Church of Amazing Grace International (C.A.G.I)
Sunday Worship Service: 11:00 A.M ‐ 1:00 P.M
Choir Practice: 10:00 A.M ‐ 10:45 A.M
Wednesday Bible Study: 6:30 P.M ‐ 7:30 P.M
Location: 1201 Dorothy Ln, Fullerton, CA 92831
Leaders at CAGI
Building a strong and a vibrant African Christian community, together!
Vision:
Our vision is to build a strong and a vibrant African Christian community serving African students and immigrant families living in Southern California.
Mission:
Our mission is to reach out for Christ African immigrants living in Southern California.
Leadership at CAGI
CAGI Elders
Elders serves together with minister to offer pastoral leadership and care to members in different life stages such as, worship, birth of a new child, bereavement, weddings, family transitions and illnesses among others. The individual elder is responsible for shepherding members and giving care at the Cell level. Elders also facilitates Bible study whenever the group meets.
Development Team
The development team advises the Church Session on matters involving acquisition of land, building, and financial management. It also has such powers and perform specific duties or functions, not inconsistent with our Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws, as the Church Session directs.
Cells Team
Cells are our strongest avenue for discipleship and transformation. Members of a cell gather at designated places for fellowship, prayer and the word. Every member is encouraged to join a cell. Cell repesentative offers leadership, coordinates venues where the group meets, facilitates a culture of praying, creative evangelism and social justice.
Pastoral Committee
I serve as the Senior Pastor at the Church of Amazing Grace International (CAGI), Fullerton, California. Together with the Pastoral team and church elders, we are responsible for the life of the Church which includes (but not limited)exercising leadership, church government, and church discipline.
— Rev. Dr. Johnson Kĩriakũ wa Kĩnyua
Ebenezer is His name. Serving the Lord along side Rev. Dr Johnson Kinyua has opened doors and opportunities to meet some of the most amazing people God created including members of CAGI. I am humbled to serve in the various ministries in our church. More specifically, the children and youth ministry is close to my heart.
— Elder Mary Kĩriakũ
My name is Tabitha Gichuru. I was born and raised in Kenya in the Rift Valley province. I grew up in the in the house of the lord as my dad was an elder at the church. I accepted the lord as my personal savior, at a young age. I am a proud member of C.A.G.I church and serving as an elder is a call.
— Elder Tabitha Gĩchũrũ
My name is Pastor Janeth Wakesho Masinde and Christ is my Lord. I was born in Taita, Kenya. I am a mother of four daughters, one son-in-law and two grandchildren. I am thankful to God for the opportunity to serve at the Church of Amazing Grace International. Thank you.
— Pastor Janeth Masinde
We invite you to partner with CAGI
Group Teams at CAGI
CAGI Women: Atumia A Magegania
Atumia A Magegania (Amazing Women) group is one of our church groups. CAGI women's Fellowship is a very dynamic group known for its generosity. Women of God aspire to stay united and actively engaged in the community. The purpose of this group is to be together and to proactively inspire members to grow spiritually and socially. The group provides a platform for women to contribute financially to the needs of the community.
CAGI Children
Children's Ministry at C.A.G.I is one of our foundational pillars in our outreach. We have Sunday School programs for preschoolers and Elementary aged Children. Our children learn God's Word through Sunday lessons prepared around major stories from the Bible. The ultimate goal is to teach children to embrace faith in Jesus Christ and to encourage them to share the gospel with other children.
CAGI Youth
CAGI youth group is vibrant and full of energy. The youth engage in activities such as Bible Study, talks, campings, seminars and sports with the goal of bonding, praising and also outreach to fellow youth who are unchurched. They also communally enjoy sleep-overs and movie nights. We are grateful for the leadership offered by Elder Mary Kiriaku and Mr. David Wambugu.
CAGI Men: Men of God
The Men's Fellowsip has witnessed tremendous growth in the last three. Apart from being an active member in our church, the Men's Fellowship group has been involved in various activities to support and encourage each other. Throughout the year, the group organizes and contributes towards get-together activities such as retreats and games. They reach out to other men by visiting them as well sharing the Gospel with the unreached.
