Highland Avenue Community Church of the Nazarene sits on a stretch of Highland Avenue between Hermosa and Archibald in Rancho Cucamonga, with the San Gabriel Mountains rising to the north and Mt. Baldy visible just to the left. From the property, one can see mountains in nearly every direction, including Arrowhead and Big Bear. The setting is still the undeveloped stretch it was in the early 1970s, even though neighborhoods have since grown up on every side. That quiet, mountain-framed location has shaped the congregation's identity since it began as Foothills Church of the Nazarene in 1976 and was renamed Highland Avenue Community Church of the Nazarene in 1993 to mark its place in the city.
From a Land Gift to a Neighborhood Church
The story begins with a Christian couple who, in the early 1970s, felt led to donate the land they owned for the glory of God. At the time, the city of Rancho Cucamonga had only just organized, and the parcel sat in an undeveloped stretch between Hermosa and Archibald Avenues. In 1976 that land became the home of the newly organized Foothills Church of the Nazarene. As the area filled with homes over the following decades, and the 210 freeway eventually reached I-15 to the east, the church found itself in the kind of location people can reach easily from almost anywhere in the Inland Empire. The campus has grown in facility and effectiveness alongside those neighborhoods.
The congregation continues to center its life on the priorities of worship, outreach, discipleship, and service, and remains committed to loving God fully and loving neighbors as themselves. The doors are open to everyone.
Sundays at 10 AM
The church gathers for one Sunday worship service each week at 10:00 AM, in person and online. The service is livestreamed on both Facebook and YouTube, and viewers do not need an account on either platform to watch. The church's Facebook page is also a place where the congregation posts updates, sermon-related resources, and information about its ministries.
For first-time guests, the church provides a Plan Your Visit page where visitors can share a little about themselves so the team can help make the experience a good one. Past sermons are available through the Sermons page on the church's major platforms.
A Wesleyan-Holiness Heritage
As part of the Church of the Nazarene, Highland Avenue Community Church holds to sixteen Articles of Faith that span the central teachings of the Christian tradition. The church affirms one eternally existent God, revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; the deity and incarnation of Jesus Christ, His atoning death on the cross, and His resurrection; and the present, active work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church. The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are received as the inerrant Word of God.
The Articles give particular weight to the doctrines of grace that have shaped the Nazarene tradition. They distinguish original sin from personal sin, teach that the atonement is full and sufficient for the entire human race, and describe prevenient grace as the gift that enables all who will to turn from sin to righteousness. Justification, regeneration, and adoption are described as simultaneous gifts received by faith and preceded by repentance.
The article that sets this congregation apart within broader Christianity is the tenth, on entire sanctification. The church teaches that, subsequent to regeneration, believers may be made free from original sin and brought into a state of entire devotion to God through the baptism with or infilling of the Holy Spirit. This experience, also called Christian perfection or perfect love, is provided by the blood of Jesus, received instantaneously by faith, and confirmed by the witness of the Holy Spirit. The church also distinguishes between a pure heart, received in an instant, and a mature character, which is the lifelong work of growth in grace. Beliefs also include divine healing, the Second Coming of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, future judgment, and everlasting life for those who follow Christ.
Accelerate: Children's Ministry from Birth Through Sixth Grade
Highland Avenue Community Church's children's ministry is called Accelerate, and its purpose is to help children become both disciples of God and leaders of the community. Programming includes Sunday School and a midweek option on Wednesday nights for children from birth through sixth grade. Each age group is designed around how children actually learn, with activities grouped under the categories of play, explore, and create.
The Nursery (birth through age 2) introduces babies and toddlers to God and faith through play, music, and movement, helping them see the church as a safe place and begin to build relationships with others. The three-year-olds through kindergarten group promotes developmental skills through hands-on activities and play, makes the Bible fascinating through interactive storytelling, and helps children form friendships with one another. Elementary, covering first through sixth grades, brings the Bible to life through interactive storytelling and creative learning activities, gives children a safe place to ask questions and express their faith, and offers opportunities to serve the church, the community, and the world. The children's ministry also has its own Facebook page for updates.
Momentum: Student Ministry on Wednesday Nights
Momentum Student Ministry brings seventh through twelfth graders together with caring adults and peers for a community that the church describes as family. The goals of the ministry are to give youth an unconditional love that fosters genuine relationships, to anchor them in the joys and traditions of the Christian faith, and to encourage and equip them to extend the love of Christ to the world.
