Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church stands at 3085 K Street in San Diego, a short distance from the Logan Heights neighborhood where many of its outreach efforts take root. Under Senior Pastor Rev. Harvey L. Vaughn III, the congregation has built a reputation that stretches well beyond Sunday morning: a working food distribution program, a partnership day-care, and a development corporation pushing affordable housing on church-owned land. Worship is gospel-rooted and warm, with greeters ready to help first-time visitors settle in.
Pastor Vaughn and a Church That Builds Beyond Its Walls
Rev. Harvey L. Vaughn III came to Bethel AME in 2015 as a third-generation minister in the African Methodist Episcopal tradition, following a father and grandfather who together served the denomination for more than forty years. A St. Louis native, he holds a B.A. from Columbia College in Columbia, Missouri, and brings an extensive background in business marketing, management, and nonprofit housing development, including work with the City of St. Louis Housing Authority and a NeighborWorks-affiliated training program. He began preaching at twenty-two, served five congregations in the Missouri Conference of the Fifth Episcopal District, and in 2010 was appointed to Fountain of Hope A.M.E. Church in Las Vegas, where he built a new sanctuary before relocating to the Southern California Conference.
Before coming to San Diego, Pastor Vaughn served on the Federal Task Force on Sex Trafficking in Las Vegas, organized non-unionized hotel workers as a Clergy Organizer, and facilitated town halls bringing together elected officials and law enforcement to talk about race and policing. Since arriving at Bethel, he has led renovations of the church edifice, grounds, and properties, and has expanded Bethel's reach through Bethel Community Development Corporation. He represents the Fifth District on the denomination's General Board and serves on the Board of Trustees for the Southern California Conference. He is married to Deidra M. Kirkland-Vaughn and has three adult children and three grandchildren.
Sunday Mornings on K Street
Sunday school begins at 8:30 AM in the R.B. Fellowship Hall, with a phone-in option for those who want to join by audio. Morning worship follows at 10:00 AM in the sanctuary, and the service is also livestreamed each week on the church's YouTube channel and Facebook page. Music at Bethel AME runs the gamut: "We love music, all kinds of music. From hymns to even the occasional rap we use music to show our Lord how much we love and honor Him." The Bible is taught as God's truth, explored, understood, and applied in a spirit of love. Greeters are part of the routine, ready to help newcomers feel at home.
A Zoom-based youth church runs alongside the morning service, with separate windows for elementary and older students: Grades K-5 meet from 10:00 to 10:30, and Grades 6 and up from 10:45 to 11:45.
Bible Study and Lifelong Formation
Two weekly Bible studies round out the formation calendar. Adult Bible Study meets on Wednesdays at noon, and the Pastor's Bible Study gathers on Thursdays from 6:30 to 7:45 PM. A study guide on Ephesians is offered to members and visitors, echoing the church's emphasis on prayer, study, and fellowship as the pattern of the early church.
Children and Youth
The Young People's Division, led by Sister Hjordis Williams, gathers on the fourth Saturday of each month at 11:00 AM and is open to ages 2 through 26. The program centers on spiritual growth, youth training, leadership development, and mission engagement, weaving Bible study, worship, community service, fellowship, and conversation about social issues into a single rhythm. Sunday school at 8:30 AM and the Sunday Zoom youth church keep younger members tied to the weekly life of the church between those monthly gatherings.
Beyond the Sanctuary: Housing, Food, and Care
Bethel's most visible venture outside the sanctuary is affordable housing. Through Bethel Community Development Corporation, the church is working to build low-income and moderate-income homes on its own property, an effort Pastor Vaughn has championed as part of the "Yes In God's Back Yard" (YIGBY) movement. The YIGBY approach asks California lawmakers to make it easier for religious groups and other nonprofits to build affordable homes on underused land, and Bethel has been one of the local congregations pressing the case.
Food security is another steady ministry. Bethel runs a food distribution program that has grown under Pastor Vaughn's leadership, serving neighbors in and around Logan Heights. The church also operates Bethel Day-Care, a partnership with Neighborhood House that serves families in the surrounding community.
Two smaller ministries round out the outreach picture. Voices for Children connects Bethel with CASA advocacy for foster children of color; a Bethel member serves as Vice President of Programs for the organization. Voices of Care is a gathering space for families caring for loved ones with Alzheimer's, dementia, or special needs.
What Bethel Believes
The church's stated mission is to minister to the spiritual, intellectual, physical, emotional, and environmental needs of all people by spreading Christ's liberating gospel through word and deed. Its threefold purpose is summed up in the phrase "Glorify God, Exemplify Excellence, and Edify the Body of Christ." Bethel affirms the Bible as the inerrant, Holy Spirit-inspired written word of God, believes in the Holy Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and teaches that salvation comes through grace, repentance, and renewal of mind, body, and spirit. The congregation is part of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, specifically the Southern California Conference of the Fifth Episcopal District.