On Beverly Boulevard, Just Off Citrus
Tucked into a quiet stretch of east Whittier, Whittier Church of God stands at 12302 Beverly Boulevard, where Citrus Avenue curves past Founder's Memorial Park and rows of modest homes. The neighborhood is the kind of place where a bilingual congregation can know its neighbors by name, and that is exactly the tone Senior Pastor John Hernandez and his wife Limby have set since taking the helm of the church in the summer of 2021. Hernandez had already spent years at the church in an associate role before stepping into senior leadership, and the couple has carried the family feel of the congregation forward with the love and enthusiasm of the Holy Spirit.
The church belongs to the Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) movement, a Wesleyan-Holiness tradition that runs lightly structured, locally governed congregations. Whittier Church of God also partners with Church of God World Missions for global outreach, and its identity is unmistakably bilingual: announcements, Bible studies, women's ministry, and discipleship classes are all offered in both English and Spanish.
Everyone Is Welcome, Needed, and Changed
Visitors who walk through the doors will quickly notice the church's purpose statement, written in capital letters across the welcome materials. It begins: "A church where everyone is welcome! Everyone is needed! Everyone is changed!" The staff elaborates that the congregation's goal is to change people - "leading them into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and through discipleship guiding them to disciple others." The vision behind those words is rooted in Psalm 133:1, "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity," which the church points to as its daily heartbeat.
The church's identity as a single body working together comes through clearly in the way ministries overlap. A new believer attending the Sunday morning service can walk across the hall to Growing Branches the same morning, drop into a Spanish-language discipleship class during the week, and finish the week at a Friday Bible study in the sanctuary, all within the rhythm of the same church family.
Sunday Mornings in English and Spanish
Sunday is the anchor of the week at Whittier Church of God. Worship services are held at 10:00 AM and 11:45 AM, with the earlier service livestreamed on YouTube and the later service offered in person. Throughout the morning, the campus is humming with parallel programs.
- At 8:30 AM, Growing Branches meets for an hour. The class is described as a six-month discipleship course open to anyone who wants to grow in their Christian life.
- At 10:00 AM, nursery care is offered upstairs for infants and toddlers up to age three.
- At 10:15 AM, Children's Church gathers during the morning service for pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade students, who share a time of worship, Bible stories, crafts, activities, and a light snack.
- At 11:45 AM, the second worship service takes place in person.
- At 1:00 PM, the College Age Ministry (Ministerio de edad Universitaria) meets for an hour of connection and study.
Bilingual announcements, signage, and program names throughout the campus (Growing Branches, College Age Ministry, the nursery, and the church office) make the church feel accessible to Spanish-speaking families at every level.
A Week Laced With Prayer and Bible Study
The midweek schedule at Whittier Church of God is one of the busiest parts of church life, with four evenings dedicated to prayer, study, and formation.
- Monday Evenings at 6:00 PM: Monday Evening Prayer (Oración Lunes Por La Tarde) gathers in the sanctuary for an hour of communal prayer. The invitation says simply, "We invite you all to join us as we gather for prayer every Monday night."
- Tuesday Evenings at 6:00 PM: Discipleship Class (Clase de Discipulado) meets in the Fellowship Hall. The session is described as "growing mature followers of Christ Jesus" and is offered bilingually.
- Wednesday Evenings at 6:30 PM: Wednesday Night Bible Study fills the Fellowship Hall with an hour of prayer, worship, and Bible teaching. The service is livestreamed on YouTube for those who prefer to participate from home.
- Thursday Evenings at 6:00 PM: Clase de Discipulado offers a parallel Spanish-language hour of learning and growth in relationship with God and with one another.
- Friday Evenings at 6:00 PM: Friday Bible Study (Viernes Estudio Bíblico) gathers in the sanctuary for another evening of prayer, worship, and study of God's word, this one offered in person.
The pattern threads devotion through the week. Mornings of work, afternoons at school, evenings at the church - and any guest who walks in for one of these gatherings will find a congregation that knows how to pray together, listen together, and study together.
Growing in Christ Through Discipleship
If a single thread runs through Whittier Church of God, it is the language of discipleship. The staff describes a two-fold rhythm: helping new believers step into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and then guiding them, through intentional classes, to disciple others in turn. Growing Branches, a six-month course that meets at 8:30 AM on Sundays, is the entry point for many in the church. Midweek classes on Tuesday and Thursday deepen that foundation in English and Spanish respectively.
