Anchor Gaslamp 🇺🇸

If you are exploring the history of community initiatives in downtown San Diego, California, Anchor Gaslamp offers an intriguing look into a missional, nondenominational Christian community. Established initially as a Bible study group in 2007 under Pastors Karlton Edison and Vince Larson, this church planting project of The Anchor Church gathered in various restaurants, hotels, and coffee houses before holding its official first Sunday gathering in a nightclub on Easter Sunday in 2008. Attracting a diverse congregation, the group was missional in intent and incarnational in practice, with a doctrinal view aligned with the Nicene Creed.

During its time in the Gaslamp Quarter, you would find the community meeting on the first three Sundays of each month upstairs at The Keating Hotel on the corner of 5th and F Street. On remaining Sundays, members participated in "Anchor in Action," engaging in mission-driven local efforts ranging from homeless barbecues in San Diego to delivering truckloads of donated goods across the border to orphanages and women's recovery homes in Baja California. Smaller groups also met throughout the week in various locations across the city.

The congregation has since relocated to East Village and renamed itself New City Church.

What to see at Anchor Gaslamp

• Gatherings held upstairs at The Keating Hotel on 5th & F Street on the first three Sundays of the month
• "Anchor in Action" mission events including homeless barbecues and delivering goods to Baja California
• Originated as a 2007 Bible study before its first Easter Sunday service in a nightclub in 2008
• Nondenominational doctrine aligned with the Nicene Creed and focused on community outreach
• Relocated to San Diego's East Village under the new name New City Church

Visiting tips

Note that the community has relocated from the Gaslamp Quarter to East Village and currently goes by the name New City Church.

How long: 1-2 hours · Best time: Sunday mornings

How to get there & what’s nearby

Anchor Gaslamp is easy to reach on San Diego’s public transport, and pairs naturally with The Old Globe and Balboa Theatre. For where to stay, the weather and full itineraries, see our San Diego travel guide.