Meet Logan & Gabriella Lee

Today we’d like to introduce you to Logan & Gabriella Lee.

Hi Logan & Gabriella, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
We both grew up in multicultural environments – Logan in the Midwest, and Gabriella in Bahrain, in the Middle East. From an early age, we both learned a deep sense that the human experience is supposed to be lived in then context of a healthy faith community and that we are all made for more than just existing and living without purpose.

Nearly five years ago, we were both living in working in Omaha, Nebraska. We were leading a Young Adult ministry at the time; and began to envision what the future of our work and ministry would look like. We always knew that we were supposed to live and do ministry in an international city, and Los Angeles was the only place we felt a connection to. Ultimately, we knew that we were supposed to move here to the city, and start a new church – Ignite LA Church – and a Nonprofit initiative that would become, ‘A place where anyone can be transformed by the Person of Jesus.’

After a time of prayer, coaching and seeking clearer direction, we began the process of preparing to relocate. We landed here in LA on March 9, 2020, about one week before we became the first city in America to go into full shutdown due to the pandemic.

Many people in our lives were urging us to leave LA and to return perhaps when things improved; but we knew that we were in it for the long haul! So, we set about reaching and engaging people online through social media and starting to build an online community. In May 2021, we finally had our first outdoor meeting in Playa Vista. Starting that Fall, we began gathering twice a month on Sunday evenings in Mar Vista, and now, we are having our Grand Opening and will begin holding weekly services in our new indoor venue in the Jefferson Park area on Sunday, September 18th!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s definitely been a wild ride from the start! Having spent two years preparing to come to SoCal, we felt we were in a good place when we embarked on the trip across the country in March 2020! We arrived, only to find ourselves quarantining in an Airbnb for the first three months; with all of our belongings in storage. Finally, we were able to find a house in West Los Angeles!

Learning the culture of Los Angeles while most of the city was still shutdown for over a year was a major challenge. How do you explore and get to know a city and its people when there is no life happening on the streets and no events are going on? Thankfully, things gradually reopened, and we were able to meet new people, develop relationships, and engage with our city. This experience helped to develop grit and perseverance as we started to build the vision of our new community!

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
We are the Pastors and Directors of Ignite LA Church Group. We are a church and a nonprofit here in Los Angeles. In addition to our weekly gatherings, we focus on providing social and spiritual support services to professionals, entrepreneurs, and families living and work in the city.

Faith-based organizations are often thought of as being insider-focused and only catering to the needs of their “members” those that are the internal stakeholders. In reality, the local church is the only organization in the world that exists fundamentally to engage and serve those outsides of their community – in the neighborhood, the city, and around the world.

Part of our vision is to become a place that serves the community outside of Sundays, through offering a co-working space, a coffeeshop, and a business/community center where entrepreneurs and creatives in our city can collaborate, connect, and live in community with each other. Los Angeles is an amazing, world-class city, but people often live disconnected and alone.

We want to be a part of bridging the gap between people, by creating a space that is welcoming, supportive, and innovative all at the same time!

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
In a word, grit!

The ability to adapt and change shape along with our culture. To clarify and refine who we are, all while keeping the vision in front of us. Our mission and our message – the Good News of Jesus – never changes, but our methods must. In a diverse international city like Los Angeles, disruption is happening on a daily basis. If you’re not careful, you may find yourself living in a different reality or story than what is actually happening. We have seen a lot of this over the past several years.

The narrative that we tell ourselves and others is so powerful. Living here, in the Storytelling Capital of the World, Ignite LA Church is telling the story of the person of Jesus, and inviting all people to experience a relationship with him and with others!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ignitelachurch.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ignitelachurch/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IgniteLAChurch

Image Credits
Logan & Gabriella Lee