It began as a small gathering under the trees on La Sierra University’s campus back in June 2003—nine Seventh-day Adventist Ghanaian students and community members formed a Sabbath worship service, bound together by a shared faith, culture, and a desire to connect.
During the following six years their numbers gradually increased, first with the addition of spouses and other Ghanaian community members. The small group began holding Sabbath School classes in the La Sierra University Adventist Church and main worship services in various halls on campus.
In 2010 the group moved to the chapel at La Sierra Academy down the street from the university, and when its numbers totaled about 50 in 2015, the fledgling congregation moved into a nearby strip mall space. By 2024 their number had risen to approximately 80 members, and the congregation decided it was time to acquire their own church building.
Patty Marruffo, secretary of the Southeastern California Conference, delivers the sermon. [Photo: La Sierra University] Kofi Appiah, secretary of the North American Ghanaian Seventh-day Adventist Association, speaks to the audience on March 8. [Photo: La Sierra University] Richard Hart, president of Loma Linda University Health, and his wife, Judy, address the audience. [Photo: La Sierra University] Redlands chief of police Rachel Tolber welcomes the Riverside Ghanaian Seventh-day Adventist Church to the town. [Photo: La Sierra University]
After approximately a six-month search, they settled on an 8,922-square-foot (about 830 square-meter) church building in Redlands with a 200-seat sanctuary, classrooms, and dining room. With the assistance of the Southeastern California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists (SECC), the sale on the US$1.2 million property was completed in February 2025. On March 8 the congregation held a dedication service for their new house of worship with leadership and representatives from the conference, La Sierra and Loma Linda universities, the city of Redlands, the North American Ghanaian Seventh-day Adventist organization, and other special guests delivering messages of congratulations and support.
Presenters included La Sierra University president Christon Arthur and his wife, Carmelita; Loma Linda University Health president Richard Hart and his wife, Judy; Dan Smith, who led the La Sierra University Church when the Ghanaian congregation met there; as well as Redlands police chief Rachel Tolber and mayor Mario Saucedo and his wife, Maria.
“It was an honor and a blessing to participate in the Riverside Ghanaian church’s celebration of their new home, and to learn of this congregation’s story, which began 22 years ago on La Sierra’s campus as a way to connect with and support each other,” Arthur said following the service. “The focused drive, faith, and dedication of the students and Ghanaian community members who began gathering on La Sierra’s grounds, then in its church, dorms, and other buildings, is such an inspiration. Their journey is representative of the university’s mission, which we strive daily to pursue, of seeking truth, knowing God, and serving others.”
Redlands mayor Mario Saucedo and his wife, Maria, also deliver words of welcome and support to the Ghanaian congregation. [Photo: La Sierra University] Samuel Adjei-Boadi, pastor of the Riverside Ghanaian Seventh-day Adventist Church, addresses the congregation. [Photo: La Sierra University] An image of the new home of the Riverside Ghanaian Seventh-day Adventist Church in Redlands, California, United States. [Photo: La Sierra University]
Patty Marruffo, secretary of SECC, delivered the sermon, while Verlon Strauss, SECC treasurer, presented the tithes and offerings call.
In later comments, Smith recalled how Ghanaian students from La Sierra approached him when he was senior pastor of the university church more than two decades ago. “They had a dream, to plant a Ghanaian church,” Smith said. “They were so deeply committed, so passionate, that I couldn’t help offering to help in any way that we could.
“We allowed them to run their finances through us, but their worship, their outreach, their dream, was all them,” he continued. “To see a church full of people who worship the Ghanaian way was a deep and rare privilege. And then to hear that this made 60 Ghanaian churches across North America—who knew?”
Samuel Adjei-Boadi, pastor of the Riverside Ghanaian church, noted, “This dedication, themed ‘In His Presence: A Dwelling Place of Faith and Fellowship,’ signifies more than just a new location. It marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter in our church’s history, filled with opportunities for expanded ministry and outreach to the Redlands community.”
“[We have a church] that we can call our own,” church elder Kofi Antobam said to the congregation. “And the Lord has done it.” Antobam, one of the founding members of the Ghanaian congregation, graduated from La Sierra in 2004 with a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) in financial management. “At one point we were actually worshipping under the trees by the [La Sierra University] computer center,” he said. “But this group did not give up. God has been good to us. And that we have a place that we can call our own today—it is just the Lord who can do that.”
The original version of this story was posted by La Sierra University.