GBFPC News

Winter Youth Camp 2012

2012-02-11T16:10:00.000-08:00

2012.

Wow, its amazing that we're here already!

WYC 2012 was a thrilling success, and many of our youth found a mountaintop experience with God.

As you can see, the chapel went up in spiritual flames through the power-packed preaching of Brother Brandon Wilmoth. He taught on Sins Cyclical Seasons the first night, and my what a powerful move of the Holy Ghost filled that place.

He gave us something to hold onto, a red streamer that is. He told us that his mother had many tough times in her teens trying to make it to church without parents who supported her. Oftentimes all she could do was hold onto this red streamer that was given to her at a camp just like this.

Each of us took one of these streamers. And began to thank
Jesus for the blood that he shed on Calvary.
The response was amazing!

Barak Grogan.

Worshipping God.

Patriotic to the core!

Haha.

Bryson Rodriguez.

Getting anointed.

Skyler Grogan.

Solomon's Counterpart.

Emma Frost.

//Sweet

Anointing Fall on Me//

Father Abraham had many sons.
And many sons had Father Abraham.

Lauren Kaufman.
Yes Lord!

This is just a taste of what the WYC 2012 services were like this year. Every year, it is great to see how the young people respond to the Word of God. And the response was phenomenal.

The services were all very impacting. Brother Wilmoth did an excellent job following the anointing and preaching his heart out to these great young people.

SO... What Else Happens at WYC Behind the Scenes?

Huhh uh Huhh... Whew outta breath!

But...we made it to the our prized destination.

On our way back home.

Whoops watch your step.

The air was so fresh and clean.

The Hike is definitely one of the prized activities at WYC.

Then came time for Basketball!

Bro Wilmoth blocking the shot.

He's still got it!

Watch out for this guy!

Bryson Rodriguez steals the game with this classic block.

Symmetric and everything.

Nick: "Its so bright out here. Should've brought my sunglasses."

Barak: What's wrong Skyler?

Skyler: "Oh nothing. Just sooo wish I was playing right now."

Kevin: "Me too. Meee too..."

Nothing like watching the game from an elevated platform!

And all the other good stuff:

FISHING

Our Youth Pastor Jeremy Brock.

I so wish I could have had some of that trout.

Mmm. Haha.

PING PONG

Peyton. Waiting for the serve.

UPSET THE FRUIT BASKET

The Classic game of the WYC.

Don't slip now.

THE BOND FIRE

In a fire place.

FUSE BALL

It was fuse ball with a slight twist.

A mouse had made its home inside the goalposts.

So.. while we were playing fuse ball, the mouse was playing dodgeball.

A LITTLE MUSIC

Where would we be without these guys?

Not all of our fabulous musicians are pictured here, but they are great.

All of them.

Well folks. That was your snapshot on WYC 2012. It was a great mountaintop experience, that no young person should miss! A great big thanks to all the volunteers of the kitchen: Sister Karen Newton, and a new couple making their debut as regulars Brother and Sister Kiffer Black. Also in the kitchen were Brother and Sister Grogan, Sister Garza, and all those that volunteered as servers. Also a big thanks to our youth leaders Brother and Sister Brock. They put hours into making this camp extra special for the young people. Thank you! And to all the musicians, singers, and Brother Chad Bradley for all the sound-tech details. We certainly have a blessed youth group!

If you missed this year, join us next year for a power-packed and anointed time on the mountain.

Until then:

SAYONARA.

Church Appreciation Banquet 2011

2011-12-08T12:42:00.000-08:00

The Banquet is a doozy!

Why? Cause it happens once a year, and there's food!

If you missed this one of a kind event then you really missed out. There was plenty of food to feed like 5,000 people! Well, maybe not that many, but I'm sure God would make a way if there were that many. All the saints had a great time sharing one another's company and looking back on a great year.

As we do every year, we all worked on a sheet of Brain teasers. The table that had the answer to question number nine was first to be dismissed. Surprisingly, almost every table had their hands raised, and Brother Richard Firo came through with the touchdown. Great job table #1! The food was great as always, and then came the fun part. The speakers.

Bishop Frost opened the night in prayer for the food and then passed the mic on to Pastor Bradford for the Leader presentations.

Brother Rangel. He talked about the Spanish Church's plans in the near future.

