Lord's Church LA stands on Flower Street in Bellflower, California, just south of Los Angeles, where it has been gathering since 1950. What began as the vision of Senior Pastors Orvel and Carolyn Phillips has grown into a multi-generational non-denominational Christian church known for its Sunday preaching, its widely attended community events, and a missions heart that reaches from the streets of Bellflower all the way to the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona. The church today is pastored by Jason Phillips, and its services blend Bible teaching with a contemporary worship style that welcomes families from across the region.
A Bellflower Fixture Since 1950
When Orvel and Carolyn Phillips began preaching in Bellflower in 1950, they could not have known what their little non-denominational Christian church would become. Lord's Church LA has been on Flower Street for more than seven decades, and the original vision of reaching the surrounding area through the gospel continues to shape everything the church does. The Phillips family remains at the center of the church's story. Orvel and Carolyn are recognized as the founders, while Jason Phillips now carries the weekly preaching. Together they represent a pastoral legacy that spans multiple generations.
The church's impact is described as touching generations, and the congregation credits that longevity to a steady willingness to pioneer. From the start, Lord's Church LA built its identity around outreach and evangelism, and that priority has never changed. Long-time traditions such as the annual Bellflower Thanksgiving Dinner and the biannual San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation trips have been pillars of that outreach for decades.
Sunday Mornings at 10:30
Sunday morning is the heart of the week at Lord's Church LA. Services begin at 10:30 AM at the Flower Street building and typically run through 1:30 PM. Pastor Jason Phillips preaches a message series that runs several weeks at a time, working through themes such as Shaping Our Mind Toward Christ, Running the Race with Purpose, Living His Promises, and Refocus on Him. Each series is designed to apply Scripture to real-life questions about stress, setbacks, freedom, and faith, and the preaching is delivered in a contemporary, accessible style that fits a non-denominational evangelical congregation.
The atmosphere is set by worship "in spirit and in truth," a phrase drawn from John 4:23 that the church repeats.
A Live Stream for Those Far Away
For anyone who cannot make the drive to Bellflower, Lord's Church LA broadcasts its Sunday service live. The livestream begins at 10:40 AM, just minutes after the in-person service starts, and is available at lordschurchla.com. The same stream is also embedded on the church's Vimeo channel and YouTube channel, and a full archive of past messages is available on demand through the Video Stream Archives. The church describes its online worship environment as a place "where everyone can come worship in spirit and in truth," making the Sunday experience available to anyone with an internet connection.
Trunk R Treat, Thanksgiving Dinner, and Yearly Traditions
One of the most distinctive things about Lord's Church LA is the way it opens its doors and its parking lot to the surrounding community throughout the year. Several signature events have become traditions.
Trunk R Treat is held each year on the Sunday closest to Halloween. Children come in costume, families move from decorated car trunk to decorated car trunk, and the morning is filled with candy, prizes, toys, and free food and drinks. Three grand-prize raffle winners take home the largest gifts, and top costumes are also recognized. The church frames the event in its own writing as a twenty-first century form of evangelism, designed to reach families who would never otherwise set foot in a church. The church explains the philosophy simply: "Everything we do at the LCLA is to celebrate Jesus and what he has done for us."
The Bellflower Thanksgiving Dinner is hosted each Thanksgiving Day from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Open to everyone in the community, with no invitation required, the dinner has been running for more than twenty years. Volunteers cook and serve, and the day has become one of the most visible ways the church shows its neighbors practical love.
Christmas and Easter services round out the church year. The annual Christmas service, held on a Sunday in mid-to-late December, runs from 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM and includes a special fruit, nut, and candy giveaway for everyone in attendance. A December 17th Christmas Special provides an early holiday gathering for the congregation. Good Friday services are held in the evening at 7:00 PM and focus on the meaning of the cross. Easter Sunday features a Resurrection Day message. Special Mother's Day and Father's Day services honor parents and include small gifts for every mom or dad in attendance.
The San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation Mission
Lord's Church LA has been making biannual trips to the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona for more than fifty years. The mission is a deeply held part of the church's identity, and members describe the outreach as one of the great blessings of being part of the LCLA family. Teams travel to Arizona for a week of ministry, encouragement, and relationship-building with their Apache brothers and sisters, and the trips are a highlight of the church's calendar each year. The church gives generously to support the work, with a dedicated missions giving fund on its online giving page.
Helping Neighbors in Bellflower
Closer to home, Lord's Church LA has also launched shorter outreach efforts designed to serve Bellflower directly. The most visible of these is a Breakfast for Homeless morning, scheduled at the church at 6:30 AM on a Saturday morning. The aim is simple: meet a basic need and build relationships with people experiencing homelessness in the surrounding area. The church also hosts periodic Men's BBQ events coordinated by Paul Padilla, which are free to attend and bring men together around a meal, fellowship, and a relaxed atmosphere.
Men's Ministry and the Joshua Tree Campout
Men at Lord's Church LA are encouraged to grow together through regular gatherings and the occasional retreat. One of the most memorable recurring events is the Joshua Tree Men's Camp Out, a weekend at Joshua Tree National Park that includes camping, food, transportation, and activities for a single registration fee. The men's ministry is structured around simple, practical events that build friendship and faith, and connects to the church's broader calendar of community gatherings.
Giving as an Expression of Worship
Lord's Church LA treats giving as a spiritual act, not a transaction. The church uses the phrase "blessed to be a blessing" to describe its generosity, citing Malachi 3:10 - "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it."
Giving is offered in three categories: Tithes, Offerings, and Missions. Each category has its own Pushpay link on the church's giving page, and members and friends can also give by text. Sending TITHES, OFFERINGS, or MISSIONS to (833) 712-8990 completes a gift from any mobile phone. Recurring and one-time gifts can be set up through the church's online portal, called Church Community Builder, which is the same system the church uses to manage small groups, ministry sign-ups, and event registration.
The Heart of Lord's Church LA
Lord's Church LA describes itself as a place "where everyone can worship in spirit and in truth," and that phrase appears throughout its video archives and livestream. The teaching is consistently Christ-centered, with a focus on practical Christian living - handling stress, recovering from setbacks, deepening prayer, and living generously. Sermon series titles such as Brave Faith, Unlocking the Doors to Real Freedom, Choose to Live by Faith, Standing for the Faith, and Understanding Him give a clear sense of the church's tone: warm, hopeful, and willing to talk about the hard parts of life.
For Pastor Jason Phillips, the goal is straightforward: connect people to Jesus and to one another, whether they are walking through a new beginning or the darkest valley of their lives. The same Psalm 107 passage the church quotes captures the mood well: "Some were living in gloom and darkness... then in their trouble, they called out to the Lord, and He saved them from their distress." That testimony, repeated in different ways each Sunday, is what Lord's Church LA has been built around since 1950.