Students meet midweek on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM on campus. Family ministry at the church is led by Pastor Grady Gillespie, who first came to Highland Avenue as a student in the youth group in 2003 and has been on staff since 2008. Momentum maintains its own Facebook page for news and updates.
Adults: Small Groups, Women's Ministry, and the 50 Plus Club
Adult ministry centers on connection in smaller settings. Small groups meet in homes and on campus throughout the week and are open to newcomers and to anyone interested in hosting or leading a group. Current groups include the Frazier Adult Covenant Life Group on Sundays at 9:00 AM in the church teen room, the Hamner Covenant Life Group on Monday evenings, a Tuesday Covenant Life Group, a Wednesday Prayer and Study Group led by Pastor Phil in the church's Green Room, and the Thompson Covenant Life Group (also called Shine) on Friday afternoons.
Women's Ministry at Highland Avenue Community Church offers small group Bible studies, a craft night, and seasonal gatherings such as a Women's Christmas Boutique and Tea. A Ladies Fitness group meets on Mondays from 6 to 7 PM for a light workout and fellowship.
The 50 Plus Club serves adults over 50 in and around Rancho Cucamonga. The group meets for a monthly luncheon on the second Tuesday of each month at 12:30 PM, with a speaker or activity each month, and also schedules a different trip or activity each month. Two weekly Bible studies are offered specifically for those in retirement, along with a separate Bible study for caregivers.
Open Hands, Nazarene Missions International, and the Wider Mission
Outreach at Highland Avenue Community Church runs through two connected channels. Open Hands, the church's compassion ministry, partners with the San Bernardino Bilingual Church of the Nazarene to provide a hot meal, groceries, and a yearly Christmas outreach. The ministry also assists local school programs by providing backpacks and food items as needs arise.
Nazarene Missions International (NMI) is the denomination's local church arm for missions. At Highland Avenue, NMI works to develop, send, support, educate about, and host missionaries; equips missionaries returning to their fields of service; acts as the global missions advocate in the local church; and nurtures the spirit of missions in everyone.
Worship and Hospitality Teams
The Worship Team welcomes musicians, singers, audio/visual volunteers, and video/photo contributors who want to serve. The team's stated goal, drawn from Bob Kauflin's Worship Matters, is that a faithful worship leader magnifies the greatness of God in Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit, skillfully combining God's Word with music so that the gathered church is moved to proclaim the gospel and live for God's glory. Worship Arts is directed by Keaton Stout, a graduate of Azusa Pacific University who leads a mix of congregational singing and instrumental music.
The Hospitality Team focuses on creating a welcoming environment for visitors, members, and friends. Ushers and greeters serve as the official welcome ministry, distribute programs, assist guests, and collect the offering on Sunday mornings on a rotating schedule, typically once a month. The Coffee Connection provides beverages and pastries during Sunday morning services, with the funds raised supporting student ministries. A Sunday Information Booth is staffed to answer questions and provide information about the church.
Pastors and Staff
The lead pastor is Phil Hamner, who has been a pastor in the Church of the Nazarene since 1988 and has served churches in Texas, Missouri, Indiana, and Kansas before coming to California in 2019. He and his wife Rebecca have been married since 1987 and have one son, Evan. He holds a BA from the University of Notre Dame, an MDiv with honors from Nazarene Theological Seminary, and has done graduate work at the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Manchester.
Grady Gillespie serves as Family Pastor. He first came to Highland Avenue as a high school student in the youth group in 2003 and has been on staff since 2008. He studied youth ministry and completed his MDiv at Azusa Pacific University and now oversees family ministry alongside the student ministry he once grew up in.
Keaton Stout leads worship arts, drawing on a Bachelor of Music in Music and Worship from Azusa Pacific University and years of music and ministry experience. He plays trumpet, piano, and guitar, and leads the congregation in worship each Sunday.
Giving, Location, and Contact
Online giving is available through Realm, with one-time and recurring options (weekly, twice a month, every two weeks, or monthly) drawn directly from a checking or savings account. The church's office can be reached by phone at (909) 980-5400 or by email at office@highlandave.org. The address is 9944 Highland Ave, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91737, where a printed map of the campus is available to help newcomers find their way around.