On a quiet block of F Street in the heart of historic downtown Chula Vista stands a congregation that calls itself the oldest in the city. Community Congregational Church of Chula Vista has been welcoming worshipers through the same doorway for well over a century, and the welcome has only grown broader. The church's motto, posted across the top of its online home and printed on its materials, says it all: "No matter who you are or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here!" Members describe themselves as a joy-filled, friendly congregation that is united across age, ethnicity, race, and gender, with some who have followed Christ for a lifetime and others just beginning to explore the Christian faith. The building sits steps from the Third Avenue shops and transit, and the next-door tower rises as a reminder that the church has long imagined its ministry in both word and structure.
Sunday Mornings at 9:30
The congregation voted in April 2019 to bring its two earlier services together into a single Sunday gathering, and Sunday worship now begins at 9:30 AM in the Sanctuary. Worshipers can attend in person or follow along through a Facebook Live broadcast, with bulletins posted online ahead of each Sunday for anyone who wants to follow the order of service from a distance. After worship, the community gathers at 10:30 AM for a fellowship hour that often stretches into lively conversation.
The Rev. Victoria Freiheit, who became Senior Minister effective October 1, 2022, leads most Sundays. A graduate of Lancaster Theological Seminary and an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, Rev. Freiheit previously served the congregation for eight years with a ministry centered on the seniors of the church and the neighboring Congregational Tower, and she now ministers to the whole congregation across all ages. A different liturgist reads the prayers and Scripture each week, and guest preachers occasionally fill the pulpit; recent guest preachers have included Rev. Sandra Nunnally and Ruth Jones. Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of the month, marked clearly on the schedule as "Communion Sunday." Music is shared each week by the Chancel Choir, which sings during worship and helps lead the congregation in song, and by Lionel Jasmin, the church's accompanist, musician, and choir director. Jasmin, a Haitian-born musician who trained at the National Conservatory of Music of Haiti and the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, brings a lifetime of church music to the service, having served congregations across New York and California before joining Community Congregational.
The building itself is part of the Sunday experience. A Luther window honors the church's Reformation heritage and the United Church of Christ lineage. A separate Jewel Chapel is used for smaller services, including memorial services, and the sanctuary itself has hosted generations of weddings and funerals. Visitors arriving by car find parking on-site and on surrounding streets in the historic downtown grid.
Children, Youth, and Sunday School
Children and young people have a clear place at Community Congregational. Sunday School meets during the 9:30 AM service, and a nursery is provided for the youngest children, staffed by volunteers. Elementary-age classes are taught during worship by Dee Alatorre and the husband-and-wife team of Jesselle and Kennan Limbo. The middle and senior high youth group, which welcomes seventh graders and up, is led by Jamall Calloway, who also oversees a Youth and Young Adults Fellowship that extends the ministry beyond Sunday morning.
The congregation describes its goal plainly: to give young people the tools to stay connected with God for the rest of their lives, and to challenge them to think for themselves, form their own ideas, and claim faith as their own. The church maintains a Safe Church Policy, in effect since its approval by Church Council in 2018, that establishes the congregation as an abuse-free zone for children, youth, and vulnerable adults. A Safe Church Team made up of Jerry May, Rev. Freiheit, Nathan Purificacion, and Violeta Estepa receives reports and works to maintain that commitment.
Music that Spans Generations
Music has long been a centerpiece at Community Congregational, and the Ministry of Music is built to span all ages and cultures. The Chancel Choir rehearses on Thursday evenings at 7:00 PM in the Choir Room and sings during the Sunday service at 9:00 AM, leading the congregation in song twice each Sunday. Throughout the year, the music ministry presents special events including a variety show and Easter and Christmas cantatas, with guest organists such as Margaret Gaillard joining the choir and Jasmin for these occasions. Choir members and instrumentalists collaborate across choral traditions, drawing on what Jasmin describes as his forty years of familiarity with the great oratorios and choral repertoire of the church.
Adult Bible Studies, Healing Touch, and a Parish Nurse
The congregation offers more than Sunday worship. On Friday mornings at 10:00 AM, an Adult Bible Study gathers in the Church Lounge, led by Rev. Freiheit. The group describes itself as a circle of fellow companions rather than Bible experts, drawing on the conviction that scripture is inspired by God and written by human authors, and that the best way to understand it is to listen to one another as they listen for God's Spirit. When the study finished its look at "Christianity's Family Tree," it moved on to an exploration of Prisca and Aquila, the couple who helped Paul start a church. The class is open to any adult in the community.
Once a month, the church hosts a Healing Touch clinic. Healing Touch is a gentle, energy-based therapy that supports physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being and works alongside standard medical care; benefits cited by practitioners include reduced stress, eased anxiety and depression, decreased pain, strengthened immunity, and a deepened spiritual connection. Appointments can be arranged through the church office or by signing up on the sheet posted in Bradley Hall. The ministry reflects a longer tradition of caring for body and spirit together, and Luz Barrera serves as the congregation's Parish Nurse, available to members for health-related questions and support.
