Southern California Conference

Lauren Lacson

Articles by Lauren Lacson

  • Grace Hill at Vallejo Drive Church Takes First Global Mission Trip to the Philippines

    Grace Hill at Vallejo Drive Church Takes First Global Mission Trip to the Philippines

    This year, Grace Hill at Vallejo Drive church lived out its belief in global evangelism by taking its first global mission trip to the city of Tuguegarao, Cagayan, Philippines. The team spent one week involved in evangelistic meetings, medical and dental services, a gospel concert, and more. During the two days of medical and dental…

    Lauren Lacson & Samuel Adarme
  • San Fernando Valley Academy Junior High Basketball Team Earns Back-to-Back Championship

    San Fernando Valley Academy Junior High Basketball Team Earns Back-to-Back Championship

    This spring, the San Fernando Valley Academy (SFVA) junior high basketball team celebrated a back-to-back championship when they won the Division 1 playoff game against New West Charter School this March. As part of the Foundation for Interscholastic Youth Athletics (FIYA) league, SFVA Huskies participates with other elementary and middle schools across the greater Los…

    Lauren Lacson
  • Table Tennis Serves Up Fun at SGA

    Table Tennis Serves Up Fun at SGA

    High school sports often bring to mind basketball, soccer, or volleyball. But 10 years ago, when then-principal Angel Nair encouraged San Gabriel Academy Elementary teachers to bring extracurricular, elective options that would be creative and different, a new option came up. Junior high teacher Sean Lehnhoff, who teaches grades 5-8, immediately thought of table tennis.…

    Lauren Lacson
  • Oakwood University President Visits Historic Church in Los Angeles

    Oakwood University President Visits Historic Church in Los Angeles

    On the weekend when Gina Spivey-Brown, Ph.D., was inaugurated as the incoming president of Oakwood University, Lawrence S. Dorsey II, director of the Greater Los Angeles Region of the Southern California Conference (SCC), was introduced to her by a mutual friend. “Immediately after I told her what I did, she asked me, ‘What can you…

    Lauren Lacson
  • Introducing SCC Department of Education: A New Team Is Energized for Mission

    Introducing SCC Department of Education: A New Team Is Energized for Mission

    In July 2025, when James P. Willis II, then SCC vice president for education, and Nancy Garcilazo, then SCC associate superintendent, moved on to new endeavors, it was only a few months into Wayne Dunbar’s tenure as associate superintendent. Dunbar had recently joined the SCC education team from La Sierra University, where he served as…

    Lauren Lacson
  • Paulo Tenorio Joins SCC Team as Youth Director

    Paulo Tenorio Joins SCC Team as Youth Director

    Paulo Tenorio’s ministry experience has taken him all over the world—Brazil, Guam, South Korea, Argentina, Texas, Michigan, Tennessee, Washington, D.C., Virginia, and more. “When I was a kid, I always wanted to be a pastor,” Tenorio recalled. “But then, when I became a teenager, things started to change, and I realized that I didn’t feel…

    Lauren Lacson
  • Norwalk Church Launches Life Transformation Center

    Norwalk Church Launches Life Transformation Center

    This fall, the Norwalk church celebrated the realization of a vision that has been in the works for more than three years. It all started with a visit from Paolo Macena, leadership director for the North American Division. “He encouraged us to use our facility as an urban center of influence to provide services needed…

    Lauren Lacson
  • Camp Cedar Falls Sustains Damage in Summer Storm

    Camp Cedar Falls Sustains Damage in Summer Storm

    On the evening of Sept. 18, 2025, Tropical Storm Mario passed over the San Bernardino mountains, tracing the path of the El Dorado Fire of 2020. Flash flooding and mudslides ravaged the local mountain communities. In a letter shared on Sept. 30, Southern California Conference (SCC) President John H. Cress wrote, “As you know, in…

    Lauren Lacson
  • Rolling Hills Church Celebrates 50 Years of Faith & Community

    Rolling Hills Church Celebrates 50 Years of Faith & Community

    This October, the Rolling Hills church family celebrated its golden anniversary with a full weekend of events. Throughout five decades, generations have found belonging and fellowship in this community. From Sabbath School and Bible study classes to youth and Pathfinder meetings and midweek prayer gatherings, vibrant ministries have brought life to the church and blessings…

    Lauren Lacson
  • The Journey of Wellspring Congregation: A Living Story That’s Still Being Written

    The Journey of Wellspring Congregation: A Living Story That’s Still Being Written

    It was a Sabbath, in many ways, like any other. Church members and visitors gathered for worship—receiving a message, singing praise, joining in prayer, and fellowshipping over food. But this day was special. It was the culmination of 25 years of God’s leading for a congregation that would on that day be organized into a…

    Lauren Lacson