Church Session at CAGI
Rev. Dr. Johnson Kĩnyua, Pastor
Tabitha Gichuru, Clerk
Pastor Janeth Masinde, Elder
Mary Kiriaku, Elder
Erastus Bundi, Elder
Lucy Wamagatta, Elder
Alice Nyaga, Elder
Evans Njoroge, Elder
Alice Ng'ang'a, Elder
Isabel Mwaura, Elder
Naomi Ngotho, Elder
Leonard Kanyi, Elder
Edward Karori, Finance Officer
Stanley Kariuki, Security
Meet our pastor
My name is Pastor Johnson Kĩriakũ wa Kĩnyua. I am an ordained minister serving as the Senior Pastor at Church of Amazing Grace International (CAGI). I am married to Mary and we are blessed with three children - Milkah, Ayub, and Eunice. I was born and raised in Kenya. Several years ago, my family and I relocated to the USA where we have lived since.
I hold a PhD degree in Religion from the University of Birmingham (England.) I also serve as an adjunct online professor of religion and ethics at Saint Leo University.
Besides serving as a pastor in Africa and in the USA, I have as well interacted with Christian communities in England, an opportunity which has given me unique pastoral and intercultural perspectives. In addition, I have occasionally been able to bring together immigrants living in USA cities such as Atlanta (mainly those from Kenya, Angola, Congo, Nigeria, Namibia, and Korea) for worship and fellowship. I have come to appreciate the diversities there are in our present world.
Ministry in this new global context makes me feel called to be more committed to my Christian faith. The interconnectedness of our faith, world over, demands a stronger and richer commitment as a theologian as well as a Christian. I feel strongly called to bring cross-cultural understanding through teaching, and ministry in the Word and Sacraments.
My Christian theological convictions follow the Reformed tradition and are informed by the African philosophy of sharing and mutuality guided by the motto I am because we are. I strongly identify myself as a teacher and a theologian called by God to bring healing and reconciliation to humanity. I believe that while the church continues to struggle with sin and injustices in our world, it awaits expectantly for the Parousia of Jesus Christ and restoration of God's Kingdom here on earth.
My guiding principle for more than 20 years has been in the words of Frederick Buechner: The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet. It is in light of this principle that I always strive to find my place in loving God and servicing humanity. Thank you.
The Church of Amazing Grace International
SINCE its inception in 2009, the Church of Amazing Grace International (CAGI) has been involved in preaching, teaching, leadership training, administrative work, pastoral care, crisis counseling, and immigration issues. Our first task as a church is to pray individually and communally to discern what God is calling us to accomplish here in Southern California. Through worship and Bible Study, we expand our capacity to listen to God in order to refine our efforts, increase outreach and make plans to grow the church. Ultimately, we are open to God's leading and provision as we set out to be a beacon of hope for immigrants who want to grow spiritually, serve God, and uplift God's people.
CAGI has had several phases of development from its inception. In December 2009, the then organizing pastor, Rev. Dr. Johnson Kĩmũhu and his wife, together with a small group of Kenyans living in San Bernardino, Riverside, and Orange counties in Southern California established the first fellowship.
The fellowship was registered under the banner Kanitha wa Ũtugi wa Magegania wa Gĩkũyũ (KUMG). The fellowship, which was the only of its kind in Southern California, appealed to Kenyans from various Christian denominations. The group preferred worshipping in their native Gĩkũyũ language. The fellowship used to meet once a month for worship at the pastor’s residence.
As more people expressed an interest in joining the fellowship, it became necessary to seek another meeting location to accommodate the growing number of members. The fellowship relocated to Downtown Community Center in Anaheim. Three years later in 2012, the fellowship which had grown to over 100 members moved yet again to First Presbyterian Church, Santa Ana.
In August 2014, the organizing pastor and his wife received a call to return to Kenya to serve on a different capacity. Rev. Dr. Johnson Kĩmũhu together with the leadership of KUMG, invited Rev. Dr. Johnson Kĩriakũ wa Kĩnyua (from Atlanta Georgia) to come and continue with the work of organizing the Kenyan immigrants in Southern California. Pastor Kĩnyua was officially commission on November 26th, 2014.
After six months of service, the pastor together with the discernment team started planning for the next phase of KUMG’s development. The Lord revealed to us that we as a church needed to be outward thinking instead of inward looking. It became obvious that the church had outlived its first mandate since Kenyans from other ethnic communities were joining the church. In order to promote diversity that encourages positive ethnicity the discernment team decided to change the name of the church to The Church of Amazing Grace International (CAGI).
The Church continues to explore other avenues of reaching out to the younger generations and other members of our diverse immigrant community. One other longings for us as a community of faith is to connect globally for mission work both locally and abroad. CAGI represents the new face of modern mission work in which immigrants seek to partner with other mission-minded Christians. We remain committed to our lord’s great commission as well as desiring genuine koinonia with other partners in mission.
