From a Living Room to Oxford Way
Stockton Covenant Church traces its roots to the year 1915, when a small group of Christians began meeting in a family living room in Stockton, California. Almost three decades later, in 1944, the congregation moved to a Quonset hut at what is now the corner of Oxford Way and Grange Avenue. After the war ended, the community dedicated its first permanent building on that same site in 1949. The church has called the Oxford Way location home ever since, and it remains the address listed in every directory and on the front door: 1720 Oxford Way, Stockton, CA 95204.
More than a century after those first gatherings, Stockton Covenant (often shortened to StoCo by its members) still describes itself the way the founders would have recognized: a community rooted in the Word and continuously turning to scripture in every season of life. What has changed is the surrounding city. Stockton is one of the most diverse communities in California's Central Valley, and the church has worked to welcome that diversity into its life and worship.
Sunday Mornings at Ten
Each Sunday at 10:00 a.m. the congregation gathers at 1720 Oxford Way to celebrate the Lord's love and learn of the hope offered through singing, prayer, Scripture reading and a message from the pastors. The gathering is largely in English, but Spanish is woven into some of the music and messages - a reminder of the bilingual heartbeat of the church. People dress casually, and visitors are welcome in whatever they are comfortable wearing. Communion is shared together once a month, and the first Sunday of each month is often themed to honor a particular culture or heritage.
Those who cannot be in the building can still take part. The service is livestreamed through the church's Church Center app and online channel and is also available on the church's YouTube channel. The YouTube page carries both livestream broadcasts and recordings of past services for anyone who wants to watch later.
Children and Youth
Kids are central to life at StoCo. Families begin worship together at 10 a.m. and then children from age 2 through 8th grade are dismissed before the sermon to age-appropriate classrooms. The rooms are split by age group: 2-year-olds through kindergarten meet in the south room of the downstairs classroom building, 1st through 4th grade in the north downstairs room, and 5th through 8th grade in the southwest upstairs classroom. Through games, crafts, discussions and Bible lessons, the children learn who Jesus is and how much He loves them.
Volunteer safety is taken seriously. Every volunteer working with children is background-checked, classrooms follow a two-adult policy, and a single child is never left alone with a single adult. Parents sign children in at the entrance to the main building at the start of the service and pick them up from the classroom afterward. The church does not change diapers; parents leave a cell number at sign-in so they can be texted if a diaper change is needed. Rachel McGehee, the Children's and Operations Director, oversees all of this and is the point of contact for any questions or concerns.
On Sunday evenings from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m., both middle schoolers (6th-8th grade) and high schoolers gather upstairs - entering through the open side gate - for games, snacks, lively conversation and a closer look at what the Bible says about being loved children of God. The two groups share the same evening but in their own spaces, with their own student leaders.
Adult Small Groups and Bible Study
For adults, Stockton Covenant offers several recurring small-group options designed to fit different rhythms of life.
- ALPHA Course meets online via Zoom on Wednesday evenings, led by Pastor Juana. It is geared toward anyone with questions about faith or the Bible, and toward newcomers who want to get to know a few people in the church. The course begins each October and runs weekly.
- The BEMA Podcast Group also meets on Wednesday evenings, with locations that vary. Each week the group listens to one episode of the BEMA podcast - a walk-through of the context of the Bible and the text itself, with attention to surrounding history - and then gathers to discuss and dig into the corresponding Scripture.
- Seniors Bible Study meets at Stockton Covenant on Thursdays from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Pastor Fil leads this weekly chapter-by-chapter walk through the Bible, with snacks included.
What StoCo Believes
Stockton Covenant articulates its convictions through nine core values that shape everything from the sermon series to the children's curriculum.