The Spanish Church is thriving and growing in East Bakersfield and Brother Rangel has done a great job pastoring this fine church. One main point that he highlighted was the plans on the horizon. He mentioned that they have never had an english speaking service since the church's birth. However, he is now considering adding this type of service to bring in some of the kids and other english speaking families into the church.

Brother Frank Cabrera highlights the major progress that the Shafter church has seen within the last year.

The church in Shafter has been attracting many young children, and through the children the church hopes to reach the parents as well. Brother Cabrera had many great stories to tell such as this. One that stands out, however, is how they went outreaching in the city, and they invited this older lady to come to church. She told Brother Cabrera later that she had been praying that God would lead her to a church, so she said in her heart that the one group that invites me to church, thats where I'll go. This really shows how powerful a tool outreach is to the church. The Shafter church is starting to fill up rather quickly, and pretty soon they'll need a van to pick up children and their families around town. Great things are already happening in Shafter!

Brother Jeremy described how great of a youth group we have at GBFPC.

Our youth group is one of the finest you'll find! Brother Jeremy recognized some of the youth leaders of 2011. Sister Danielle Parriott has always been a tremendous help. She has been a faithful choir director throughout the years, and she loves working with the youth to bring out their potential in singing and praising God.

He mentioned how great a help Brother Randy Newton has been. He works with the chorale in finding great worship songs to sing and is always there to lend a helping hand. He is also over the media side of things in the sound booth.

Breanna Frost has also been there to help Brother Jeremy with things that needed to be done in the youth department. Breanna also took the volunteer of the year award for the Sunday School department. Great Job Breanna!

Then Brother Jeremy got on the topic of the volunteer of the year for the youth department. This person is very special he said. He is always there to lend a helping hand and whenever Brother Jeremy needed something he was always first to jump to the task. This young person also is a praise singer and part of both the Adult and Youth Choir, and has a great attendance record for both. Ladies and Gentlemen, the volunteer of the year award for the youth department is your very own
Gary Newton. Great job this year Gary, keep up the good work!

Brother Richard Firo presenting for the Prison Ministry and Men's Home

Brother Firo is excited with how much progress they have made this year in the prisons. God has continued to open doors for Chaplain Firo to go in and start churches on different yards. Ironwood State Prison and the Bethel Church are a couple of the churches that have been started and are thriving as we speak. Brother Firo has a real heart toward these men wants to see them saved and filled with the Holy Ghost.
The volunteer of the year for this department came down to two men who help Brother Firo tremendously: Brother Steve Wilson and Brother Ben Barraza. These two men are always there for Brother Firo. And for the volunteer of the year for the prison ministry, he chose Brother Steve Wilson. This man, he said, is his right hand man, he's always there to teach and preach from 6am in the morning on Sunday to 4pm that afternoon. Great job Brother Steve! Please keep the prison ministry, the churches that are started, and the ministers of the prisons in your prayers. They covet your prayers greatly!

Brother Nate Ruiz presented for the Usher and Greeting Ministry

This ministry plays a tremendous role in making our visitors and guests feel welcome. Brother Nate recently within the past few months took over this ministry and passed the teaching of the Junior High class onto Brother Chad and Mellissa Bradley. There are many expectations from this ministry and Brother Nate could not do it without one special person who has helped him from service to service faithfully. The man he chose for the volunteer of the year was Brother Shannon Pettis. This man is a joy to be around. He always helps out it any way that he can, and he certainly makes you feel welcome. Great job Bro!

Brother Mark McAllister and Brother Shawn Pettis present the award for the Singers and Musicians.

Our musicians and singers are some the most gifted people out there. The dedication and passion that each one of these saints of God possess is priceless. Brother Shawn extended thanks to all that had fantastic attendance records for choir over the past year. Then Brother McAllister stepped up to say a few words of his fantastic crew of musicians. He sincerely expressed his thanks and gratitude to the fine young men that put up with him three days a week. "Each of you has a tremendous talent, but remember to ALWAYS use this talent to praise God". We could all see how much Brother McAllister really loves these boys and appreciates their service to God. Among the young musicians are:
Trent Johnston, Jake Kaufman, Bryson Parriott, Drew Fields and Kevin Forsythe.

