They were running out of options. The congregation of the Community Baptist Church of South Fontana, California, was without a pastor. Every week they were faithfully meeting as a church. For years they sang the old hymns, they prayed together, they read from the Scriptures, they managed to pay the bills, but their numbers were dwindling. Though the few faithful members continued to meet every Sunday, it was evident they could not remain a church much longer. Unless God opened a door, Community Baptist Church would have to close its doors.

Standing in the Gap
Although the situation seemed bleak, God was directing events behind the scenes. One of the former interim pastors of the Fontana church had retired to Oceanside, California, and began attending Coastline Baptist Church. He shared his burden for the church in Fontana with the pastor of Coastline Baptist. When Pastor Stephen Chappell heard about the need for a preacher, he recommended the church call his brother, Dr. Paul Chappell, and ask if he could send a preacher to fill the pulpit on Sundays. The call was made and soon Peter Mordh, then a senior at West Coast Baptist College, was preaching the services every Sunday.

God was clearly showing that this was a divine opportunity to encourage a group of faithful Christians and keep open a strong Gospel lighthouse in Southern California. The church was touched by the ministry of Lancaster Baptist through Peter and his wife Danielle. After a few months they began to discuss a permanent solution for the struggling church’s needs. Pastor Chappell offered to have Lancaster Baptist take the church under its wing, and the members at Fontana agreed.

It was obvious that the Lord was blessing this partnership between churches. Pastor Chappell, along with the deacons from Lancaster Baptist Church met with the members of the church in Fontana and discussed the details of joining together. Lancaster would supply the laborers and supplementary funds, and current members would continue to pray and stay faithful to God. On August 5, 2007, the members of Community Baptist voted unanimously to merge with Lancaster Baptist and become a satellite ministry.

Pressing On
Soon after the vote, Peter and Danielle began traveling with a group of West Coast Baptist College students to help with outreach and the Sunday services. The Lord blessed, and during that first year the chapel grew from five to forty in regular attendance on Sundays. The members were delighted to have the young people serving in their chapel. During a business meeting of the church, the secretary recorded the enthusiasm of the members:

“We have experienced the enthusiasm and well-planning of the people who have put to work the ideas of ‘Harvest Time’ and other various themes. We praise the Lord that people are being saved, which is the result of the outreach and the preaching of God’s Word by Brother Peter Mordh.”

This arrangement was working well, but it was obvious the church needed a more accessible pastoral presence. They needed the care of someone who could more readily visit members and meet needs during the week. The Lord impressed Pastor Chappell’s heart to invite Jonathan Trojan to serve in this role. Jon is a young man who grew up at Lancaster Baptist Church and recently graduated from West Coast Baptist College. He called Jonathan and asked if he would serve on staff at Lancaster Baptist and live in Fontana to serve as the pastor of the extension chapel.

Brother Trojan accepted the position, and since his transition the church has undergone major renovations. A joint effort of church members from Lancaster, Fontana, and West Coast Baptist College students has transformed the auditorium at the Fontana location. The team gave the auditorium a new, brighter atmosphere and expanded the seating capacity to 120 in anticipation of the continued growth.

Looking Ahead
The people of Community Baptist Church are excited! For the first time in years they have seen new families walk through their doors. They have seen people saved and baptized. They have seen their prayers answered beyond what they could have imagined. There is still much work to be done, and this promising work is a great open door for the Gospel. The church family at Community Baptist is asking the Lord to continue expanding their influence for Christ throughout San Bernardino County. Please pray that God will continue to bless this group of believers and their young preacher.