The Cellular Church Of The Santa Clarita Valley was founded in August of 1994 by the Missions Department and Latin American Ministries of the United Brethren in Christ.

After more than 10 years as part of the UBC, in the year 2004 the congregation of the Cellular Church Of The Santa Clarita Valley voted and approved to become part of the Misionary Church.

On Sunday, January 14 of 2007, The Cellular Church Of The Santa Clarita Valley was officially welcomed into the Missionary Church in a special service presided by the Rev. Mike Livingston and pastor Toby Lazo who is the Director of the Hispanic Ministries of the Missionary Church.

We are now part of the Missionary Church
Missionary Church

How it all started... Historic article written in 1995
This article appeared in the web page of the United Brethren in Christ... www.ub.org

Hispanic Ministries
Canyon Country

by: Steve Dennie

November 1995

Note in 2003: This article looks at the early days of the Canyon Country church. Edwin Recinos is still the pastor, but the church is called The Cellular Church and meets in a different location. The attendance now exceeds 500.

You've got to take the freeway quite a ways north of Los Angeles to reach Canyon Country, a nice, growing community among the hills and (as you might guess) canyons.

We started a church here in August of 1994, and it took off running right out of the gate. Why? Several reasons. Start with God's obvious blessing on this work. Add the fact that hardly anyone else is ministering to Hispanics in this particular area.

Then there's Edwin Recinos, the pastor. This is one very talented guy--teacher, songleader, businessman...leader.

The congregation rents two classrooms in the Christian education building of another church. One room is used for the nursery, the other for the sanctuary.

On this Monday night in July, probably 70 people gather to worship and learn. The service starts off with a lot of singing, which Edwin leads, accompanied by a worship team--three singers, a guitarist, a keyboard player, and a drummer (sitting in the front row striking three electronic pads). The words are displayed via overhead projector on a screen in the corner. There's a lot of sound coming out of that small room.

On this night, the visiting "dignitaries"--Missions director Kyle McQuillen and Latin American Ministries director Denis Casco--are invited to say a few words to the group (Edwin translates for Kyle). Reina Casco calls some youngsters to the front and sings a delightful song for them. Then it's time for Edwin to preach.

Or, rather, to teach.

Edwin is a gifted teacher. You don't need to understand Spanish to realize that. Just watch him as he delivers his "sermon." Microphone in hand, he walks across the front of the classroom speaking in a conversational voice. He interacts with listeners. He grabs something so use as an object lesson. The people nod their heads, laugh, refer to their Bibles. They are right with him.

The results of this strong teaching ministry are apparent to Denis Casco. He says Edwin's teaching has given this church a strong biblical and doctrinal foundation. One result is that their problems have been minimal. Another result is that the congregation just keeps growing and growing.

Edwin has also trained his people to share their faith.

"We tried different methods of reaching out to people," Edwin says. "One was the blitz, where we went into the community with a formal program. I noticed that people became nervous going out and knocking on doors. I realized that the people I was trying to get into evangelism were not ready to go out and speak as boldly as I wanted to."

So, he developed a method which he calls "casual evangelism." It's the friendship evangelism concept: rather than go out knocking on the doors of strangers, you focus on reaching the people you meet during the course of a regular day--neighbors, friends, coworkers, relatives, people at the gas station and laundromat and bus stop.

Edwin designed materials as thorough and nice-looking as you'll find anywhere in the denomination, and trained his people in starting conversations and sharing a simple explanation of the Gospel. About 40 people would meet in a home on a weeknight to learn to witness effectively.

"It's about being ready at any moment when God leads you to speak to someone about Christ," Edwin explains. "It is much easier for them to share the Gospel with people they are comfortable with. People feel more used by God, and I see more results. I see families coming, and neighbors, and other people around that Christian family."

Pastor Recinos speaks fluent English. However, he grew up in Guatemala.

"I became a Christian in 1981, when I was 18 years old--a person with a lot of 'teenage' problems," Edwin recalls. "I became a Christian through an evangelist. I experienced a wonderful change in my life, and became fully involved in my church."

Edwin immigrated to America in 1986 and settled into the Hispanic UB church at Burbank, headed by Pastor Luis Benitez. A few years later he met Denis Casco, who had come from Honduras to start churches in the Los Angeles area. He caught Denis' passion for planting churches and, in August of 1994, accepted the challenge of starting one in Canyon Country.

At the time, Edwin was Purchasing Manager for the Los Angeles Radisson Hotel, one of the city's largest hotels. It was an excellent job. For eight months, he continued in that job while also serving as pastor of a new church.

"I started to feel the need to fully focus on the church, but I was a little ambivalent about the economic aspects of it. I was so used to the security that my job gave me.

"Finally, God made his move in my life. He led my family into recognizing the church's need for a full ministry. Basically, God said, ?Trust me. If you go totally into the ministry, I will take care of finances."

So after ten years in the hotel business, Edwin left and embraced the pastorate.

"I can say that God is good. He has been wonderful with us. The church is young, but its resources seem to be multiplying. When a need comes, we are able to meet it. I'm blessed, and I'm happy to be a fulltime minister for God and the church."