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Churches Promote Well-Being During Mental Health Awareness Month
Since 1949, Mental Health Awareness Month, observed each May, has helped address the challenges faced by millions of Americans living with mental health conditions. This May, Bellflower, North Hills, and All Nations churches hosted special programs to raise awareness, offer resources, and create space for open conversations around mental health. Bellflower church invited speakers to…
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2025 GLAR Convocation Inspires
The annual Greater Los Angeles Region (GLAR) Convocation convened at White Memorial church for a weekend of worship, fellowship, and faith under the theme “Next Step: Moving by Faith.” Friday night, singer-songwriter Nic Miller led praise and worship, and MyRon Edmonds, pastor and leadership coach, was the evening’s speaker. Sabbath morning continued with Sabbath School…
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Conejo Students Spend Class Trip Serving in Dominican Republic
This spring, 29 students and parents from Conejo Adventist Elementary School (CAES) embarked on a class trip to the Dominican Republic. Instead of sightseeing and leisure, the group did manual labor in collaboration with Maranatha Volunteers International, a supporting ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Their primary goal was the construction of a church building…
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From Medicine to Ministry: Geoff Sewell Is Ordained
“If you want to know if Jesus has a sense of humor, just look at my life,” Geoff Sewell said. “I would never have gotten that answer correct on a multiple-choice question that five years after covid started, I’d be getting ordained in Southern California. Not on my list. And yet, God works in truly…
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Turning No One Away: La Voz Sylmar Spanish Church Food Bank Serves Hundreds Each Week
Each week, hundreds of people visit the La Voz Sylmar Spanish church in San Fernando Valley to receive free food. For 10 years, the church has hosted this weekly food bank ministry that does much more than distribute food to people in need. There have been many baptized as a result of the ministry. “This…
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Faith, Friendship, and Fun Thrive Through Teens4Christ Ministry
Teens4Christ, a ministry at Vallejo Drive church where teenagers can safely hang out, have fun, and make connections in a Christian environment, has become an integral part of the church since beginning in 2018. The ministry met the need for an Earliteen Sabbath School class at the time. Initially there was hesitancy; members saw the…
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Shine for Jesus: Glendale Spanish Youth Impacts More Than 200 Families on Global Youth Day
Every year, Global Youth Day is an opportunity for the youth to shine for Jesus. The theme for this year, “ACT: A Community Transformed,” encouraged youth to go out and impact their local communities with the love of Jesus. On Saturday, March 15, Glendale Spanish church participated in this global initiative with a full day…
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Bible Studies Are Planting Seeds of Faith at Glendale Adventist Academy
When a parent in Kevin Camato’s daughter’s fourth grade class at Glendale Adventist Academy (GAA) expressed interest in Bible studies for her child, she asked if Camato would be willing to give them, and an idea sparked. He first shared the idea with GAA religion teacher Jonny Moor and interim principal Nancy Garcilazo. Once he…
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Against All Odds: San Gabriel Academy Boys Basketball Team Claims CIF Title
At the heart of San Gabriel Academy (SGA) are three goals: to serve others, grow in Christ, and aspire to excellence, inspired by Christ’s words in Matthew 5:14, “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden” (NLT). At SGA, Christ is not confined to a Bible classroom…
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Camarillo Celebrates Anniversary of First Service in Current Building
This January, the Camarillo church celebrated a significant milestone: The 50th anniversary of the ribbon-cutting ceremony that marked the beginning of services held in the church building in 1975. It was a weekend filled with gratitude, reflection, and renewed commitment to God’s leading as the congregation celebrated Christ’s faithfulness through the decades. The festivities began…
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Evangelism Corner | April 2025
This January, two West Region churches kicked off the year of evangelism with concurrent three-week-long evangelistic series starting January 30 and 31. With 10 presentations, the “Revelation Revealed: Bible Prophecy Seminar” at Sylmar church explored pressing topics through the lens of the Bible, including: People from the community joined the series having heard of the…
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Rolando Rivera Is Ordained
“It’s been a long journey, ups and downs,” Rolando (Jae) Rivera, Spanish-American church pastor, said, “but God is good.” Rivera was born in Puerto Rico. Raised in a dysfunctional home but forced to attend church, he grew up wanting nothing to do with God. After moving to the Bronx, his life became a mess and…
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Andy Zhang Is Ordained
Enze (Andy) Zhang was born in Zhejiang Province, China, to a devout Adventist family. Both his parents and grandparents remained unwavering in their faith, even enduring imprisonment for their beliefs. Their courage and dedication instilled faithfulness and resilience in Zhang. This foundation led to fulfilling experiences in education and ministry throughout his professional career from…
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Sergio Caishpal Is Ordained
Born to Salvadoran immigrants in Los Angeles and raised in Santa Rosa, Sergio Caishpal is a proud Californian. Growing up, he teetered between career possibilities. “I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be a physician, a psychologist, or a pastor,” he said, adding that a scholarship at Pacific Union College for theology majors encouraged him…
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SCC Welcomes Wayne Dunbar as New Associate Superintendent
After 32 years of experience in Adventist education, Wayne Dunbar comes to Southern California Conference (SCC) as associate superintendent. Dunbar’s journey into education began unexpectedly. He graduated from Walla Walla University with a degree in business and plans to work in health care administration. He worked in that field for two years before deciding to…
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James G. Lee Jr. Retires After 48 Years of Ministry
As with many people who find themselves working in administrative roles in a conference, James G. Lee’s ministry began in the field as a pastor. However, he had no intention of becoming a pastor. “You know what, to be honest with you, it was not something I wanted to do,” Lee recalled. “In fact, it…
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Velino A. Salazar Retires: Looking Back on 47 Years of Ministry
“I didn’t want to be a pastor.” Growing up as a “pastor’s kid,” watching his father in church administration, Velino A. Salazar wasn’t unaware of what the life of a pastor looked like. He didn’t think it was for him; his sights were set on the medical field. Then, in the summer of 1973, he…
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Southern California Fires: An Outpouring of Support & Blessings Amid Tragedy
On January 7, an extreme Santa Ana wind event gave momentum to two destructive fires in Southern California. By the next morning, much of the Pacific Palisades and Altadena communities in Los Angeles County were destroyed, leaving thousands of residents evacuated and homes burned. The fires continued to burn for days, while new fires continued…
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SCC Hosts Grand Opening for New Media Production Studio
In December, the Southern California Conference (SCC) held a grand opening for its new media production studio—a moment that had been in the making since before the start of the covid pandemic. The space was dedicated with a prayer before the ribbon was cut, and then the studio was officially open, allowing visitors to tour…
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My Kids Decided to Follow Jesus!
Every parent lives for moments when their kids make them proud. For Donavan Childs, pastor at Ephesus church, that moment came on the first Sabbath of the new year. On that memorable Sabbath, he baptized his children. “Baptizing one child would have been amazing,” Childs reflected, “but God blessed me to baptize, not one, not…