Randi Walle

A special highlight of this year’s Southwest Focus Retreat was the baptism this afternoon, by trine immersion, of Pastor Oscar Chavez of Northridge, CA. Chavez pastors the Iglesia Biblical De Fe, an independent Hispanic congregation, which he would like to bring into the FGBC as a Grace Brethren Church. In his comments prior to being […]

Fellowship Coordinator Tom Avey (left) and Bellflower, CA, pastor Tom Hocking (right) congratulate Oscar Chavez after his baptism by trine immersion Tuesday afternoon in the the pool at the Rancho Capistrano as part of the Southwest Focus Retreat. 

About 80 pastors, church staff members, and lay leaders have gathered the first three days of this week at Rancho Capistrano near San Juan Capistrano, CA, for the Southwest Focus Retreat. The retreat concludes Wednesday at noon. 

Robert MacMillan, pastor of the Tracy, CA, Grace Brethren Church, led off the early-afternoon session of the Southwest Focus Retreat today with a talk on “Others and My Heart…Friends and Family.” The retreat is focusing on various aspects of the leader’s heart and tomorrow will discuss “How to Run and Not Lose Heart.”

In a just-for-fun singing time, attenders of the Southwest Focus Retreat this morning sang “His Banner Over Me Is Love” complete with hand motions.  

Doug Lee (seated, at piano), pastor of the Fountain Community Church in Fontana, CA, is worship leader for the Southwest Focus Retreat which began this afternoon at 4 p.m. The theme of the retreat is “the leader’s heart.” The retreat is being held at Rancho Capistrano in San Juan Capistrano at the southern tip of

Mitch Cariaga (left) of Grace Community Church in Rialto, CA, shares fellowship with Pastor Dan Allan (right) of the Ashland, OH Grace Brethren Church at the Southwest Focus Retreat. Allan is attending and help lead all four of the Focus Retreats this year as part of his duties as moderator of the Fellowship of Grace

Good coffee…warm fellowship…and a gentle warm breeze in the courtyard by the fountain…you won’t do THIS in Indiana in January! Today I visited Grace Brethren Church of Long Beach (Lou Huesmann, pastor) and had a wonderful time of fellowship with the congregation there. Tomorrow begins the Southwest Focus Retreat at San Juan Capistrano, followed by

The welcome tent in the courtyard of Long Beach Grace Brethren Church is well-stocked with literature and friendly folk to tell you about the ministry of the church. And a free mug or water bottle is offered to visitors, along with a free cup of flavored coffee–Starbucks could do no better! 

Grace Brethren Church of Long Beach, now at 36th and Linden, is the successor to L. S. Bauman’s “Fifth and Cherry” mother-church which burned down in the 1960s.