Celebrating What Matters Most | No. 4

Psalm 118:1 — “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His faithfulness endures forever!”

February is shaping up to be a tremendous month across the SoCal Naz District. Like the Psalmist, we give thanks to the Lord—for He is good! Under our theme, “What Matters Most,”

I don’t have enough space to share every highlight, but I do want to celebrate several wonderful reasons we are grateful.

We are thankful for an outpouring of God’s Spirit

Across the district, we are hearing reports of God moving in powerful and unmistakable ways. In several churches, altars have been lined with precious people surrendering to Jesus. We are seeing hearts softened, faith strengthened, and lives changed as God calls His people to full surrender.

Here are a few snapshots of what I believe is an outpouring—what one church member at Hesperia Casa de Oración simply described with one word: “Revival.”

• Riverside Arlington — Pastor JJ has been calling his people to full faith after a convicting sermon on letting go of fear in 2026.

• Hesperia Church of the Nazarene — Pastor Brian Graley preached a powerful message titled “Fear Not.” Many came forward to pray for surrender and faith.

• Hesperia Casa de Oración — On Sunday, February 1, God moved people to the altar with a deep sense of holy obedience and urgency.

• Apple Valley Church of the Nazarene — Pastor Shaden Siegfreid has shared that in his first few weeks, nearly every service has included people coming spontaneously to the altar—sometimes in the middle of worship, sometimes after the message. This is what matters most.

We are thankful for what God is doing in the Lower Desert

We are also grateful for what has happened—and continues to happen—in the Lower Desert. Dr. Norman Moore has shared encouraging reports about the Tri-City Bilingual Nazarene Revival, where people came to Christ and where unity and strength have grown among our desert churches. Truly, “There are streams in the desert” (Isaiah 43). Amen!

We are thankful for those sensing a call to ministry

Another reason we give thanks is that many across our district are sensing God’s call to ministry. Our annual Board of Ministry met in January, and we sensed an unusual depth of calling and commitment in those we interviewed and prayed over as they continue progressing toward ordination.

We are thankful for practical ministry and partnership.

I also want to highlight a ministry that continues to grow through Vista Church and Pastor Matt

Palm. A team from Vista recently completed much-needed repair work at Banning Church. Out

of that effort, a new initiative is developing called Bringing Hope Ministry. Pastor Matt will come alongside churches not only with repair and renovation needs, but also with ideas and

strategy to strengthen local church ministry. This matters so much.

The bottom line: Love

People would probably describe me accurately by saying, “He’s a bottom-line person.” The Apostle Paul gives us the bottom line in 1 Corinthians 13—the love chapter: “These three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (v. 13)

Of course, February includes Valentine’s Day—a reminder of the people we love. Rick Warren once said our number one purpose in life is “to know God and love God.” Let’s continue to love God and love one another. When we get that right, everything else begins to fall into place.

A personal family update

Our family is also experiencing a couple of wonderful highlights. As many of you know, our son Shaden was installed as Lead Pastor at Apple Valley on Sunday, January 4. And on Thursday, February 12, he will marry his fiancée, Gianna Pereira. We love her, and we are grateful for what God is doing in our family. Please pray for us as we travel across the country for this special celebration.

As we began with the Psalmist: His faithfulness endures forever. Sherri and I see that faithfulness everywhere we go as we visit our wonderful churches and pastors. We have visited

so many pastors and churches who are faithfully pursuing the call of making disciples and

leading people into full faith in Jesus Christ.

I agree with our brother from Hesperia—we are experiencing, in some measure, revival. And truly, this is what matters most:

Lost and broken people matter to God.

Lost and broken people matter to us.

With gratitude,

Shawn Siegfreid

District Superintendent

Southern California District Church of the Nazarene