Our History

Kevin used to practice law in the U.S. Bank Tower in downtown and lived in downtown before it became hip to live here.

 

Shortly after Kevin left law to pursue pastoral ministry, he received a telephone call from a stranger who asked him, “What is your church doing to reach out to the new residents of downtown?”  For some reason, this question struck a chord in his soul. 

 

A few months later, as he was serving as the pastor of Love LA (a skid row parking lot worship service that attracts about 200-300 people every Sunday), he became burdened by the fact that they had created a successful worship service in skid row, but one without a community where the congregants could grow and fellowship. 

 

Combining these two thoughts, God sparked in his heart a vision of planting a multi-ethnic, multi-socioeconomic church in downtown LA.

 

Kevin came to passionately believe that church should not be a time of separation but integration.  He believes that the unity that comes from the gospel of Jesus Christ is a powerful testimony of God’s redemptive power in our society.  There is a beauty in a community which reflected the vision of the New City in the Book of Revelations, where people of all ethnicities and walks of life came together to worship God together as one.

 

Grace, his wife, and Kevin continued to pray about this for three years.  The more they prayed, the more God gave them the passion for planting such a church.

 

In late 2007, Young Nak Celebration Church, where Kevin was an associate pastor, affirmed and encouraged this call and commissioned them to plant New City Church of Los Angeles. 

 

Kevin and Grace were accepted as church planters with Stadia, a church planting organization.

 

Starting from November, 2007, a small multi-ethnic, multi-socioeconomic group of people started to pray together on Sunday evenings; God grew this group to about 20 adults and 10 children.

 

In pursuit of the vision, on February 10, 2008, New City Church of Los Angeles started to hold Sunday gatherings.

 

New City Church "soft" launched its Sunday worship services on Easter Sunday, March 23, 2008 at e3rd Restaurant in Art District.