INVITED. DISCIPLED. SENT.
John 10:10
“The thief cometh not, but for to steal and to kill, and to destroy; I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.”
The vision of Abundant Life Christian Church was shared at Julie’s Restaurant in Los Angeles, CA during the first organizational meeting with nine dedicated persons in attendance on September 9, 1983. These persons were: Rev. John E. Tunstall IV., Jo Ann Robinson, William Bynum, George Jacobs, Ruth Hughes, Mary Nix, Judith Richardson, Karen Dickerson, and Elvira Vinson. The group joined in prayer and commitment to the vision that God had given to Pastor Tunstall to organize a new church.
The name of the new church would be Abundant Life Christian Church, derived from the New Testament passage of John 10:10, which declares - “The thief cometh not, but for to steal and to kill, and to destroy; I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.” The logo would consist of a dove, representing the Holy Spirit with an outpouring of overflowing rivers of living water.
In the early days, a series of temporary meeting locations were used for worship services, bible studies, and prayer meetings: The Tunstalls’ garage, Action Headware (a hat factory), house to house (koinonia) fellowship, Crenshaw High School, and the old Imperial Theater. But on November 19, 1984, by the unmistakable intervention of Almighty God, we became the new owners of our present church home located at 3500 South Normandie Ave, located in Jefferson Park adjacent to the University of Southern California. Thereafter, the ministry’s mission evolved into the form of a baseball diamond with first base designated as “Bring Them In;” second base as “Disciple Them Up;” third base as “Send Them Out;” and home plate as reaching our heavenly home.
On March 1, 2023, Pastor Tunstall retired as senior pastor after faithfully serving for over 39 years. After an extensive national search and call led by members of the Board of Elders, the congregation enthusiastically and unanimously called for Pastor Terry L. Coon, Jr. to become the next senior pastor as of August 1, 2023. On Sunday September 10, 2023 the baton was officially passed and Pastor Coon was formally installed as senior pastor.
