A Bilingual Church on the East Side of Killeen
Christian Life Church gathers on Trimmier Road on the east side of Killeen, just down the road from the Fort Cavazos gateway community. From a single building at 7400 E. Trimmier Road, the church runs two distinct Sunday services in two languages, a full slate of children's and youth ministries, small groups that meet in homes across Central Texas, and a Sunday morning café that roasts and pours its own Brazil Eagle coffee. Lead Pastors Michael and Nancy Massa describe the congregation as a multi-generational, multi-cultural family whose mission is to see lives change through a relationship with Jesus and with one another.
Two Sunday Services, Two Languages
Christian Life opens its doors twice on Sunday morning. The English service begins at 9:45 AM, and Christian Life en Español, a bilingual Spanish service, follows at 11:30 AM. Both services meet in the same sanctuary at 7400 E. Trimmier Road and share the same contemporary, upbeat worship style. Visitors who cannot make it in person can join the livestream on the church's YouTube and Facebook channels; the Spanish stream is broadcast on the separate CLE Español YouTube and Facebook pages.
The flow of a Sunday morning is intentionally simple. Worship comes first, drawn from the Psalms and led by a band that the church describes as scripturally grounded and presence-focused. A time of prayer and connecting follows, then a Bible-based message, then announcements. The morning wraps up in the foyer over coffee and conversation.
KidsLife: From Nursery to The Forge
Children are a major part of the church's heartbeat, and the KidsLife ministry is structured by age so that every child has a place designed for them. The nursery cares for babies and toddlers from birth through age three and is available throughout the entire service. SuperKids welcomes children ages four through eight, while The Forge is set aside for preteens ages nine through twelve. Both SuperKids and The Forge begin with their parents in the sanctuary and are dismissed to their classrooms after a meet-and-greet time, except that The Forge does not meet on the first Sunday of the month so that preteens can worship alongside the rest of the family.
The goals of the children's ministry are written in the same language across the three classrooms. SuperKids focuses on helping kids encounter God through creative, age-appropriate Bible lessons and on raising up disciples who serve God selflessly, love God passionately, and know God intimately. The Forge takes its name from Proverbs 27:17: as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. There, preteens build friendships, ask honest questions, and learn to live out their faith at school, at home, and with their friends. Sidney Mansell directs KidsLife, and Sheila Nuñez serves in the same role for the Spanish ministry.
For first-time guests, a self-service check-in kiosk lets parents pre-register their children and pick up a printed name tag at the manned station, a small touch that helps families skip the line on Sunday morning.
Youth Ministry with the Beckrich Family
High school students are shepherded by Blake and Andy Beckrich, the church's new youth leaders. The couple has been married since 2019 and has three children, Bethel, Eli, and Noah. After years of serving in an Army home church community, they moved to Harker Heights in 2022 and began attending Christian Life in 2025. They now lead a ministry designed to equip students to enter their next phase of life with a firm foundation planted in the Lord, standing up for their faith and influencing the world around them for Christ. The youth ministry's anchor verse is 1 Timothy 4:12: do not let anyone think less of you because you are young, but be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.
Worship That Is Contemporary and Dynamic
The worship arts team frames its calling around three anchors: a culture of God's presence, scripture as the foundation, and dynamic expression. The style is described by the church as contemporary and upbeat, with a full band that includes vocals, guitars, bass, drums, and keys, supported by a technical team handling sound, lighting, cameras, and media presentation. Morgan Warner leads worship for the English services, and Olivia Huerta leads worship for the Spanish services. Both teams welcome new musicians and technicians, and auditions are scheduled periodically. A list of suggested audition songs, drawn from artists such as Bethel Music, Brandon Lake, Phil Wickham, Chris Tomlin, and Will Reagan, is available in both English and Spanish.
LifeGroups Across Central Texas
LifeGroups are the small-group heartbeat of the church. Groups meet midweek in homes across Killeen, Temple, and Belton, and the Spanish ministry calls them Grupos de Vida. LifeGroups never meet during the first week of the month, when leaders gather for their own Leader's LifeGroup. The Spanish ministry adds a regular Friday 7 PM meeting time in addition to the home groups, giving families a consistent midweek touchpoint. The groups are designed for discipleship, friendship, and the kind of shared life that the church considers essential to growing faith. A directory of current groups is available through the church's online groups platform.
The Café, the Coffee, and the Foyer
One of the most distinctive features of Christian Life is its on-site café, which opens before and after each service. Hospitality team members serve as greeters, ushers, and baristas, and a first-time guest receives a free coffee and pastry on the house. The café also roasts and sells its own Brazil Eagle coffee, a 12-ounce bag with chocolate, toffee, dates, and nut notes and a medium body, available in whole bean and ground versions for $12 each, with USPS flat-rate shipping for $7. Two subscription-style passes, a Single Brew Pass for $10 a month and a Family Brew Pass for $25, give regulars unlimited pastries, bagels, and coffee beverages at the café. Coffee orders can be picked up on Sunday mornings or arranged through the café email.
Outreach and Missions
The church organizes week-long local mission trips each year, partnering with organizations across Central Texas. Past projects have included packing food and snack bags for Belton ISD through the Helping Hands Ministry, serving the Killeen Homeless Shelter, helping Foster Love in Belton prepare for fundraisers, sorting donations at Temple Christian Outreach, and assisting the Killeen Food Bank. Volunteers close the week with a cookout at the Mansell home in Belton. Childcare is provided at the church for children ten and under during the mission week, opening thirty minutes before each event.
Beyond these concentrated mission weeks, the church supports missions financially and through prayer, both locally and internationally, in keeping with its vision of engaging the local, national, and international community with the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.
What the Church Believes
Christian Life holds to a straightforward evangelical statement of faith. The Bible is the inspired, infallible, and inerrant Word of God. There is one God in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ, the eternal Son, was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died on the cross to restore fallen humanity, was raised from the dead, ascended into heaven, and will return. Salvation is received by repenting, asking God for forgiveness, believing in the heart, and confessing Jesus as Lord and Savior. Water baptism is an outward sign of that inward work, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit is available to every believer who asks.
The church's core values can be summed up in five words: Priority (seeking the Lord's honor first), Perspective (celebrating the Lord's victory), Practice (faith-obedience to the Word), Power (the ministry of the Holy Spirit), and Passion (loving as Christ loved). The Spanish ministry distills the same vision around four pillars: a challenging Bible-based message, Grupos de Vida, dynamic worship, and missions.
Leadership and Staff
Michael and Nancy Massa serve as lead pastors. Kim Mansell is the pastor of operations. Johanna Masis directs Christian Life en Español and oversees marketing, media, and the arts. Morgan Warner leads the English worship team, and Olivia Huerta leads the Spanish worship team. Blake and Andy Beckrich direct youth ministry. Sidney Mansell directs KidsLife, with Sheila Nuñez serving in the same role for the Spanish ministry. Deny Hanson serves as elder.
What to Expect as a First-Time Guest
Guests are invited to come a little early and grab a complimentary coffee and pastry at the café. The English service begins at 9:45 AM and the Spanish service at 11:30 AM. Worship is contemporary and upbeat, and guests are welcome to participate as they feel comfortable. Dress is casual. Children from birth through fifth grade can be pre-registered online to speed up Sunday morning check-in. A Connect Card in the foyer lets first-time guests share their contact information, request prayer, or sign up for a LifeGroup. Office hours are Tuesday and Thursday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and the office can be reached at 254-939-2626, with the Spanish ministry reachable at 469-454-0405 or by email.