FFBC Church History

Our Church History

Joe Ortiz

[The following account was taken from The Fundamentals church newsletter (Volume 1, Number 1), dated October 1981. It was originally written by Mr. Joe Ortiz, then a church elder, and is now maintained by Art Salazar.]

The First Fundamental Bible Church (FFBC) was founded on June 1960 by a group of dedicated men and women (numbering about 10-15 persons) who had a strong desire to serve our Lord. In the beginning they met at the home of Mr. Tino Ballesteros in Alhambra. Mr. Ballesteros finished his studies at Bob Jones University and became the first pastor of FFBC. FFBC formally incorporated on October 30, 1961.

As the group of believers grew in number, a building was needed. The first building was the Masonic Temple in Montebello, which used for about two years [1961-62]. Mr. Ballesteros then resigned as pastor to further his education. At this time, Mr. Juan Perez, who was bilingual, was called as part-time pastor. The congregation expressed to Mr. Perez their desire to reach the English/Spanish-speaking people in the community with the Gospel. The next move was to a building used by a Seventh Day Adventist congregation. The FFBC congregation stayed at this location for the next five years [1962-67]. After that, a church building near Whittier and Indiana in East Los Angeles was used for a few months. There was also a period of time spent worshiping at the Women's Club on Northside Avenue in Montebello.

Finally, the Lord opened the doors for a permanent church building at the corner of Gage Street and Michigan Avenue in East Los Angeles, which has come to be affectionately known as "The Holy Land." The cost of this building was approximately $55,000. The congregation had a difficult time getting a bank to make a loan for the property, but, as the Word of God says in Romans 8:28: "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." The congregation found a bank president who was a believer who then made a $45,000 loan to the church towards purchase of the property. A businessman in the community also gave a gift in the amount of $10,000 as a down payment.

Part of the property was leased to the Los Angeles County Library and at one time the main building was used as a courthouse. The congregation put their resources together and were able to purchase pews. FFBC remained together under the leadership of Mr. Perez for the next five years [1967-71] until he resigned. For about one year thereafter, the congregation was without a pastor. During this time the congregation began to decrease in membership. The elders and deacons took turns in preaching the Word of God.

Shortly after this [1972], the Lord led Alex Montoya to FFBC. Before coming to our church, Pastor Montoya held the position of Evangelist at the Community Brethren Church on Keenan Avenue in East Los Angeles. He applied for the position of pastor and was accepted. The congregation numbered about 15 persons at this time.

FFBC began to experience a 30% yearly growth in membership, and the majority of them were new souls to Christ. The Augie Herrera family as well as my [Ortiz] family also joined the membership of FFBC. At this time membership was approximately 25 to 30 members. A Spanish Ministry, led by Jose Fernandez, was begun in the late 1970's to minister to the Spanish-speaking community. The Spanish Ministry, along with several other Sunday School classes, met a mile away at the Cleland House in East LA to accommodate the overflow. As our congregation grew, so did the need for a larger building. Many doors seemed to open and close until the Lord led the First Fundamental congregation in 1979 to merge with the Bella Vista Baptist Church at its present Findlay Avenue location in Monterey Park.

Now with additional room to grow, God blessed FFBC with another period of tremendous growth. In 1981, FFBC added classrooms above the newly enlarged fellowship hall, which was renamed Gainer Hall in honor of disabled but inspirational member Paul Gainer. Even with the added rooms, it was still necessary for FFBC to rent out additional classroom space at East LA College and the Methodist Church across the street.

In the early 1980's, through the leadership of Pastor Montoya, FFBC began a program to plant churches throughout Southern California ranging from Calexico to La Puente to Fontana to Wilmington, just to name a few. Overall, 16 churches have been planted and most have become independent and self-supporting. Furthermore, the Torres Fund, in honor of Eddie Torres, was established to fund scholarships for men training for full-time ministry to the Lord.

We are thankful to the Lord for all of the faithful workers in the past and in the present who have helped to unite, encourage, and build the body of Christ. Many programs have started over the years, for example: School of Evangelism (WIN Program), School of Ministry (now known as Seminario Biblico Fundamental), Bus Ministry, Tape Ministry and the Bookstore Ministry. Many brothers and sisters have also gone into full time service for our Lord. Presently, FFBC has grown to nearly 800 members with over 40 ministries and has been on the Internet since April 30, 1996. Pastor Montoya's sermons are broadcast in various radio stations across the southwest.

On June 24, 2001, another chapter in the history of FFBC opened when an "East Campus" officially opened in La Habra for church services. The Lord graciously provided the opportunity for His people to minister in this area and many members have stepped forward to teach and serve in La Habra. The Monterey Park church is now known as the West Campus but it is our hope that one day both campuses will be reunited when the Lord provides a centralized, single large facility for both congregations. We will eagerly await that day!

Together, as the body of Christ, much more will be accomplished for the glory of God.

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This page updated August 7, 2001.