thousands of hungry people each year through partnerships with the San Bernardino Housing Authority and the City of Upland.
The KidCare Food Bank is located at 1200 N. Campus Ave. in Upland and distributes food every Saturday morning except holidays. Pre-trained volunteers arrive at 7:00 AM, the distribution line forms at 9:00 AM, and recipients must show ID for Riverside or San Bernardino County and be 17 or older. Granite Creek's Men's and Women's ministries are regular volunteers at the food bank, and the GC Marketplace gives local vendors a way to participate in the church's Living Nativity and other community events.
The Living Nativity Festival
Every December, Granite Creek hosts its annual Living Nativity Festival, a free outdoor celebration of the Virgin Birth and deity of Jesus Christ. The two-night event runs from 5:00 to 9:30 PM on a Saturday and Sunday before Christmas, with free parking and no tickets required. The festival has run for more than twenty years and welcomes thousands of guests each year.
The program features sing-along Christmas carols, an original dance number by Adage Dance Center, and a nativity-focused skit. The church's Children's Ministry hosts a live-action Christmas show in its immersive space, and guests can shop the Nativity Marketplace, pet a camel, roast s'mores, and pick up food from local vendors. Producing the festival costs roughly $10,000 each year, supported by sponsorships, vendor fees, and donations from the church family. Volunteers can serve as actors on the Nativity Actors Team, serve behind the scenes on setup, hospitality, tech, or costuming, or sponsor the event as a business.
Holy Week and Easter
Granite Creek walks through Holy Week with three signature gatherings. Palm Sunday worship takes place at 10:00 AM and invites families of all ages to worship together as they remember Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. A Good Friday Family Communion service runs from 6:00 to 7:00 PM, a quiet hour of Scripture, worship, and shared communion that lets families pause and reflect on the cross together. Easter Sunday features two morning services, typically at 9:00 AM and 11:15 AM, with a joyful celebration of the empty tomb and new life.
Podcasts from Granite Creek Studios
Three podcasts come out of the church under the banner of Granite Creek Studios. Sermons by Granite Creek Community Church is the weekly feed of Sunday messages from the pastoral staff, available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. The Art of Faith, hosted by Lead Pastor Joshua Kapchinsky, explores where art and faith intersect, drawing on his background as an antiques dealer and curator. You Gotta See This Movie!, hosted by Family Pastor Michael Jones and Creative Director Jim LoGiudice, is two friends talking about film. All three podcasts also stream on the Granite Creek YouTube channel.
Giving and Practical Details
Granite Creek offers several ways to give. Donations can be made by debit or credit card, by PayPal, or by check mailed to the church address. The church also accepts non-cash gifts such as real estate, stocks, bonds, and jewelry, and welcomes being included in estate plans. Pastors can talk through IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions, which can lower year-end taxes and meet mandatory distribution requirements. Anyone interested in estate giving can reach Pastor Mike Noyes by email or by calling the church office at (909) 625-4455.
The Granite Creek wedding and event venue on the church's south lot is available for private celebrations, and the Creative Director's team helps families put together milestone events. The same space also serves as the setting for memorial services, which the church hosts for members and their families with regularity throughout the year.
Leadership
The pastoral team is led by Joshua Kapchinsky, Lead Pastor, and his wife Meko Kapchinsky, Teaching Pastor. Mike Noyes serves as Administrative Pastor, focusing on prayer for physical healing and training others in the gifts of the Spirit. Michael Jones is the Family Pastor, stepping into the role after more than twenty years as Youth Pastor. Mandy VanHolsbeck leads the youth ministry as Youth Pastor, and Sara Frias oversees Granite Creek Kids. Larry Kapchinsky continues as Founding Pastor and Associate Pastor, while also serving as President and Founder of KidCare International. Jim LoGiudice is the Creative Director. Marc Van Den Vrijhoef directs the Men's Ministry, and Jennifer Jones serves as the contact for Women's Ministry.
Granite Creek Community Church sits at 1580 N. Claremont Blvd. in Claremont, California. Sunday worship begins at 10:00 AM.