What do you believe in?
Simply put, we believe in the Bible. We believe the Bible is God's Living Word. If you want to read more about what we believe you can download The Gospel Coalition Statement of Faith that we're subscribed to.
Are you part of a denomination?
Yes and no. We do not consider ourselves as "Baptists" or "Reformed" or choose your denomination. Citylights is a non-denominational church, but we have partnerships with multiple organizations and churches who belong to a denomination. We are or have partnered with the following: Southern Baptist Convention, Pacific Church Netowrk, Acts 29 Network, Gospel Ventures, and The Gospel Coalition.
Will I be welcomed if...
However you decide to finish that question the answer is YES. You will be welcomed to Citylights regardless of your doubts, questions, faith background, lifestyle choice, ethnicity, nationality, etc. We even welcome Clipper Fans, but we'll be praying for your conversion.
How do I Give?
We like to emphasize that our financial giving is a personal and private act of worship and we never want anyone to feel an obligation to give. If you do want to give a donation or consistently tithe to Citylights, there are 4 ways you can do that.
- Offering during our Sunday Service
- Though our website which will lead you to SimpleGive. Click Here
- Text the work GIVE to (714) 202-0337. You will receive a reply text that will include a link which will direct you to our giving portal. Text Giving
- Download SimpleGive through your app store. APP Giving Location "Citylights"
Who is the Pastor? (CV)
Pastor Thien was born in Saigon, Vietnam and immigrated to the United States of American when he was 1 years old. He grew up in a half Buddhist and half Catholic family. However, his difficult upbringing led him to find God as a teenager. After experiencing a radical conversion, he was lead into ministry.
As a graduate of Bible Collage Talbot Theological Seminary and Biola University (MDiv, Dmin-abd), Thien has been in ministry for almost 20 years. Since then, he has worked in various roles in the area of church planting and has personally planted 3 churches in Southern California. Thien has also worked as an assessor, coach, and strategist for several church planting organizations such as Acts 29 Network, Southern Baptist Convention, Evangelical Free Church of American, and the LaunchStrong/Multiply Network. As a sought after speaker, he has spoken and lectured at different conferences and universities for The Gospel Coalition, Biola University, Golden Gate Theological Seminary, the Acts 29 Network, the Reformed Church of America, Pacific Church Network, Spanish River Church Planting, and Union University of California.
Thien is currently the lead Pastor at Citylights Church of OC, located in Little Saigon, which is among the first church plants targeting one of the least-reached people groups in North America. He and his wife, Kerry, have been married for 17 years and live in Fountain Valley with their 3 children. Both of them are huge Lakers Fans and spend many nights yelling at the television together.
How do I get involved?
One of the first steps in getting more involved with Citylights is to attend one of our Connection Lunches. We host the lunch every 2nd Sunday of the month right after our Worship Service. You will be treated to a delicious lunch and will hear more about Citylights and get connected to some of our leaders.
Another great way to get involved is to join on of our small groups. Our groups meet weekly during the Fall and Spring semester in the home of one of our members. If you want more information, please click the one of the links above or EMAIL US.
How do I get Baptized?
Baptism is a ceremony where followers of Jesus make a public declaration of their faith and are washed by water. It is where believers can symbolize their identification with Jesus in His life, death, and resurrection.
Citylights believes all followers of Jesus should be baptized to publicly declare their faith, but we want to emphasize the "believers' baptism which means we only baptize individuals who have made a personal commitment and profession of faith.
If you have a desire to get baptized at Citylights or want to learn more more about it, download BAPTISM FAQs or contact us.
Do you have Sunday School?
We only have Sunday School for children from Nursery to 5th grade. Although we do not have Sunday School classes for adults, we encourage weekly participation in our weekly Small Groups. We also offer Bible Training Center which are Biblical Classes throughout the year. Find more about CITYKIDS.
Bible Training Center usually meet on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 - 8:30 pm. Be sure to contact us if you want more information.
