Friends Chapel sits on Kenwood Drive in Spring Valley, a small congregation in eastern San Diego County that identifies with the Evangelical Friends Church Southwest. The church's heartbeat is captured in its mission: "Striving to help the spiritually blind to see, the hopeless to hope and the spiritually dead to live through our Lord Jesus Christ and endeavoring to be more like Him ourselves."
A Pastor's Lifelong Calling
Pastor Augusto "Augie" Monroy leads the congregation. He shares openly that at 17 he opened his heart to Jesus after witnessing changed lives among drug addicts and the steady witness of Friends missionaries in Guatemala. Now 70, he considers it a privilege to serve God as pastor at Friends Chapel. His welcome to newcomers is plain: "We offer you one thing, and one thing alone: JESUS." He closes with the hymn refrain, "Because He lives, I can face tomorrow," and a blessing drawn from Jude 1:2 - mercy, peace, and love in abundance.
What Friends Chapel Believes
Friends Chapel's statement of faith is drawn from Faith and Practice (2011 Edition, Reprint May 2016) of the Evangelical Friends Church Southwest. The church holds to one God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It teaches that all humans were created in God's image to love and know him, but that relationship and nature have been broken by sin, leaving everyone subject to God's judgment.
The congregation believes salvation comes only through repentance and faith in the atoning death and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is both fully human and fully divine. The Holy Spirit, they teach, leads believers into transformed lives as they see Jesus more clearly, know him more intimately, and follow him more closely. Friends Chapel affirms one universal Church made up of all who have been saved by faith in Jesus, looks forward to his return and the resurrection of the dead, and holds the Old and New Testaments to be the inspired and entirely trustworthy Word of God.
Weekly Bible Study on Zoom
Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m., the congregation gathers online for a Zoom Bible Study. The group works through Scripture, shares praises and prayer requests, and enjoys good fellowship. Recent studies have moved into 1 Corinthians. Friends interested in joining can look for Jack or Stan, or write to the church office at FriendsChapelOffice@gmail.com.
Sack Lunches for the Homeless
Friends Chapel's Homeless Ministry team prepares and delivers sack lunches to neighbors without housing in the Spring Valley area. The team meets on Saturdays to assemble the meals and then hand them out across the community.
Youth, Seniors, and Music for Kids
Saturdays bring the Youth Group together at 6:00 p.m. On a Friday at noon, the Young at Heart potluck gathers seniors and friends for a favorite dish, a devotional, and conversation. A Kids Music program introduces children to music in a faith setting, and photo galleries on the site capture baptism services, a Zoom Bible study, the church campus from above, and children taking part in music.
Messages from Pastor Augie
The page also links to galleries of baptism photos and various church life snapshots, giving newcomers a feel for the congregation's life together.
Finding Friends Chapel
Friends Chapel is located at 8955 Kenwood Drive in Spring Valley, California. The church office can be reached at 619-697-3339 or FriendsChapelOffice@gmail.com.