The membership consisted of Pastor Art Wooten, First Lady Jacqueline Wooten, and their then tow year old daughter Jamia Wooten. There also about twenty friends and family members that made up this first service. however, there were still only the Wooten family on the church membership roster. The first service was held at Days Inn Hotel on University Street in the city of Riverside due to the fact
that there were now available spaces to have services in the city of Moreno Valley. After six months the church moved to Edgemont Elementary School, located in the city of Moreno Valley. The church membership consisted of 5 adults and 8 children. Soon God blessed and the church moved and worship services were held at Box Springs Elementary School. During this time the church began to grow by leaps and bounds. Wednesday night Bible Study was always held at the Pastor's home; however at this time the Bible Study outgrew the home. After about a year the church moved to a new location the enabled us to purchase our own chairs, carpet, sound system, piano, drums, and many other items that turned a warehouse into a beautiful sanctuary for God. The fruits were beginning to show from the seeds of commitment and dedication which had been planted; souls began to get saved and the Lord added to the church greatly. During one period of 60 days, the church accepted 90 souls into new membership. We were truly blessed by God. From such humble beginnings sprang a ministry which has made an indelible spiritual mark on thousands of residents in the Inland Empire are. Friendship Christian Fellowship Church soon outgrew their building and on Easter Sunday morning, 1994, we moved to a larger facility still in the city of Moreno Valley. In oreder to serve the members that worked on Sundays, God led Pastor Wooten to add an 8:00 AM Hour Of Power Worship Service. From the inception of this service, is has been a blessing to many and has grwon from a handful of members to many and is still growing. During the past years, we have done much to enhance and equip the saints. We have had ministers, deacons, and evangelist missionaries licensed as well as many elders ordained. The year of 2000 was a first of many Easter Resurrection Services to be held in the Moreno Valley Community Park. Souls were saved and many added to the church. The Lord also blessed us in the release of a Cd entitled: "Radah: Dominion in the Valley" (now "Just Praising the Lord"). We do not limit God. God has blessed us to be motivated by his spirit and not man's traditions. We are a soul winning church. Our soul sinning ministry has won many souls in the last ten years. We provide counseling for married couples, families and youth as well as clothing and food for the needy. We have an active hospital visitation ministry that ministers to the sick and shut-in. We also have a jail and prison ministry which go "beyond the walls" to reach th e forgotten harvest of inmates.We've added ministries that are a blessing to the community and our membership as well. Friendship seeks to meet the needs of the diverse population in the Inland Empire, providing spiritual guidance and growth for challenging times. We look to Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith, for much more.....
Throughout the years, the church has remained faithful to its goal of "Turning the world into the Church" as based on Luke 14:23 and its mission of instructing the lost about Jesus, inspiring the believers to intercede for the hurting and influencing the world. In January 2007, we moved to the city of Riverside where we served until we transitioned to this beautiful edifice where we are presently worshipping and serving God. As we look to the future and cpntinue to do His work, we know that the Lord has even greater works for us to perform as well as greater blessings for us to recieve. Our future goals are to continue winning the lost and equipping the body of believers. We truly desire to transform converts into disciples and will continue to do so until our Lord retunrs to take us to our final resting place. This is the history and current progress of the Friendship Christian Fellowhip Church of God in Christ. We will continue to build upon the solid rock for we know that this is the Lord's doing and it is marvelous in our eyes.