I'm sure it was a tough decision for Brother Mark to select the volunteer of the year, because each one of them does so well and are all very faithful. However, the standout musician for 2011, and this year's volunteer of the year for the Music Ministry was Jake Kaufman. He is our bass player, and a very faithful musician to brother McAllister. Great job Jake!

The Women's Ministry

I did not get a picture for Sister Debbie Condren, however, she presented and expressed her gratitude to all the ladies in the church for all their help throughout 2011. She said that whenever she needed anything, she would send out a mass text to all the ladies saying, that she needed desserts for a funeral, or a fundraiser, and they were always quick to help.

For the volunteer of the year, Sister Debbie expressed that she could not do any of this without one special lady. She always helped cook and prepare large meals for special occasions and did whatever she could to help Sister Debbie. This years volunteer of the year for the Women's department was Sister Michelle Flores. Your an inspiration Sister Michelle, keep it up!

Pastor Bradford concludes by presenting the Pastor's Volunteer of the Year award for 2011.

The Pastor's Volunteer of the year award is a special one. The man that was selected for this award is strong in his faith and very much dedicated to God. He is a man of authority in his own right. And his job is tremendously dependent on the direction that a service goes. Pastor couldn't have picked a better person for this award, and this year's Pastor's Volunteer of the Year goes to Brother Mark McAllister.
We all love and appreciate you bro, keep up the great work!

Then came the ballot count for the volunteer of the year. The ballots were counted and here are the runner-ups. Coming in third with a good amount of votes was Sister Michelle Flores. This is a well-deserved honor for this great lady. The second runner-up is a couple that is very special and have recently taken over the head of the Van and Bus Ministry. With a whopping (?) amount of votes, your second runner-up was Brother and Sister Randy Newton Sr. They really deserve this for their hard work. Now the volunteer of the year was a young man by the name of Matt Forsythe. I believe I spelled his name correctly, he'll have correct me if I'm wrong. He was too embarrassed to say a word when Pastor Bradford handed him the mic, probably because his heart was beating at like 180bpm, while everyone was chanting, "Speech, Speech, Speech!" Great job to the Volunteer of the year and all the runner-ups!

Well, there you have it. The year of 2011 is almost done and over with, and we are on the verge of a new year with great expectations. Lets let God use us to reach more people in 2012 for this is our purpose to reach out in love.

"A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."
John 13:34-35

A Great Man's Great Life

2011-12-06T10:22:00.000-08:00

Brother Randy Dale Kendrick

Sunrise: December 12, 1946 Sunset: November 29, 2011

A great man, a prankster, a man of God, a man of love, a noble friend to many. These qualities barely scratch the tip of the iceberg in describing what Brother Kendrick has meant to so many people. A testimony to how great this man really was, is that over one-hundred preachers showed up to his funeral from all around the world.

There was over 100 preachers that filled GBFPC's platform Friday morning for the funeral.

He was a great man, and might I add a successful man, because he finished the race on fire for God. The story behind Brother Randy being a successful man is based on Brother I. H. Terry's response to this simple question: "Reverend this man seems to be a successful preacher, isn't he?". And Brother Terry gave some words of wisdom saying, "There are no successful preachers until they have died, living their whole life to the Lord". This was one of the stories shared by Brother Vaughn Morton, and we are all witnesses to the successful finish of this great man of God.

Elder Vaughn Morton had many things to highlight of Brother Kendrick's Life.

There were twelve speakers and one main speaker, that said a little something about what Brother Randy Kendrick meant to them, and I'm sure the other 87 preachers wanted to as well.

Here's a few of the speakers:

Brother Kenny Kendrick. His brother.
"Randy didn't like to lose. I could
never beat him!"

Pastor Stephen Miraflor. Son in Law.
"He loved to pull pranks. If something
didn't seem right look for Randy."

Pastor Larry Booker. Friend.
"He shot the moon!!! And he won!"
You see. Brother Randy was losing so bad in some popular card game and Brother Booker was stoked that he
was going to beat him for once, until Randy shot the moon. This meant that if Randy got dealt a hand kind of like a
full house in the game of Yahtzee, then he would steal ALL the points from everyone and likely win the game. And
he did just that.

Pastor Ronnie Lawrence. Friend.
"Nope. He didn't like to lose and it
seems that he was first here too."