Imago Dei. Every person is made in the image of God in body, mind and soul, and is of infinite worth. Scripture. The Bible is God's love letter to the community and the foundation for knowing God and living the life He intends. Spirit Led. The congregation consciously relies on the Holy Spirit's direction, with prayer and worship as essential practices. Spiritual Formation. The journey toward maturity in Christ is ongoing, and it is shared across every age. Biblical Justice. The church stands alongside the least of these, believing that God's heart for justice runs from the Old Testament through the teachings of Jesus and the early Church. Sharing Jesus. Members of every age are equipped to participate in God's mission locally and globally. Deep Hospitality. Guests and strangers are received with warmth, friendship and generosity. Servanthood. The community is compelled to sacrificially love and serve one another, its neighbors and its city. Followers of Jesus. Jesus is the model for living, for loving God and for loving neighbors.
As a member congregation of the Evangelical Covenant Church, Stockton Covenant accepts the Holy Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, as the authoritative Word of God and the only perfect rule for faith, doctrine and life. The church also affirms the historic Covenant affirmations: the centrality of Scripture, the necessity of the new birth, the church's commitment to the whole mission of the Church (both evangelism and compassion, justice and mercy), the Church as a fellowship of believers, the ministry of the Holy Spirit, and the reality of freedom in Christ.
Mission and Vision: Embracing the Mosaic of Stockton
The mission of Stockton Covenant Church is concise: love God, love all our neighbors, and invite everyone to the table. The vision that flows from that mission is to embrace the mosaic of Stockton - a place where people of every culture, ethnicity and circumstance truly belong, and where they are invited to grow and deepen authentic relationships with Jesus Christ and with one another.
That conviction is more than a slogan. It shapes the church calendar, where cultural celebrations like Las Posadas - a commemoration of Mary and Joseph's search for shelter, with tamales, a piñata, prizes, toys, a mariachi band, and food and beverages - draw the wider neighborhood in. It shapes the music, where Spanish songs are blended into English services. And it shapes the church's openness to children, newcomers and anyone with questions about faith.
Standing on Indigenous Land
Stockton Covenant publicly acknowledges that it lives and meets on indigenous land - the ancestral lands of the Northern Valley Yokuts and Southern Plain Miwoks, nations that flourished for thousands of years before contact with European explorers, settlers and missionaries. The statement names the devastating impact of those who valued land and gold and conquest over the work of the Creator, and it expresses a desire to learn, to repent where needed, and to build meaningful, ongoing relationships with Stockton's indigenous community. The Yokuts and Miwoks are honored as hosts on the land.
Pastors and Leadership
Stockton Covenant is led by a husband-and-wife team, Pastor Fil Nesta and Pastor Juana Nesta, who serve together as Lead Co-Pastors. Fil was born in Zacatecas, Mexico, and came to the United States when he was one year old. He made a first-time decision to follow Jesus as a 20-year-old university student and has not looked back since. He is a graduate of UC Berkeley and Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, is ordained with the Evangelical Covenant Church, and has served in pastoral and church-planting capacities for more than twenty years.
Juana was born and raised in Los Angeles, a daughter of immigrants from Mexico City. She made her own first-time decision to follow Jesus as a university student in Berkeley, where she also met Fil. She is a graduate of UC Berkeley, Chapman University and Saint Mary's College, and has worked in education for more than twenty-five years while also planting churches alongside her husband. Together they have served side-by-side as co-pastors for thirty years and have three daughters.
Rachel McGehee serves as the Children's and Operations Director, planning the Sunday Kids' Church program and helping develop the church's organizational systems. Sandy Rau, the office administrator, keeps the rhythm of the church running day to day.
Giving, Volunteering and Prayer
Gifts can be made online through the church's secure giving page, by mailing a check to the church office, or by bringing cash or check to a Sunday worship service. For those who want to contribute time, opportunities include the worship band, kids' and youth ministries, the media team, congregational care, facility maintenance, event setup and cleanup, leading or hosting a small group, and providing meals for families in need.
Visitors and members alike are invited to pray for Stockton Covenant, that the people of the church would truly love God, love all our neighbors, and invite everyone to the table. The church points visitors to prayer resources from the Evangelical Covenant Church as a starting place.
From a living-room gathering in 1915 to a multilingual, multi-generational congregation on Oxford Way today, Stockton Covenant Church continues to center its life on the Word of God and the call to embrace the mosaic of the city it calls home.