2007 was a very turbulent year in the life of our humble, 26 year-old congregation. Our founding congregational leader departed and we had to be out of the building we had been renting for nearly 17 years by the end of December. Indeed, it was a tall order for the Lord! But He was faithful and by the beginning of summer, He resolved our first major hurdle when Larry Feldman graciously agreed to come onboard and serve as interim congregational leader. But where were we going to move? Even with real estate prices dropping in the L.A. area -- every property we looked at was way out of reach for us. As the year wore on and winter approached, it became a real test of faith for us all. God had brought us through so much...but here we were at the water's edge of the Red Sea -- and those waters were not parting! Then, lo and behold -- it happened: The Bridge Bible Fellowship (formerly Shepherd's Community Church) had merged with another congregation and their property had become available for lease -- but would they lease it to us had remained the burning question on all of our minds. It was during the first week of December that we received the joyous phone call that we were in! On December 13th we made the move and we had our first official service on December 16th. God came through at the 11th hour! (He does that sometimes, doesn't He?)

On June 1st, 2008, we had a wonderful, joy-filled dedication service wherein the leadership officially recognized all our faithful members who so sacrificially stepped up in so many different areas. We couldn't have done it without you! What could have shipwrecked us has made us stronger than ever! We are forever grateful to Paul Brown and the elders at Bridge Bible Fellowship. We are grateful to Steve Highfill of the EFCA for his wise counsel throughout our ordeal. We are grateful to all of you who stood by us with your prayers, support and encouragement. And last -- but certainly not least -- we are eternally grateful to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob for preserving, protecting and providing for us -- and even adding to our numbers in the midst of all that has transpired! We've have grown nearly 30% since we've been in our new facility! There's a very real and palpable sense of excitement about the future of Beth Ariel. God is clearly moving in our midst as we fulfill our mandate to "REACH OUT to Jews and Gentiles, RECONCILE them to God and one another, and to RAISE them UP to live godly and effective lives."

The short video below was played for our members on the day of our dedication service. It brought back many precious memories for our special family.



launch video