Our statement of faith at CAGI
KOKOMANO LA IMANI
We believe in the sovereignty of God, the authority of the Scripture, justification by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and in the priesthood of all believers. As a community of believers, we are called by God, shaped by the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and empowered by the Holy Spirit to be a community of praise, love, and service. Our knowledge of God and God's purpose for humanity comes from the Bible, through the life of Jesus Christ, and from our African experience as Christians. We believe that our salvation through Jesus is God's generous gift to us and not the result of our own accomplishments.Our Christian theological beliefs follow reformed tradition and informed by the African philosophy of sharing and mutuality guided by the motto I am because we are. Worship is the heart of our life together. We also recognize the cost of discipleship and rooted in our faith, we seek to develop and use our gifts and talents for the glory of God. We teach, learn, and serve together with creativity and joy. We encourage our members to commit themselves in reaching out to other people for Jesus and extending the Kingdom.
YESU KRISTO NI NANI?
We believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ, His virgin birth, His death and resurrection. We believe in Jesus as the Son of God. He is the Savior of the world. Repentance and faith in Jesus Christ is the means by which we are forgiven our sins. We also believe in One God, who exists eternally in three personalities: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
KANISA
We believe the Church is the family of God that comprises those "called out." They are "called out" from sinful lives into the pursuit of God's righteousness by faith in Jesus Christ. Hence, they are "a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God." Ecclesia as used by Paul and as used in Matthew 16:18 refers to a regularly convened assembly which may refer to a congregation gathered for worship or a local Christian community or the universal Church. It denotes the small assembly in a private house (Roman 16:5; Philemon 2), the Christian congregation of particular towns and cities (1 Cor. 1:2; 1 Thess. 1:1) and the church universal (Eph. 1:22; 3:21). Yet still the term 'ecclesia', is a compound word made of 'out of' and 'to call' or 'summon'. In this sense, therefore, the church refers to a community "called to be saints" (Roman 1:7). For early Christians, 'ecclesia' came to refer to "a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation" and "a spiritual house" (1 Peter 2:5, 9).
WOKOVU
We believe in Salvation through Grace. God has offered us salvation because He loves us. We know that we do not deserve such a great salvation. However, we also know that through Jesus, who was without sin, God redeemed us. The Bible declares, "There is no salvation by anyone else, for there is no other name under heaven given among people by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12.)
HUDUMA
We believe that the church is called to serve God and his people. Ministry and service at the Church of Amazing Grace International is derived from the ministry of Jesus Christ, given by Him who came to minister and to give His life a ransom for many. We believe it is the duty and privilege of every member of the Christian Church to realize one's adoption into the family of God and to rejoice in his salvation through Jesus Christ, in whom we have forgiveness of sins, and who with the Father and Holy Spirit is worshiped and glorified.
The member should demonstrate this by:
Being diligent in prayer, in the reading of the scriptures and the faith of the Christian church. Responding to God's activity in the world through service to others and by working heartily as unto God in that calling and state of life into which God leads. Manifesting a Christian attitude and patience in all interactions with others, and especially those who are in need, sickness or distress. Supporting the work of God at the Church of Amazing Grace International through giving, time and talents. Participation in the public worship; sharing in the church's corporate acts of witness and service. Striving to purify and strengthen the Church; actively assisting in proclamation of the Good News to all, in evangelism and in such work as shall forward the kingdom of Jesus Christ through education, healing and other forms of Christian service. Praying with and for fellow Christians and for the salvation of all people. Seeking peace and unity of Christ's Church on earth and to, this end, cultivating relationships of Christian love and fellowship with all Christians in other churches. Working for peace, justice, freedom and human fulfillment; living responsibly in the personal relationships f life for the glory of the true God.
UINJILISTI
We at the Church of Amazing Grace International believe that evengelism means taking the Word of God to where the people are. God sent His only begotten Son and the Holy Spirit and now He sends us. God sends the church into the world as instruments of redemptive mission to the unevangelized and backslidden, and to the poor and the weak. We believe that each member of the Church of Amazing Grace International should participate in God's work for the redemption of the whole life of the people, and ultimately for whole creation. Every members is calle to live the life of witness in his/her daily contact with the world, wherein lies the church's evangelistic task and opportunity. Members are challenged to share in the service at the Church of Amazing Grace International's corporate acts of witness, education, healing and other forms of Christian service.
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"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer" ‐ Romans 12:12