Pastor David Webb. Brother in Law.
"He was quite the prankster. But
being part of the family gives you an
in on a lot of things"

Elder Vaughn Morton

"This was one successful man!"

Pastor Tim Copeland. Friend
"Death does not mean the end of
this man. We'll see him again
someday."

Pastor Noe Trevino. Close friend
"He counted me as part of the family.
When we stayed in a hotel, he had
our names posted on the door. My
name was Noe Kendrick. Haha."

Brother Jonathan Kendrick. His Son.
"My dad did love to pull pranks. Once he spent hours constructing an invisible fish line from the side wall, onto the ceiling and attached to the curtain. Then when my mother came in, he pulled the string and said. Honey there's an evil spirit in here! 'Oh, Randy stop it', was her response."

Brother Randy is a man that will surely be missed by many, many people. He was a man that was in love with truth, the One God message, and embraced his family and friends in his own special way. And it seems fitting to end with his favorite Bible passage of all, Psalm 51.

Psalm 51

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.

O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.

For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.

Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

We will miss you Brother Randy.

The YPOWT Bonfire

2011-11-19T03:02:00.000-08:00

S'mores, Hot Cocoa and a Little bit of Singing

What a dazzling display of sweltering flames that cloaked the susceptible marsh-mellows! Thanks to my new app/game on the iPad called W.E.L.D.E.R. (Word Examination Laboratory for Dynamic Extraction and Reassessment), I am able to create such a diverse sentence. Wow. In a more straight forward form, the marsh-mellows that we all roasted over the fire, most of them at least, caught fire and made excellent s'mores. Some people, like myself roasted over medium to light heat in order to get that gooey center and no burn marks. Others stuck their marsh-mellows in the direct flames and had a nice well done black blob. I personally cannot bear the thought of consuming such a thing. However, we all had a blast making these one of a kind creations.

The Fire Pit! Isn't it Great?

Thanks to our fearless leaders, Brother Jeremy Brock and Sister Kelly, we were able to construct this unique fire pit right in the middle of the church park. The youth gathered around the fire with lawn chairs and blankets, and we just had a great time.

Let the Music Begin!

The Conga. Not a Congo, it's a Conga.

Thanks to Trent Johnston, we were able to jam to a beat from the Congas. In the picture the guys, several musicians and some aspiring, are going freestyle. Some could play faster than a bolt of lightning, while others used their talent to create some pretty cool beats. And I think we may be seeing the rise of a new guitarist. Give it up for Skyyyyyler Grrrrogan! Now this is a pretty cool move on Skyler's part, he's playing a C-Chord without even touching the strings, you have to look closely to see what I'm saying. Pretty cool move Skyler! But we'd have to give it up for our guitarist behind the scenes, Kevin Forsythe! He did a great job playing his plethora of songs that just kept on coming.

Skyler showing his tremendous talent.

And Last but Not Least the Singing...

Now this was not intended, but the pictures that were taken, two in total, showed the C-Squared group gathered in one photo and the High School/Junior High in the other. We sang Making Melodies in my Heart, and I'll leave it up to you to decide who sang their their hearts out in this one.

Here is the Junior High/High School

Can you guess what part of the song we're on? Here is the C-Squared along with newlyweds

Chad and Melissa Bradley:

Whew, that took some energy! What a great night we had hanging out with great friends and awesome youth leaders. We really connected with one another and learned many different things such as how to make a medium rare s'more sandwich. Yummy. If you missed this bonfire hangout, be sure to make the next one, because its only once in a great while that you can have the greatest fire-roasted dessert on planet Earth, the S'more.

A great big thanks to Brother Jeremy Brock and Sister Kelly for the great Hot Chocolate and Bonfire. There would be no fire without you both. Literally. We love and appreciate each of you.

Keep a look-out for the next Bonfire extravaganza!

Bethel Days 2011

2011-10-30T15:27:00.000-07:00

Let's take a peek into a special day that happens only once a year:

BETHEL DAY

The great Tug of War was a great event to end the day at Bethel Days 2011. The men faced their rivals, the ladies, and were put to the test. I'm sure the men were thinking, "We got this", going into the challenge, but the ladies pulled through with an astounding win. As you can see in the background Agent Catherine Ross working in the K-9 unit distracts the men by targeting them with silly string. Now let's rewind a bit..

