Inland Lighthouse is buzzing with anticipation as preparations for the biannual Easter drama, “Forgiven,” kick into high gear.

For years, “Forgiven” has been drawing in crowds who might not otherwise darken the church’s doors but once they’re here, something incredible happens. They feel the power of God!

Now, behind the scenes, it’s all hands on deck. We’re talking rehearsals, tech setups, and costume fittings galore. Shoutout to the sound and tech crews who’ve been working tirelessly for weeks—hanging lights, testing mics, and setting all the scenes with sound effects and more.

And let’s not forget about the costume team. Seriously, they deserve a round of applause for managing outfits for over 150 cast members. That’s no small feat!

Oh, and props to the prop team.  They’ve been hustling also—building sets, gathering props, and soon will make the set you see pop!

But if there’s one person who deserves a standing ovation, it’s gotta be Sis Sarah Booker. She has been running on fumes for the past month, making sure everything’s running like a well-oiled machine.

With the big weekend just around the corner, we’re practically bursting with excitement. Who knows how many souls will be saved, how many lives will be changed, and what other miracles God has in store for us? One thing’s for sure—we can’t wait to find out. See you there!

Another great day of children’s ministry at Inland Lighthouse Church. We had great Sunday School across the board and are so thankful for all of the great teachers and help that God has blessed us with! Each class takes the time to decorate, plan and make the day special for the children in their care.

In the Superclass for ages 5 to nine, we moved our castle that had been created for the children’s revival into the fellowship hall for our main decorations, and it came out great! The transition from growing in the garden to the castle was interesting, and it was amusing to see Farmer Phil bonk his head while plowing and wake up in the kingdom.

All our classes taught about the power of the Holy Ghost as the final stage in speaking of the plan of salvation. Each class was marked with great altar calls, and we are thankful for what God did in our young people!

Our buses ended up picking up around 100 people from all across the Inland Empire, and it’s exciting to see God do great things in their lives.

Young Couples Recently, a new group was formed here at ILC for young married couples. The purpose of the group is to bring newlyweds together for fellowship as they transition into their new lives together. One of the focuses of the group is to empower them to build a foundation for a strong marriage as they navigate their futures according to Gods will.

This group came together recently to break bread, fellowship, to laugh and enjoy each other, and to receive an encouraging word. The Young Married Couples will be getting together quarterly to support one another and help build each other up while having a great time. If you’d like more info please contact Sis. Abby Avila at 714-745-9937

The importance of children at Inland Lighthouse Church can never be overstated. Both our pastor and Bishop have placed an emphasis on this age group for both the members of our church as well as those in our community. We have classes each Sunday morning with breakfast provided, six bus routes that cover the Inland Empire, and so much more in an effort to see God accomplish everything He wants to do for these precious young people.

To that same end, we had an incredible weekend that focused on our children. It was our annual children’s revival where we took our weekly Sunday school to the main sanctuary and shifted the focus to our kids. It was fun, exciting, and interactive, but above all, it was still church! And God did an incredible work!

Our Sunday school team worked tirelessly to set up absolutely incredible décor with a massive castle, a forest, and an interactive welcome area in the foyer. Saturday night, our local Sunday school team told the story of a traveler seeking the kingdom where we learned about the plan of salvation. It concluded with Pastor Tyler Hodge wrapping up the night, and we saw God do incredible things in the altar! We had three children receive the Holy Ghost for the first time and two baptized in Jesus’ name!

The next day was more of the same, except that Pastor Tyler Hodge, after some preliminaries, lead  the service and did an absolutely incredible job! He taught that only God should be sitting on the throne of your heart and people responded!  We had two more receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and two baptized in Jesus name! God was so good!

Thank you to everyone who made this incredible event happen and to our leadership that knows how important our young people are!

What a great time we had in all our classes! We taught on Baptism in Jesus name and one of our children received the gift of the Holy Ghost!

February 2-4, 2024 was our 18th annual winter youth retreat. We were excited to return back to Pine Summit in Big Bear. We had a record registration for any retreat outside of the church! This year we were blessed with the ministry of Bishop & Sis. Rick Mayo from Spokane, WA. From the very first song, the power and presence of God was made manifest in our midst. Friday night, Bro. Mayo preached a challenging message “A Revival of Quitters”. Young people lingered in the altars. Saturday morning was a special day for both our young men and young ladies. Bro. Mayo taught the young men about finding their identity as men and letting God use you. Sis. Mayo talked to our young ladies about the Holy Ghost, our treasure. Both sessions were followed by incredibly deep altar calls. Winter Retreat closed on Saturday evening with a powerful service. We are the “Impossible Generation” and we believe that God can do anything. This year’s Winter Youth Retreat was dynamic as young people built new altars of consecratio and our faith was lifted higher. We truly believe that lives were changed and destinies were altered. 

