A Reborn Congregation on Allison Avenue
Kindred Church meets on Allison Avenue in the heart of La Mesa's Village, across the street from a metered parking lot and a block west of Coin Haus. The congregation's roots run more than eighty years into La Mesa's past. It began as one of eleven church plants that the El Cajon Boulevard Church of Christ launched across San Diego in just over a dozen years. The La Mesa Church of Christ was one of those young congregations. Some of those plants, in turn, planted other churches.
Over the decades, the urgency of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ gave way to the demands of maintenance, including maintaining numbers, buildings and member needs. Nothing wrong with those things in themselves, but they distracted from the central work of taking the gospel to a world that is searching for meaning, a place to belong and hope. At Kindred, the search is over. The community's calling now is to reach those who do not yet know Jesus and to show them love, grace, truth, acceptance and hope.
Sunday Morning at Ten
Worship and teaching begin at 10:00 a.m. on Sundays. Arriving a few minutes early means coffee, donuts and fresh fruit and a relaxed chance to find a seat. The morning moves through music, prayer and discussion in an unhurried atmosphere that aims to slow people down and create space to encounter God and to be reminded that no one is alone.
Visitors are encouraged to come as they are. Jeans, t-shirts, sneakers and "running errands" clothes are common. Sunday best is welcome too. Children have supervised activities during the service, with coloring pages on the tables, and families are welcome to worship together in the main gathering whenever they choose.
Five Values That Set the Pace
Five commitments shape everything at Kindred. Rest over rush makes space for Sabbath rhythms and sacred slowness. Real over polished values true selves over Sunday best. People over programs prioritizes presence and relationship over production. Compassion over comparison chooses mercy rather than measuring up. Presence over pretense means staying when it is hard, listening when it is messy and walking with people through what is real. The five commitments turn up across the services, groups and resources of the church.
A Library of Prayer and Study
One of Kindred's most distinctive offerings is a downloadable library of prayer and Bible study guides. The Kindred eLibrary holds Old Testament Blueprints and New Testament Blueprints covering every book in the Bible, a 5 Step Prayer Model, a 21 Days of Purpose plan, and an archive of 40 Days of Prayer and Fasting reaching back several years. A Weekly Meditation keeps the rhythm going between major seasons of study.
Three extended guided experiences sit alongside the library. The 40 Days of Prayer + Fasting plan teaches an intentional prayer life. The 8 Week Journey of Prayer asks participants to set aside thirty to forty minutes a day in a regular prayer space, working through Scripture passages, Ignatius's meditations and contemplations, and other exercises. How to Pray for Someone offers a short method for praying with and for others.
Small Groups and Bonfire Worship
On the first and third Sundays of the month at 3:00 p.m., small groups gather in homes around the area. One in particular follows and discusses the life of David through a TV series, and others meet through the church's online registration system, including a study built around The Chosen. Music at Kindred runs under the name Bonfire. The song list for Bonfire Wednesday nights is shared publicly, and the same contemporary, conversational style carries into Sunday mornings.
The Kindred Community Center
The Allison Avenue building doubles as the Kindred Community Center, open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to noon. Beyond the church itself, the center hosts programs and workshops around mental health, wellness education, self-care and personal growth, shaped to the needs of the wider La Mesa community. The building can also be rented for outside events through online request and agreement forms.
Pastors and Wider Partners
Kindred's pastoral team includes Graham and Bri, whose personal stories of finding identity and belonging through Christ shape the church's emphasis on welcoming the lost and lonely. Bri grew up in the churches of Christ, with a mother who taught children's Bible class and a father who served for more than twenty years as an elder. Graham came to faith in 1998 through Bri and her family and now focuses his ministry on those who feel lost, lonely or searching for something more.
Kindred sits within a wider network of friends and partners: Kairos Church Planting, the San Diego Christian Foundation, The Common Call and Commons Church San Diego share overlapping ministry interests across the region.
Staying in Touch
Sermons are posted on the Kindred Church YouTube channel, and the church connects through Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok under the handle @mykindredchurch. A text-and-email sign-up form keeps members and visitors informed about upcoming events and ways to get involved. Donations are accepted through PayPal and Venmo, and a volunteer survey helps the team match interests with current needs.
The address is 8324 Allison Avenue, La Mesa, California 91942. The phone number is 619-558-5150, and questions, prayer requests and volunteer inquiries route through getinvolved@mykindredchurch.com.