Church Profile

We are a community of Christ followers that are dedicated to extending our embrace into our local neighborhood and around the world. We have been serving in the city of Yorba Linda since 1990.

Our relationship with Christ can be summarized by this scripture – “For now we are all children of God through faith in Jesus Christ, and we who have been baptized into union with Christ are enveloped by Him. We are no longer Jews or Gentiles, or slaves or free men, or even merely men or women, but we are all the same – we are Christians; we are one in Jesus Christ!” – Galatians 3:26-28 (NLT)

Our relationship with one another can be summarized by this scripture – “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.” Colossians 3:12-15 (NLT)

Mission Statement

The purpose of our church is summarized in a single sentence, which is based on the Great Commission of Jesus Christ, found in Matthew 28:19-20.

Our Mission: Our mission is to make more and better disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Great Commission of Jesus Christ is this – “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” – Matthew 28:19-20

Core Values

“Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” Genesis 2:18. There is something about a person being alone that is not good; in all of the goodness of God’s creation, loneliness is not good. Loneliness is the first thing that God said is not good. God built into the DNA of creation a need for community. It is important to note that Adam had a relationship with God; he talked with God face to face but it wasn’t enough, because it seems that God built into Adam a need to also be in relationship with others. Community with God and with people is fundamental to how God made things. Thus one of our core values at CHFC is to dedicate ourselves to be in authentic connected relationships with God and others. We accomplish this by learning to accept who God made us to be and to also accept others in the same way. We learn in practical ways by connecting through regular attendance at Worship services, connecting events and participation in community groups.

Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. Ephesians 4:12-16. At CHFC we believe that every member should be growing to maturity found from an intentional lifestyle of discipleship. This includes personal and group study of God’s Word, participation in community groups, and other equipping events at CHFC and completing the Discipleship Training classes D1–D3.

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10. The Bible teaches that God has given all Christians passions for specific ministries. He has planted within us special burdens, dreams or visions that move us to meet specific needs or minister to specific groups of people. In addition to this, He has given us all a unique S.H.A.P.E. which enables us to fulfill His purpose for each of us. At CHFC we believe that we exist as a church in part to help people identify and use their S.H.A.P.E. to serve people within the church, the surrounding communities and communities around the world.

The most important thing is that I complete my mission, the work that the Lord Jesus gave me… to tell people the Good News about God’s grace Acts:20:24 (NCV). At CHFC we believe that each person that is a Christian has been given the mission to make more and better disciples of Jesus Christ. We also believe that each person has a unique way that they are called by Christ to accomplish that mission. We believe it should be the goal of every believer to commit their lives to being a witness to the grace that God has shown them through Jesus Christ regardless of the cost or where it might lead them. Our role is to equip and send people to accomplish their life mission in the world.

You (God) created everything, and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created. Revelation 4:11. You were made for God’s pleasure. God did not need to create you, but he chose to create you for his own enjoyment. You exist for his benefit, his glory, his purpose, and his pleasure. Bringing pleasure to God is called Worship. At CHFC we believe that Worship is more about how you live than a particular style or method of “doing” church on Sunday. When we gather as a community to worship God whether it is in the sanctuary or in homes we do it for God’s pleasure not our own benefit. This doesn’t mean that we don’t receive benefit as we worship, but it does mean that our focus is on pleasing God, not ourselves. With this in mind methods of worship will be constantly changing as our community changes, but our focus will always be on our risen savior Jesus Christ. At CHFC we believe that Worship is a lifestyle, in Romans 12:1 Paul says, “Take your everyday, ordinary life- your sleeping, eating, going-to-work and walking around life- and place it before God as an offering.” Life becomes worship when you dedicate it to God and perform it with an awareness of his presence.