The kids had a blast participating in the booths that were set up by numerous Bethel Day Volunteers. The work that went into each of these booths must have been time-consuming because each one looked amazing!

Heroes in Action! Yes, heroes they are indeed. The object of this game was to target the bandit and hit him in the face with a large sponge. Pictured here is your Heroes in Action hostess Breanna Frost and Todd Hall as your bandit. Krissa scores one big here when she smacks Todd right in the nose. Nice one!

This was a pretty cool idea for a Bethel Day Booth. Sis Denise came up with the theme Bubble War Heroes through her fantastic research. Apparently, in World War II there was a soldier that blew a bubble gum bubble the size of one and a half large pizzas! Now, I could only blow a 5-inch bubble and once I did so, it popped and stuck to my face not wanting to come off, however Todd Hall and David deserve credit for the largest bubbles of the day at a whopping 9 inches in diameter for each.

We can assure you that the kids took a step back in time to the days of our 16th President Abraham Lincoln. Jesse Suits is pictured here, Honest Abe himself, giving the kids a taste of what the days were like when Lincoln lived in a log cabin and read stories around the campfire.

And of course, the K-9 demonstration was a popular hit with the whole family. The officer on the left is pictured wearing the K-9's favorite toy, the arm glove. Now this dog wasn't messing around, he really wanted that toy, and when he was let loose he nearly tore the officers arm off. "Good boy, good boy", was the officers response.

Now this is only half of the revered Bethel Day, the real fun happens at the park where the Bethel Boys and the Oats duke it out in an annual football game. Let's see how they did shall we...

Here, Referee Rick Young is pictured at the bottom left, ready to throw his yellow flag down whenever he sees a violation. Center for the Oats is Darin, here he is getting ready to hike to Chad Condren the infamous Oats quarterback. The Oats are pictured in the red jersey's, and the Bethel Boys are wearing their custom made black football jersey's. Also, at the top right of the picture is one of the mic stands on the announcing table. This game was thoroughly entertaining with your BETHEL announcers: Chad Bradley and Laren Kaufman. The sound effects were spot on, every time the Oats would huddle, jeopardy music would come on, and Chad and Laren would say,"Is that your final answer?"

Bethel Day 2011 ending on a solemn note with some and an extremely happy note with others. Notably, the Oats were ecstatic that they won the game against the Bethel Boys of 2011 for the second year in a row with a score of 21 to 42. The boys did a great job in the game regardless of who won or lost. This just goes to show that the Oats still have some steam left in the tank in their post-Bethel Boys adventure. A big thanks from all the football players goes to Bro Gary Newton and those who helped him lay dirt on the field to prep it for the game and to Bro Jeremy Brock for using his GPS techniques to accurately line the field. Great job guys!

This event is very special to all of us, in that it brings us all together for some great family fun. To all the volunteers: booth volunteers, cooks, Snack Shack, clean-up crew, the excellent corn-n-the-cob cooks, the field work and lining put down for the football field, and all the behind the scenes work that was put into this event, a great big Thank You to all that helped out in any way possible. This event would not be possible without you. And if you missed out this year, be sure to make BETHEL DAY 2012, its going to be awesome!

Marriage Enrichment Seminar

2011-10-11T14:54:00.000-07:00

We are very excited to have Bro. and Sis. Carr as our speakers for an evening and afternoon of focus on strengthening marriage. Don't miss it!

Come Join Us Sept. 25th for "Church Faire"

2011-09-08T14:29:00.000-07:00

September 25th we will be having morning worship with friends, and an evening of Praise & Worship. The morning service is geared toward introducing ourselves to our guests. Each ministry of the church will create a display communicating what is offered in their field of labor. This will be a great opportunity to meet and greet, ask questions, create contacts, and in general, find out "who's in charge of?...."

The night service will be another opportunity to find out about church information, and the service will be an evening of Praise & Worship. The adult and youth choirs will be singing, along with the Praise & Worship teams, and we will be highlighting the project "Roots of 65."

This will be a great day and we invite you to attend both services. Blessings.

Mother's Day Luncheon

2011-05-09T16:51:00.000-07:00

The GBFPC ladies were honored Mother's Day weekend at a luncheon and the "fellas" were so kind to prepare and serve the meal. The speaker this year was Sis. Penny Watkins and the ladies all had a wonderful time. Can't do it without Mom!