Winter Retreat is never complete unless you have fellowship, games and a little bit of snow. Our young people enjoyed basketball, volleyball, snowball fights and sledding.

Thank you to our Youth and College & Career staff for all your hard work to make Winter Youth Retreat 2024 happen.

We believe that the stage was set for an incredible year of revival and unity. Our hats are off to every young person! We believe in you, your future and stand “Holy Ghost” proud of you. We love every one of you! Let’s have revival together in 2024! 

This last rally was Holy Ghost filled as we saw four Sunday School kids speak in other tongues for the very first time! From the pre-class activity, to songs, class and bus awards, all the way to altar call, the air was buzzing with Holy Ghost electricity. During the weekend of a beyond incredible Winter Youth Retreat, we still had some youth determined to hop on their bus routes that Sunday morning, regardless of how little sleep they got the past 48 hours. As skeleton crews rolled out across four different cities, all five buses managed to bring back a whopping total of 106 kids!

A new offering challenge was presented in an effort to raise funds to help support the Riverside daughterwork! The last challenge that was completed was in support of the San Bernardino branch and the kids raised enough money to help them purchase a brand new table for their Sunday School class. We are so proud of our kids and their giving, we cannot wait to see what God will help them do for Riverside.

Bro. Julian Estrada led the rally with a powerful message about how we cannot get rid of sin on our own, but we are in desperate need of Jesus’ help. This was demonstrated in a captivating narrative that told the story of a man who had leprosy since he was a small boy and taken away from his home. When Jesus passed by all those many years later, the man reached out in desperation for Jesus to heal him. As soon as he was healed, the man ran back to his old home to proclaim the miracle that he just experienced. As long as there is a determination inside of each of us to want to be changed, we are never too far out of His reach to be forgiven, healed, or cleaned so that He can use us mightily for His Kingdom.

On Friday Night February 2, there was a Ladies Fellowship at Sis. Kim Martin’s home. The rain was pouring outside but the warmth of the gathering was worth the effort made to attend. We enjoyed. homemade tamales, burritos and much more. All the ladies who attended introduced themselves and shared with us a little bit about themselves and their families and their hobbies.

We left feeling much better acquainted. These fellowships are great times for ILC ladies to meet and make new friends. Thank you Sis Kim for opening your home to us.

We wanted to take a moment to remember a great man and pillar of Inland Lighthouse Church who has recently passed on to his reward, Rev. Richard Pierce.

Richard Alvin Pierce, a cherished husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, and devoted man of God, passed away at the age of 85. Born on June 16, 1938, in East Los Angeles, California, Richard’s early years were spent in Paso Robles and Monterey, where he developed a strong work ethic in his father’s upholstery shop.

Graduating from high school in Monterey in 1956, Richard’s journey took him to Vista, California. There, alongside his father and brothers, he continued honing his skills in the family business. His pursuit of education led him to San Diego State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering in 1960. It was at SDSU where he met Joyce Bonds, the love of his life. Their union in September 1961 marked the beginning of a loving and enduring partnership.

The young couple moved to Los Angeles, where Richard embarked on a career as an engineer. The birth of their daughter, Holly Bren, in 1966, and their son, Adam Reed, in 1969, added joy to their lives. A pivotal moment came in 1967 when Richard received the gift of the Holy Ghost and was baptized in Jesus’ name. His faith deepened, leading him to pastor the Apostolic Tabernacle in Costa Mesa, California, from 1975 until his retirement in 1997.

Post-retirement, Richard lived briefly in South Gate before settling in Rialto, California, where he attended Inland Lighthouse Church. He leaves behind his beloved wife of 62 years, Joyce Pierce; his daughter, Holly Garrett; his son, Adam Pierce; his son-in-law, Patrick Garrett; his daughter-in-law, Sharon Pierce; and seven grandchildren – Alexandria Flores, Caleb Pierce, Ian Garrett, Zachary Garrett, Jonathan Flores, Eunice Pierce, and Courtney Garrett. His legacy continues through his three great-grandchildren – Ember Flores, Luca Pierce, and Mateo Flores. He is also survived by his youngest brother, Roger Pierce.

Richard was a pillar of strength and an exemplar of faith. His life was a testament to his unwavering commitment to God, his family, his church, and his faith. A wonderful husband, an amazing father, grandfather, and great grandfather, Richard was a man of integrity, a preacher of the Gospel, and a true steward of God’s blessings. He will be deeply missed, but his legacy will continue to inspire those who knew him and loved him.

 “His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” – Matthew 25:21

Another great day of Sunday School at Inland Lighthouse! We began our series on the plan of Salvation starting with Repentance and what a great day we had in all of the classes!