In the early 1920s, Bishop John Caldwell was instructed by God to relocate to San Diego from the Midwest in order to further the territory where the Gospel of Jesus Christ was being preached. Two years later in 1924, along with his wife Margaret, Bishop arrived in San Diego to fulfill the instruction of the Lord. As the small work they founded began to grow, he began visiting the national conventions of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World. In 1937, when the California State Council was formed, he was elected chairman. Due to the limited numbers of churches in this area of the country, our Episcopal area included both Nevada and California.

 

As time progressed, the Gospel began to spread like wildfire up and down the West Coast. Under dynamic Apostolic leadership from great men such as Bishop Frank Bowdan, Bishop Charles Taylor, Bishop R. W. McMurray, and Bishop Henry L. Johnson, the numbers and the geographical territory of this great council began to spread. The once-named California State Council would go on to be known as the California-Nevada Council and then the California-Nevada-Hawaii Council. As God added to the number according to the divine continuance spelled out in Acts Chapter 2, the number of churches multiplied significantly.

 

As the annexed councils of Nevada and Hawaii became ministerially capable to stand independently, the organization became known as the California District Council. During this time, the number of churches in California continued to flourish. The late Bishop Henry L. Johnson saw the pressing need for even further expansion and God began to download a blueprint into his spirit of an even greater commission. In 2012, Bishop Johnson went home to be with the Lord, but what was ordained in the mind of God and pressed upon the spirit of Bishop Johnson would still come to fruition.

 

Following Bishop's death, the presider of our parent body, Bishop Charles H Ellis III, assumed the reigns of leadership over the California District Council. After seeking the face and mind of God, much prayer, and endless administrative planning with the existing staff of the CDC, it was decided that the Council would expand into three dioceses in order to accommodate even more growth. This was how the Southern California District Council (Episcopal District #16A) was birthed. In August of 2014, Bishop Donnie N. McGriff—one one who had demonstrated many years of faithfulness and diligence in the San Diego area was consecrated to the office of Diocesan over the Southern California District Council (SCDC). In November of 2014, he was installed into this office by the Presiding Bishop Charles H. Ellis III in Gardena, CA.

 

The spiritual framework laid for this council serves as the foundation in which the SCDC will continue to work diligently spreading the message that Jesus Christ is the answer for this dying generation. Because of the richness of our spiritual heritage, we know that even ... greater works than these shall we do (See John 14:12.) As we labor to reach the lost with the Gospel, we do so on the shoulders of the didactic leadership that is the premier cause of us moving from glory to glory! Our goal is to spread into the remote, unchartered areas of Southern California, bringing salvation to the lost, founding new churches, and equipping our brethren to become great leaders and pillars of faith.

 

Our theme is, From Transition to Promise: Utilizing the Power of the Mantle ... Leaving No One Behind, this is OUR season! (I Kings 19:19).