GBFPC Men Showing Support

2011-01-06T23:52:00.000-08:00

Here are some additional pictures that were not featured in the newspaper article.

Congregation Shows Solidarity With Pastor Suffering From Cancer

2011-01-06T13:05:00.000-08:00

Article courtesy of The Bakersfield Californian
Article originally published on January 5, 2010
By Jason Kotowski, Californian Staff Writer
Photos by Michael Fagans, Californian Photographer

The doors to Greater Bakersfield's First Pentecostal Church opened Tuesday evening and a stream of men, all with little or no hair, made their way down the aisle and lined up in rows.

Pastor Kevin Bradford watched for a moment, and then his smile grew wider as he realized what was happening. This wasn't going to be a typical prayer service.

The men and boys, about 80 in all, had shaved their heads in a show of support for Bradford, who was diagnosed in early December with cancer. He announced his illness to the congregation on Sunday, told them he was shaving his head in preparation for chemotherapy, and afterwards groups of churchgoers talked it over and decided to break out the razors.

They kept their decision a secret until the prayer service.

Bradford, 40, was stunned.

"I am so very grateful and thankful," he said. "I do want to apologize to all the wives."

The men then joined him in singing, followed by prayers.

Raymond Andreas, who attends the church, said this is the shortest his hair has been in 11 years. He said it was moving to see so many people participate.

"This shows solidarity for them to set their pride aside to support the pastor," Andreas said.

Laren Kaufman said he usually has a thick head of hair, and he went about cutting it Sunday in three stages.

He chose to go completely bald and he, like many others, brought knit caps to help protect against the chilly night air.

He didn't mind the slight discomfort the cold caused.

"We're just blessed to have the pastor we have," Kaufman said.

Others said they felt the same way.

"He's not only our pastor, but like a best friend," said churchgoer Randy Newton. "We cherish and love this man."

Colby Condren described Bradford as generous and outgoing. And very healthy. Condren said it was a shock to hear Bradford had cancer because he keeps himself in great shape.

"He's the healthiest guy I've ever known," Condren said.

Bradford, who's married with two children, said he was diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He underwent surgery to have an axillary lymph node removed, and he had his first chemotherapy treatment Monday.

He said that, in talking with doctors, he's learned that many people who recover from illness often have large support groups. Bradford's congregation let him know Tuesday that he's got plenty of people pulling for him.

"I'm just completely overwhelmed by the support of the church and I'm glad to be a part of these great people," he said.

Missions Conference 2010

2010-12-04T20:58:00.000-08:00

… I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. John 4:35

We were blessed to have five foreign countries represented at the GBFPC Missions Conference this year. Bro. Shreckhise (Honduras) and Bro. Debrun (Marshall Islands) both preached tremendous messages on Thursday and Friday nights. Bro. Wheeler (Philippines) and Bro. Keith Nix concluded on Sunday and we had wonderful time in the Holy Ghost.

From left to right: Bro. Lawrence, Bro. Eckels, Bro. Solomon, Bro. Debrun, Bro Shreckhise, Bro. McMillan and Pastor Bradford

Bro. Shreckhise

Bro. Keith Nix

Bro. Wheeler

The Around the World Dinner is always a great time of food and fellowship. It gives us a chance to meet each missionary family and learn more about each country. There were eight different food booths each representing a different country or region and an international bakery. From Chow Mein to Fried chicken and from Lasagna to Pickled Tongue, we had it all. There was something there for every palate. I think it’s safe to say that no one left hungry.

The Southern Booth with Sis. Denise, Sis. Genie, and Sis. Michele

Scotland with Sis. Jamie, Sis. Sherrie, Sis. Tammy and Sis. Teresa

China with Sis. Mona, Sis. Shandi, and Sis. Kaufman

The International Bakery with Sis. Bradford, Sis. Gregg, Sis. Stacy and a few admirers

Sis. Solomon and Sis. Wheeler

Bro. Keith Nix

The Day After

2010-11-07T13:44:00.000-08:00

“And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” -Revelations 22:12

This year at GBFPC, the YPOWT youth group put together a phenomenal play. The play told the story of a group of young people’s decisions at the second coming of Jesus Christ. Some chose to follow the Bible, and lived a life devoted to God. Meanwhile, there were others in the play who were distant and unmoved by the matter, thinking that there would be plenty of time to make things right. The message was extremely realistic and impacted many of its’ viewers. With so many reliable volunteers, everything was carefully organized and successful. The play was performed on October 15th and 16th and there were impacting altar services both nights.