Our Staff

Larry Mendenhall

Senior Pastor

Larry was born in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa and grew up on a farm. He graduated from Barclay College. Larry and his wife, Shirley, started Canyon Hills in 1990. They have three married children and two granddaughters, and love water sports and sand rails. Larry’s passion is to carry out the vision God put in his heart over 30 years ago to build more and better disciples for Jesus Christ.

larrym*canyonhillsfriends.org
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Carlos Lopez

Equipping Pastor for Adults

Carlos was born in Juarez, Mexico and raised in both Juarez and El Paso, Texas. He and his wife Olivia have been at Canyon Hills since 2000 and have three children: Carlos II, Ian, and Alexis. Carlos currently oversees our Adult Ministries and Missions programs. He enjoys starting new ministries and loves leading missions.

carlosl*canyonhillsfriends.org
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David Hopper

Equipping Pastor for Youth and Young Families

David Hopper and his wife Alisa have been in ministry for over 20 years and have three beautiful children Ana, Nate, and Noelle. David went to Biola University and received a master’s degree in organizational leadership. He loves leading teams, missions, and building leaders who go beyond themselves to build up leaders around them.

davidh*canyonhillsfriends.org
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Calvin Sodestrom

High School Director

Calvin lives in Old Towne Orange with his wife Kenzie. He is currently at Azusa Pacific University working on his Master of Divinity degree. He loves to read, spend time in the outdoors, and rock climb.

calvins*canyonhillsfriends.org
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Pam Baker

Equipping Pastor for Children

Pastor Pam Baker, better known as “Miss Pam,” has been with Canyon since its inception. Her passion for kids led her to this church, where she and her husband raised their own two boys, and where she has served in Children’s ministry along with many other volunteer positions. If you were to ask Pam her favorite thing to do at church it would be to teach kids the word of God!

pamb*canyonhillsfriends.org
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Allison Collins

Junior High Intern

Allison has lived in Yorba Linda her entire life and has been attending Canyon Hills since she was one. She graduated from California Baptist Univeristy with a degree in Liberal Studies and is currently attending Cal State Fullerton to earn her teacher’s credential to become an elementary school teacher. Allison loves working with students of any age and is passionate about seeing the youth grow in their relationships with the Lord and honoring Him with their lives.

allisonc*canyonhillsfriends.org
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Linda Collins

Bookkeeper

Linda has been with CHFC since it started in 1990 and working as the church bookkeeper since 2004. Linda has been married to Mike for 28 years and they have 2 children, Allison who is also on staff, and Chris who is actively serving with the Junior High Ministry.

lindac*canyonhillsfriends.org
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Kenzie Sodestrom

Office Adminstrator

Kenzie recently joined the Canyon Hills staff as the Office Administrator. She graduated from Biola University with a BA in Psychology and hopes to return to graduate school to become a Marriage & Family Therapist. Kenzie lives in Old Towne Orange with her husband, Calvin. She loves to read, spend time with friends, and try new DIY projects.

kenzies*canyonhillsfriends.org
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Shelley Molina

Wednesday Night Coordinator

Shelley grew up in Yorba Linda & graduated from Eaperanza High School. Shelley and her husband Carlos have attended Canyon Hills since 2004. Together they have 5 childern: Claudia, Carlos Jr., Olivia, Jesse, and Isabella. They love water sports and just spending time together.

shelleym*canyonhillsfriends.org
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Shirley Mendenhall

Ministries Adminstrator

Shirley grew up in a Haviland, Kansas on a dairy farm. She and Pastor Larry met and married while attending Barclay College. Together they started Canyon Hills in 1990. They have three married children and two granddaughters, and love water sports. Shirley’s passion, besides her grandchildren, is to carry out the vision God put in her heart to build more and better disciples for Jesus Christ.

shirleym*canyonhillsfriends.org
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Mike and Joanne Young

Family Ministries, College & Beyond, MOPS

Mike and Joanne have been married for 13 years and have been attending Canyon Hills since 2003. They have three children Joshua (20), Victoria (11) and Hannah (10) and love days at the park and the beach or just being with family and friends. They love to serve the Lord and are happy to be leading the College & Beyond Ministry, the Family Ministry, and the MOPS Ministry at Canyon Hills.

mjyoung414*aol.com

Katy Castner

Nursery Coordinator

Katy was born in Lynwood California but was raised in Anaheim since she was 6. Katy married her husband Randy in 1981 at the young age of 19 years. Katy has attended Canyon Hills since Opening in 1990. They have now have 4 children, Jake, Kyle, Stacy and daughter in law Morgan and one grandson Briggs . Katy loves spending time with family, playing games, camping, and baking.

Wesley Haugen

Human Resources

Wesley was born and raised in Orange County. Wesley has been at Canyon Hills since High School when he started dating his wife Allison who began attending as a child the day it opened. They now have three children. His passion is to see people grow in their faith as they share the love of Jesus through serving others both locally and internationally.

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