Outreach Across Borders, the State, and the Block
Outreach is organized through a Missions and Outreach Board that divides its work into three streams. Internationally, the congregation supports the Heifer Project and partners with migrant ministries that cross the border into Mexico. Nationally, the church channels disaster relief through the United Church of Christ disaster fund, responding to fires, floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes across the country. Locally, the church partners with Community Through Hope, an organization serving neighbors without homes; supports the Salvation Army; aids the church's own preschool; and hosts an annual Christmas Tower party for the residents of Congregational Tower, the senior apartment building next door. Throughout the year, a Giving Room in the church receives donations of clothing, personal hygiene packets, and other necessities, which are sorted and bagged for distribution.
A Holiday Market, an indoor rummage sale, raises money for these projects, and the church is a "5 for 5" UCC congregation, meaning it promotes donations to all five of the UCC's national offering programs: the Our Church's Wider Mission (OCWM), One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS), Strengthen the Church, Neighbors in Need, and the Christmas Fund. Members are invited to suggest new projects of need and to step into service wherever their gifts fit.
Congregational Tower: A Landmark Next Door
Walk out the church's west door and you stand beside the sixteen-story Congregational Tower, a 186-unit apartment complex for seniors that is both a piece of church history and a continuing ministry. The story begins in 1961, when church member Ernest Weber raised at the annual meeting the news that Westy's Lumber Company, just west of the church, was for sale. The congregation voted in 1969 to pursue the property and applied in 1970 for an F.H.A. loan for what would become the tower. Groundbreaking was held on June 25, 1972, with city representatives, church officials, and then-Senior Minister the Rev. Dr. Sorensen on hand, and the building was dedicated on September 16, 1973. The first tenants moved in that August.
The tower was built under the Federal Section 8 and Section 236 programs and financed through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. To qualify for residency today, applicants must be at least 62 years old, meet the tenant selection criteria, and fall within the income limits established by HUD. Federal rental assistance is restricted to U.S. citizens or nationals and to non-citizens with eligible immigration status. Applications are available at the building office at 288 F Street, Monday through Friday from 10:00 AM to noon and 2:00 to 5:00 PM. In 2013, the Community Congregational Development Corporation sold the tower to Retirement Housing Foundation (RHF), a senior housing organization founded by pastors of the United Church of Christ. RHF continues to manage the property in partnership with the church, and the building remains a mission of Community Congregational.
For Rev. Freiheit, that partnership is personal; her earlier ministry focused heavily on the tower residents, and many of them remain woven into the life of the church. The annual Christmas Tower party, open to residents of the building regardless of faith, is one visible expression of that ongoing connection.
A Green Justice Congregation
Consistent with the United Church of Christ historic commitment to environmental justice, Community Congregational has declared itself a Green Justice Congregation. The church works to reduce, reuse, and recycle and to use biodegradable products whenever possible. Styrofoam and other nonrenewable resources are used only when necessary, and groups renting space in the building are encouraged to follow the same practices and use the church's recycling bins. The designation is a reminder that, in the congregation's words, care for God's creation is part of how the church puts its faith into practice.
Weddings, Memorial Services, and a Building that Serves the City
The Sanctuary and the smaller Jewel Chapel together host weddings and memorial services throughout the year. Sylvia Campbell serves as the Wedding and Memorial Service Coordinator, working with couples and families on every detail from scheduling to music to reception planning, and collaborating with the pastor and the music staff on each service. The Sanctuary and Jewel Chapel are also available for use by outside organizations, with all space usage approved by the Board of Trustees and shaped by the church's Building Use Guidelines.
Weddings are not limited to members; the church welcomes couples from across the community who want to be married in the historic downtown sanctuary. Memorial services follow the same approach, with the church describing its commitment as providing a personalized service that both celebrates and honors the life that has been lived, while walking alongside the family through the season of grief.
The UCC Connection and What the Church Believes
Community Congregational is a member church of the United Church of Christ, one of the most theologically diverse mainline Protestant denominations in the country. The congregation describes its faith in its own words: it strives to be a multi-generational, culturally diverse family dedicated to the principles of Christ and to the service of God in the world and in local communities. Members are invited to bring their beliefs, skills, and passions, and the church seeks to present a diversity of worship and program experiences based on the real interests, needs, and concerns of the community.
Regionally, the church is part of the Southern California Nevada Conference of the United Church of Christ, and Rev. Freiheit served as a past Moderator of the conference's Southern Association before stepping into the Senior Minister role. The denomination's wider motto, "God is still speaking," and the catchphrase "Never place a period where God has placed a comma," both shape how the congregation approaches scripture, tradition, and the questions of the day.
Staff, Office, and How to Reach the Church
The church office at 276 F Street is open Monday through Thursday from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, with a lunch closure from 12:30 to 1:00 PM, and can be reached at (619) 422-9263. Louise Lopez serves as Office Secretary, and Corinne McCall serves as Financial Secretary. Pelito Capistrano maintains the church properties and helps with room setups and other building needs. Pelito, Sylvia, and Luz can all be reached through the office number. Questions about donations and giving can be directed to the Treasurer at Treasurer@chulavistachurch.com, and general correspondence to communitycong@chulavistachurch.com.
Community Congregational Preschool operates as a mission and ministry of the church, walking alongside the congregation's work with families and the wider neighborhood. Healing Touch appointments, Bible study, fellowship hours, choir rehearsals, and the Sunday schedule all flow from a small but committed staff and a wider circle of volunteers, including the Safe Church Team, the Music Ministry, the Missions and Outreach Board, and the teachers who give their Sunday mornings to the next generation.