Pastor Bradford giving opening remarks the first night

Chris (Bryce Cosme) invites Alicia (Lacey Newton) to a revival service

The singers and musicians did excellent

The last church service before the Rapture

All of the youth hang out at the local pizza parlor after service

Mark (Trent Rodriguez) doesn't tell good jokes - "ANYONE WANNA' BUY A POLLO?"

A family's last dinner together before the return of the Lord

Cody and Sis Michelle

Landon (Jordan Johnson) tries to convince his sister, Lauren (Brittney McAlister), to serve God

Andre (Chad Bradley), Eva (Eva Rivas), and Mark (Trent Rodriguez) await for their typical ride for school

Derek (Daniel Granillo) realizes that Jesus has returned leaving him behind

Those that were left behind return to the church realizing it is too late to reconcile with the Lord

The Antichrist (Bro CJ Casey) addresses those taking the "mark"

Mark is force to take the Mark of the Beast

A soul (Stephany Bradley) has entered into heaven

"Well done, my good and faithful servant!" say Jesus (Laren Kaufmann) to Alicia

"Depart from me!" Jesus tells the unfortunate (Jace O'Guinn) as the demons of hell approach

Entering the Judgement, Andrew (Chad Bradley)

The Hell scene

Satan (Buddy Purtell) confronts the crowd

Bethel Day

2010-11-02T22:18:00.000-07:00

We had our annual Bethel Day fundraiser on Saturday, October 30th and it was a huge success. Over 250 people attended this event including students, student families, visitors and GBFPC members. We had game booths, a snack shack, bounce house and face painting, wheel barrow races, toe sack races, tug o' war, a dunk tank, and fun, fun, fun. The Kern County Fire Dept. and the Bakersfield Police K-9 unit also made a showing.

I wouldn't be a GBFPC event if we didn't have some praise and worship. We were blessed by our Youth Choir once again.

The highlight of Bethel Day is always the annual football game between the Bethel Boys and OATS (others, alumni, teachers and staff). It was a close game with the OATS winning 21-14.

The OATS

The Bethel Boys

Bro. Harold Dansby and Bro. Kevin Condren cooked up a spectacular tri-tip dinner that was enjoyed by all.

Enjoying the puppet show

Tyler taking a dip in the chocolate fountain

Thank you Bethel Staff and GBFPC Sunday School Dept. for all of your hard work!

Peru Mission's Team Lands Safely In LA

2010-06-28T09:26:00.000-07:00

***UPDATED***: The mission's team has arrived safely at GBFPC. Thank you for your continued prayers, financial support and desire to see the Kingdom of God grow during this trip. May God bless all of you. We will be having a presentation during Thursday night's worship service detailing the Peru Mission's Trip.

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After flying all night from Iquitos, Peru, the team has landed safely in Los Angeles. They are expected to arrive at GBFPC around noon.

Days Six & Seven- Iquitos Crusade Concludes

2010-06-27T13:48:00.000-07:00

The Peru Missions Trip concluded Sunday with a powerful move of the Holy Ghost at the Iquitos Training Center. Bro. Bradford charged the Iquitos young people to lead the church in worship and to allow the Holy Ghost to define the church.

The service concluded with Bro. Bradford calling the GBFPC team to the front of the church. He instructed Bishop Nix and the Peruvian ministry to lay hands on and anoint our young people. Then, he instructed the GBFPC team and the Peruvian ministry to lay hands on and anoint Bishop and Sis. Nix. After, he instructed the Iquitos Training Center to come forward and the GBFPC team to minister to them.

Bro. and Sis. Bradford each ministered to the the preachers and their wives in a training session this morning. Bro. Jeremy Brock then ministered to the church and was followed by Bro. Bradford.

At the crusade service last night, Randy, Brittney and Heidi ministered in a Spanish rendition of Freedom. Bro. Bradford ministered last night also. Several people received the Holy Ghost and were healed in the three crusade services.

The team will be flying from Iquitos to Lima tonight. They will then fly overnight from Lima to Los Angeles and arrive around 8:30 am. Please continue to pray for the team's safe return home.

