MEET THE AMAZING TEAM BEHIND
CELEBRATION CHURCH.

lead pastor // DR. GARY & JOY TANGEMAN

Gary grew up in Southern California and felt God’s call to full time ministry during the summer of his junior year of high school. After graduating from BIOLA University, and later earning his Doctor of Ministry degree from Talbot School of Theology, he has pastored for over 40 years serving churches in California and Washington.

Gary and his lovely and talented wife Joy have been partners together in life and ministry for over 37 years. He loves working out at the gym, vintage Mustangs, the Lakers, Seattle Seahawks and USC football.

In his spare time he enjoys creating historical dioramas (historymadesmall.com) and teaching pastoral health and leadership courses at Tozer Theological Seminary in Redding California. He is also the author of The Discipling Making Church in the 21 Century and loves mentoring and encouraging ministry leaders and church planters.

Associate Pastors of cambodian worship // paul and christy kham

Paul & Christy Kham

Paul was born in Pailin, Cambodia back in 1961. His father was a Christian and taught him to love Christ and to share the gospel at a young age.

In 1978, during the war in Cambodia, Paul fled to Thailand and stayed at the Khao-I-Dang refugee camp until 1983, when he immigrated to the U.S. (Long Beach, CA) under the Refugee Act of 1980.

In 1985, Paul married his beautiful wife Christy, and they began to serve together in various ministries of the Cambodian Evangelical Church, under the Christian & Missionary Alliance. The C&MA began sharing the gospel in Cambodia back in 1923, as third generation Christians, Paul and Christy are a living testimony. Paul and Christy enjoy cooking, exercising, traveling and serving on short mission trips to Cambodia. They have three beautiful daughters and enjoy spending time with their family and building community with others.

associate pastor of cambodian worship // mr. and Mrs. David kann

David Kann, also known as Somoul in the Cambodian Community, is a Khmer Survivor from the Killing Fields, a pastor and a Part-time Children's Social Worker at the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services.

He is the oldest child in his family, with a younger sister and two younger brothers, and grew up in a Buddhist family. At age 14, he cared for his siblings and mother after his father was killed during the Khmer Rouge regime. At age 17, he helped his three siblings and his mother escape Cambodia, evade landmines and Khmer Rouge soldiers through the jungle at night, and became a born-again Christian while living in the Refugee camp in Thailand.

After arriving in the United States at age 21 in California in 1983, he enrolled in English as a Second Language (ESL) classes and was involved with the youth and children ministry at Cambodian Christian Church in Santa Ana. In 1985, he left for Cincinnati, Ohio, to study theology at the Cincinnati Bible College. David graduated from Atlanta Christian College in 1989 and moved to Santa Ana, California. He worked for five years as a program manager at the Neighborhood Services Center to serve Cambodian, Vietnamese, and Spanish immigration communities. In 1992, he pursued his Master's Degree in Social Work (MSW) and worked part-time at the Orange County Mental Health Department as a mental health specialist. In 1995, he graduated with his MSW from the University of Southern California and worked for the Department of Children and Family Services for 24 years. He has experience with child welfare, juvenile court systems, social services, and marriage and family counseling.

David's calling is to share, teach, and make disciples for Jesus Christ, including regularly calling and visiting needy members and others in the communities. He and his family continue to serve the Lord and to reach out to people who do not know Christ and mainly focus on the next generations, regardless of ethnicity.

PASTORs community outreach // Carlos & Wendy GUERRERO

From the start of their marriage in early 2000, pastors Carlos and Wendy Guerrero have felt called to serve in full-time ministry. As a teen Carlos was involved in gangs, drugs and violence and found himself falling into an increasingly dark cycle that dragged him in and out of County jail and prison. It was during a 16-month stretch of solitary confinement in Corcoran state prison that Carlos surrendered his life to the Lord Jesus Christ and found a deep hope and true understanding of God’s grace. He turned away from his former destructive path and began studying God’s Word and attending church regularly with Wendy. They began pastoring  in 2011 in the city of Stanton, CA. 

 Before meeting Carlos, Wendy had drifted from a traditional Christian family upbringing into her own troubles with drugs, alcohol and abusive relationships. It was only through the power of God’s grace and  a surrendered heart that Wendy found peace and healing in her life as well as the strength to walk in forgiveness and faith.  She has since served as pastor, trusted counselor, women's ministry leader and a mighty prayer warrior. 

 Since 2016 Carlos and Wendy have served as pastors of the Breakthrough congregation at Celebration Church which centers on family, restoration of broken relationships and community. 

They have a heart and passion to minister to gang members, victims of abuse, drug and alcohol users, and the less fortunate living on the streets.  

They are a blended family with 3 grown children and a first grandchild on the way!

 Carlos and Wendy are also Shepherds at Standing Stone Ministry, an organization that offers counseling and support for fellow pastors in the field. Their foundation scripture is: 

 Colossians 1:28-29 (NLT)

28 “So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect[a] in their relationship to Christ. 29 That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me.”

Director of Worship and Tech Ministries // David KISSEE

David was born and raised in Orange County. He committed his life to Christ at age 4 but didn't fully grasp his faith until he was 21.

When David was 22 he was hired on at Hume Lake Christian Camps as a Support Services summer staffer. He ended up working full-time at Hume for 3 total years as a Support Services Crew Member. While at Hume, he was a volunteer Junior high leader, as well as worship leader.

David currently attends the University of California, Riverside, in pursuit of a PhD in Math. He and his newly wed now both serve at Celebration Church.

“Consider it nothing but joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials. Be assured that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed lacking nothing.”

James 1:2-4

ASSOCIATE PASTORs OF SPANISH WORSHIP // JOEL & Alma solis

Joel was born in Orange, California and grew up in a pastor’s family. He has been a bi-vocational pastor and church planter for over 25 years.

He is a design engineer by trade and loves to teach and play both piano and guitar. He enjoys playing chess and loves basketball. He is also a translator and interpreter (Spanish) for public speakers, having translated several ministry oriented books.

Joel’s ministry targets 1st and 2nd generation bi-lingual Hispanics.  Alma is a teacher in Santa Ana where she is also actively involved in the community having served as clergy spokesperson for immigration reform and as a consultant in several prison mentorships.

associate pastors of Liberty worship // dan & Priscilla Hernandez