Set on Buena Vista Avenue in Walnut Creek, Contra Costa Gospel Church is best known as a bilingual congregation worshiping in both Mandarin and English each Sunday. Founded from a small Bible study in 1975 and now marking its fifth decade, the church has grown into a multi-generational body of believers whose identity is shaped by its two languages and its roots in the East Bay.
A Bible Study That Grew Into a Church
The church traces its beginning to 1975, when a Chinese couple in Walnut Creek felt the need to start a Bible study in Mandarin. A local American church generously opened its facilities to host the gathering, and two seminary professors from a nearby city were invited to teach. The Bible study grew steadily into a church service, and by 1981 the congregation had outgrown its borrowed space. That year it rented space from the Jewish Community Center and formally took the name Contra Costa Gospel Church. The name was chosen to reflect two convictions: that the church would be God-centered and Bible-teaching, and that everyone would feel welcome regardless of ethnicity.
In 1988, Contra Costa Gospel Church purchased and moved to its current home on Buena Vista Avenue. The Mandarin service continued to grow, and because many children in the congregation spoke English as their first language, the Mandarin messages were sometimes translated into English. By 1990, the Mandarin congregation had grown enough that a separate English worship service was launched for the younger generation, led by an English-speaking minister. In 1998, the English service broadened its focus beyond youth to embrace adults, married couples, and singles as well.
Two Languages, One Sunday
Sunday remains the anchor of life at CCGC. Two distinct worship services gather in the sanctuary each week: the English service begins at 9:30 a.m., and the Mandarin service follows at 11:15 a.m. The congregation describes itself as families and individuals of all ages committed to the Lord and to serving one another, and the two services together form the heart of the church's rhythm.
After the services, the church moves into Sunday School at 11:15 a.m. Children's Sunday School takes place in the E-building, where students up to fifth grade are grouped by age and work through the whole Bible over the course of a year. Youth Sunday School meets in E-201 for middle school students and E-203 for high school students, each led by various teachers. An adult Sunday School class is also offered, though it is currently on hiatus. Refreshments follow the English service in the B-building, giving worshipers a chance to linger and connect.
What CCGC Believes
The church's statement of faith centers on the Bible as the inspired, authoritative Word of God, and on the triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. CCGC confesses that Jesus Christ is the one and only Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary, fully divine and fully human, who lived a sinless life, was crucified, and rose again on the third day. Salvation comes through faith in his death and resurrection. The Holy Spirit indwells every believer, transforms them into the likeness of Christ, and binds the church into one body, bestowing spiritual gifts for ministry. CCGC also looks for the imminent and bodily return of Jesus Christ to judge the world and bring the saved into eternal glory.
Fellowships for Every Stage of Adult Life
Beyond Sunday worship, CCGC nurtures its adults through a network of small fellowships. Charis Fellowship gathers young adults, recent college graduates, working professionals, young married couples, and singles, to study the Word, share meals, and support one another, and is currently on hiatus. Hope Families Fellowship is a community of young families with children from newborn to teenage years, meeting on the first and third Saturdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at rotating locations, with regular social events for parents.
The English Women's Fellowship meets once or twice a month for socializing, dinner or dessert, book study, and prayer, geared toward women over forty, on the second and fourth Wednesdays. Faith Families Fellowship welcomes young married couples, with or without children, for Bible study and fellowship on the second and fourth Saturday mornings. Charis Families Fellowship meets on Saturday evenings alongside the youth fellowship, gathering at a home in Walnut Creek from 7:00 to 9:15 p.m. for Bible study, and breaking into separate men's and women's groups every few weeks.
Children and Youth
Children up to fifth grade are shepherded by Children's Minister Stephanie Chang, who joined the pastoral staff in 2015 after completing an M.A. in Ministry and Leadership at Western Seminary. Her ministry runs alongside Sunday School and a dedicated children's program that walks students through the whole Bible each year.
Middle and high school students are served through Oasis, the church's Saturday-night youth ministry. Oasis meets every Saturday from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the church under Pastor Eddie Cheng. Students in sixth through twelfth grade also gather for Sunday School during the 11:15 a.m. hour.
Reaching Out Through Missions
CCGC's missions work focuses on reaching unreached people groups in Mainland China and Taiwan, along with overseas students studying in the United States. A missions committee of church members coordinates communication and accountability between the leadership, the wider body, and the missionaries the church supports.
The Pastoral Team
The pastoral staff reflects the bilingual identity of the church. Pastor Richard Yu has served at CCGC since 1998, first as lead English pastor and now primarily with the Chinese ministry, after a career in the finance industry and seminary studies at Western Seminary. Pastor Eddie Cheng joined in 2002 as Minister to Students, having grown up in Los Angeles and met Pastor Richard at Western Seminary. Pastor David Li joined the Chinese Ministry in 2014, bringing a background in philosophy and an M.Div., and a publishing career with the Chinese Writers Association. In the Chinese ministry, Minister Jing Zhang joined the staff in April 2024 after serving churches in Shanghai and the Bay Area, and Minister Jerry Zhao came to ministry after more than twenty years in IT, completing his M.Div. at Christian Witness Theological Seminary. The church is currently looking to expand its English ministry staff, with openings for an English adult pastor and a students' ministry pastor.
Visiting CCGC
First-time guests can join the English service at 9:30 a.m. or the Mandarin service at 11:15 a.m., with Sunday School running from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. The church's bilingual online resource offers a simple toggle between English and Chinese, making it easy for visitors in either language community to find their way in.
Sermons and bulletins are recorded and shared on the church's YouTube channel, and Sunday services are livestreamed on YouTube. Giving is available online through Pushpay or through a bank's own BillPay system, with three funds to choose from: the General Fund, the Missions Fund, and the Love Fund, set aside for members in times of financial need. The church sits at 2460 Buena Vista Avenue in Walnut Creek, and the office can be reached at (925) 933-0112 or info@ccgchome.org.