Day Five- Iquitos Crusade Begins

2010-06-25T23:22:00.000-07:00

Day five of the Peru Missions Trip concluded with a crusade and a powerful move of the Holy Ghost at the Training Center in Iquitos. The crusade opened with Bishop Nix asking those who were sick to come up to the front so the ministry could pray for them. A first time visitor came to the front and began to pray. She received the Holy Ghost and later took off her neck brace while testifying that she believe God healed her.

Bro. Bradford ministered and at least one other person received the Holy Ghost and many of the local members were renewed in the Holy Ghost.

Earlier in the day, the team visited local churches and prayed that God would send the churches great revival. The team also visted a local market and witnessed a rooster being slaughtered`

Days Three & Four- Snake Farm, Amazon & Floating Restaurant

2010-06-23T23:28:00.000-07:00

Days three and four of the Peru Missions Trip are complete. While on a boat tour of the Amazon River, the team visited a snake farm complete with monkeys, snakes, birds and other animals. After the snake farm visit, the boat tour took the team into remote areas of the Amazon near Iquitos to get a glimpse of the villages on the Amazon.

After the tour of the Amazon River, the team headed back to the hotel to prepare for one of the highlights of the trip: eating dinner at the world famous floating restaurant on the Amazon River.

Today, the team visited the Iquitos Zoo and an Indiana church located in the Amazon that is pastored by Bro. Miguel Angelo. There were several first time visitors in service tonight and many of them were young children. The GBFPC young people led them in two Sunday School songs and one worship song. Bro. Chad Bradley did a Word Shot and Bro. Jeremy Brock preached.
The team will be helping the headquarters church in Iquitos with outreach for crusades on Friday and Saturday. Please continue to keep us in your prayers and check back for more updates.

Peru Missions Trip--Day Two

2010-06-22T22:33:00.000-07:00

Day two is in the books. Today, we toured the Iquitos Training Center where the last team from GBFPC helped to construct a back room that now has a stove, two sinks, two full restrooms and running water. The back room also houses a satellite campus of the Lima Bible College.

Later in the evening, our team visited a smaller church in Iquitos that is pastored by Bro. Florez. Both Bro. Bradford and Bro. Brock ministered and the young people ministered in song.

Tomorrow, the team will be headed into the Amazon to visit a snake farm and have dinner on the floating restaurant.

Peru Missions Trip Begins

2010-06-22T01:15:00.000-07:00

***UPDATED***: We've landed safely in Iquitos, Peru and we have checked into our hotel. We are preparing to go to lunch in Iquitos. After lunch we will be returning to the hotel and preparing to go to Bro. Flores' church in Iquitos. More pictures and updates will follow in the days to come...

Fifteen people departed GBFPC on Monday, June 21 for Iquitos, Peru. The purpose of the trip is to hold crusades in Iquitos and to promote the local churches. Please check back for regular updates...

Mother's Day Luncheon

2010-04-28T21:12:00.000-07:00

Join Us For Revival Services

2010-04-19T09:11:00.000-07:00

GBFPC would like to invite you to join us for revival services Monday, April 19; Tuesday, April 20; and Thursday, April 22. All three services begin at 7 pm and the church is open for prayer at 6:30 pm. Revival services will continue on Sunday, April 25 at 10 am and 6 pm. Rev. Franco Platania is the guest speaker. Revival services began with Rev. Platania on Thursday, April 8 and since then, at least seven people have been baptized in the name of Jesus and at least six people have received the gift of the Holy Ghost. GBFPC is located at 1418 W. Columbus Avenue.

Snow Trip 2010

2010-01-06T22:38:00.000-08:00

Snow Trip 2010 will be Feb. 4-7 at Sierra Christian Camp. The camp speaker will be Bro. Michael Barrier from Rialto, CA. Camp registration is $65 per person. Registration is open to all members of YPOWT Youth Ministries. Registration is due Jan. 31.
Camp activities include worship services, sports, games, hiking, arts and crafts.
Please see Bro. Jeremy Brock or Sis. Marlene Grogan or call the church office for registration information or if you have any questions. The phone number is 661-323-2851.

New News Blog

2009-11-17T13:44:00.000-08:00

Greetings! A team of news hounds will be posting here in the future - all things GBFPC.