In 2014, Pastor Garcia was presented with the "Innovator of Social Services" award selected by the Daily Journal. The Daily Journal newspaper also awarded him as "Citizen of the Year" in 2011. In 2011, he was awarded the "Volunteer of the year for Kankakee County" from the Community Foundation and received the 2011 President's Award from the Kankakee Chapter of the NAACP. And recently on October 13 he was the recipient of the KANAKEE COUNTY STATE'S ATTORNEY JIM ROWE 2022 EL HUMANITARIO (The Humanitarian) AWARD. Currently he serves on many community Boards. Although Pastor Garcia has received these awards, his greatest accomplishment is being pastor of Pentecostal Community Church, a church that loves to reach into the community to help people.
(Left) Easter Service 2016, Brooklyn wanting to take a picture with Pastor Garcia (below) Pastor Larry and his wife Kristi
About our Pastor Lawrence Garcia
Pastor Lawrence Garcia is a licensed minister with the United Pentecostal Church International (UPCI). The Lord called him out from the professional business field. Prior to submitting himself to God's will for his life he had a very successful career working for Rockwell International on the U.S. Air Force B-1 Bomber plane and also with Northrop Corporation on the U.S. Air Force B-2 Stealth Bomber. His position with both of these companies was an Internal Auditor of property. His professional career lead him to work for HUD Public Housing as Executive Director and also Technical Services and also for a Public Water Utility company as an Operation/Project Manager.
It was when Pastor Garcia was in the height of his career that God called him back to Indiana. It was there that he started his ministry under Pastor Terry Cox. During that time he met his future wife Kristi Eilders. They were married while attending the First United Pentecostal Church of Portage Indiana, pastored by Rev. James Feilder. Pastor Garcia became involved in youth ministry which was the beginning of what God had planned for him. He became Sectional Youth Leader and also Director of Promotions for the Illinois District United Pentecostal Church Youth Ministries. After being involved in youth ministries for 8 years the Lord led him to be an assistant Pastor of the Wilmington Illinois, Apostolic Church. God led him to Coal City Illinois, where he was voted in as Sr. Pastor. From Coal City the Lord opened another door to start a daughter work in downtown Kankakee Illinois where he now pastors full time. The church has been in Kankakee since April 2008. Pastor Garcia serves on several boards including, Presence Health St. Mary's Hospital Community Leadership Board, Habitat for Humanity, and the Kankakee County Chamber of Commerce ...he is the past president of the Kankakee County Hispanic Partnership.
Although all of his grandparents and his parents have all gone to be with the Lord, Pastor Lawrence Garcia continues to carry the banner of the Apostolic message in teaching and preaching this message to people in the Kankakee area and wherever he goes.
Pastor Larry Garcia's Grandfather Pastor Domingo Torres helping establishing churches in the Midwest during the 1950's . Pastor Garcia comes from a rich heritage. His grandfather, Domingo Torres was a 1950 graduate of the Apostolic Bible Institute in St. Paul Minnesota. After he graduated from ABI, the Lord led him to pioneer the Chicagoland area to establish Spanish speaking churches for the Apostolic Assembly. Churches started to be established not only in the Chicago area but also throughout the Midwest. His efforts lead many to the true salvation of the Acts 2:38 message
Pastor Domingo Torres in the Chicago Heights area (sitting holding the Bible) at my Grandfather Garcia's house (Who also became a pastor) giving a Bible study. The young man standing in the white tee shirt is my uncle Philip, who also became a minister.
The congregation that Pastor Torres started in January 1952 at his home on the corner of Lincoln Highway & Chicago Road, in Chicago Heights Illinois, right by St James Hospital. My mother is the young girl in the white coat and my father is in the back by the door looking at the camera. This was before they got married and started in an incredible ministry together.
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Pastor Torres served in the U.S. Army prior to starting his ministry
Pastor Torres was Bishop for the Midwest for the Apostolic Assembly (AA)
Pastor Domingo Torres after starting a church in December of 1952 on the corner of 71st. street & Kedzie in Chicago Illinois. After the church flourished he was led by the Lord to establish churches in Michigan as well as Indiana and latter in Wisconsin .
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Rev. Torres visiting the college (ABI) that he graduated from in St. Paul Minn.
Pastor Larry Garcia's Grandfather...
Pastor Guadalupe Garcia building a church and dedication service in Ford Heights, Illinois
Pastor Guadalupe Garcia gave his life to the Lord and under Pastor Torres became a Pastor in the south side of Chicago.
PASTOR Larry GARCIA'S PARENTS...
Pastor James Garcia and Rachel Garcia ministry
Pastor Garcia’s parents, Santiago and Rachel Garcia met as teenagers and were married. The Lord called his parents to start and Pastor churches throughout the Midwest. It was in Indiana with Pastor Frank and Ruth Munsey where Santiago stayed and raised his young family. While at Evangelistic Temple Santiago pastored the Spanish work under Rev. Frank Munsey's leadership. When his parents retired from the ministry they attended the United Pentecostal Church of Harvey Illinois with Pastor Terry Cox and both have since gone to be with the Lord.
Pastor James Garcia congregation in East Chicago Heights, Illinois 1968
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(Left) This is my parents as teenagers prior to them getting married.
(Right) Pastor James Garcia as a teenager (second from the right) getting baptized in the "name of Jesus" in the Chicago Heights Illinois area. This is the summer of the early 1950's. The man with his hand in the air is Rev. Manuel Gaxiola from Mexico, who just graduated from the Pentecostal Bible Institute in Tupelo Miss. 
Rachel Garcia (center) at Evangelistic Temple (Pastor James Garcia was part of the ministerial staff) with Pastor Frank Munsey (right) and her uncle (left) Rev. Efraim Valverde (President of the Apostolic Assembly from 1970-1978)
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(Below) Pastor James Garcia baptizing a young lady and to the bottom right he is behind the pulpit leading service somewhere in Chicago.
About Our Pastor's Wife Kristi Garcia
Kristi is a first grade teacher. She received her Bachelor's degree from Olivet Nazarene University and has a Master's degree in Education and Leadership from St. Xavier University. She taught ESL at the local community college. She currently is the Director of Music at Pentecostal Community Church. Kristi was raised in the Apostolic faith, her father Richard Eilders was a preacher and on her mother's side, Jan Eilders, many family members pioneered the beginning works of the Acts 2:38 message in Wisconsin. She comes from a rich Pentecostal heritage, and owes much of this to her grandmothers and parents who raised her faithfully in church. She served as the Ladies Auxiliary President for the Illinois Section 10 District for almost 8 years. Kristi loves and enjoys doing the work of the Lord with her husband, she has been a contributing force in helping establish the church. She has written several Christian novels but has not yet published them. While in college, she had one of her research papers published.
