The church in Moreno Valley began breaking the bread of the Lord’s table (1Corinthians 10:21) in 1987, after two years of home meetings and prayer. In those first years, the believers experienced the Lord in a simple and fresh way through their enjoyment of the ministry of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee. Yet in 1988, they experienced a further turn. They progressed from merely appreciating of this New Testament ministry, and were brought on to align themselves with the ministry in their person and practice. That was when the Lord began to really bless the church. New ones were added from many directions, and the church grew in life, as well. Over the years, they have continued meeting in homes according to the healthy principle presented by this ministry of meeting in small, “vital” groups.

Because Moreno Valley is geographically dense, the brothers and sisters generally live within ten minutes of one another and experience a rich church life during the week, often seeing one another throughout the day. They commonly have fellowship by phone or in person for the purpose of a morning time with the Lord, prayer, Bible-reading, or the enjoyment of ministry books.

The church has embarked upon a further application of the small group church life with regard to the children and young people. “MannaCards” containing small portions of truth are distributed weekly to the families, and the households become the vehicle for nourishment of the young ones. This endeavor to apply the principle of small group meetings among the families has encouraged and developed the inter-relatedness of the members of the body.

The church in Moreno Valley has also had the privilege of playing a major role in the development of Camp Engedi in Big Bear, California. The principle of this camp is to promote an atmosphere of mutuality and blending for the building up of the churches. This opportunity has brought out a strong desire among the believers for the perfecting of a serving spirit and has thus enriched the church here.

Moreno Valley is culturally diverse, and the church has a number of Filipino and Spanish-speaking members. Spanish and English speakers meet both separately and together, and there is no distinction between the members. The church in Moreno Valley is living testimony that the Lord will build His house in spite of numerous obstacles, and that the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.