The church calls this "growing mature followers of Christ Jesus." It is a phrase the pastors repeat across the Discipleship Class handouts, and it is the principle behind the layered weekly schedule: formation is meant to be both personal and ongoing, not confined to a single class or moment.
Children, Youth, College, and Women
Each generation has its own dedicated corner of the church.
Children are welcomed from infancy through fifth grade. The upstairs nursery opens at 10:00 AM for babies and toddlers up to age three, and Children's Church follows at 10:15 AM for pre-kindergarteners through fifth graders during the morning service. On Wednesday evenings at 6:30 PM, Disciple Makers offers a fall series for preschool through fifth grade, with Kerrie Rogers as the contact person for the program.
Youth in sixth through twelfth grades gather for a weekly program on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 PM. The youth ministry is led by Paul Navarro, who describes the work with a verse from Philippians 1:6 - "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
College and Young Adults meet in two places. The College Age Ministry convenes on Sunday afternoons at 1:00 PM, and the Young Adults ministry, led by Thomas Gordon, gathers around missions and local outreach. Past trips have included Mexico missions work, a winter retreat, and a Colorado River trip, and the young adults partner with Central Community Church every Sunday night to serve a hot meal and resources to people on the streets of Downtown Los Angeles.
Women gather on the third Saturday of each month at 9:00 AM for a Women's Bible Study (Estudio Bíblico Para Mujeres) over breakfast. Meetings rotate to a local restaurant, with recent gatherings held at El Camino Mexican Grill on Workman Mill Road. "Women of all ages please join us for breakfast as we explore the Word of God together," the invitation reads.
Missions That Reach From Whittier to the World
Outreach is woven into nearly every ministry the church runs. Globally, Whittier Church of God walks alongside Church of God World Missions in fulfilling the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19. The church actively supports six partner organizations.
- KIMA International School of Theology shares the Word of God across Africa.
- Obria Medical Clinics serve patients in difficult seasons of life through a local Whittier location as well as others across the country.
- Pink Door in Berlin provides long-term recovery for women transitioning out of prostitution, sexual enslavement, or sexual exploitation, centered on personal empowerment, restoration, and advocacy.
- The Salvation Army partners on feeding, clothing, comforting, and rebuilding broken lives in the Whittier community and beyond.
- Siempre Para Los Niños in Tijuana, Mexico is a children's home whose name - "Always for the Children" - reflects its mission to orphans, the abandoned, and children put at risk when families fail.
- Strong Harvest fights hunger and poverty by working from the bottom up, strengthening families as the smallest, most interconnected groups of society.
The local partnership with Central Community Church in Downtown Los Angeles keeps the church rooted in service close to home as well, with volunteers heading into the city on Sunday nights to share a hot meal with those in need.
Van Ministry, RightNow Media, and Giving
Three practical ministries round out the church's ministry.
The Van Ministry offers Sunday-morning rides to the 10:00 AM service for anyone living within a five-mile radius of the church. Riders can sign up in advance; Jacob handles the schedule, and he asks for 24 hours' notice if a ride needs to be cancelled.
The church is also a RightNow Media partner. Through this free library, members and regular attenders can stream thousands of Bible studies, sermons, and family-friendly videos from churches and pastors across the country on computers, tablets, and phones. Parents in particular will find a large selection of children's content built into the platform.
Giving is offered through the church's online giving page and through Zelle, accompanied by a Scripture from Malachi 3:10-12: "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse ... 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." The church encourages both tithes and gifts.
Finding the Church
The church sits on the corner of Beverly Boulevard and Citrus Avenue in Whittier, with parking available on Citrus. Visitors approaching from the west via the 605 freeway take the Beverly Boulevard East exit and continue along Beverly to Citrus, turning right onto Citrus; the parking lot is on the right, a short distance past three houses. Visitors from the southeast take Whittier Boulevard to Painter, head left on Beverly Boulevard, and turn left onto Citrus. Visitors from the southwest can follow Whittier Boulevard north on Broadway, curve right to stay on Broadway, and turn left onto Citrus; the parking lot sits on the left just past Founder's Memorial Park. Visitors approaching from the northeast via Colima Road turn onto Mar Vista, continue to Painter, and then turn onto Beverly and Citrus as above.
The church office can be reached at 562-695-0211 or by email at office@whittiercog.org. Sermon recordings and livestreams live on the Whittier Church of God YouTube channel, and visitors can keep up with everything from Bible studies to women's breakfasts through the online events calendar.