When God Called
The story of how we began
Reverend Reuben Barruel and his wife, Clarita Barruel were both ordained in the Philippines as Ministers of the Gospel. They were pastoring at Pasig Bethel Templefor 12 years when God placed in their hearts to move to America. With just their faith and their hearts to obey and serve the Lord, the couple, with their twelve-year old son, Stephen Hope and their eight-year old daughter Eunice Love, migrated to the United States of America.
They arrived in San Francisco International Airport on March 7, 1977. In the fall of the same year, they started a prayer meeting in their home and shared their burden to a handful of new friends about how God had called and sent them to this area to build “bridges of Love” among God’s people. They established a place of training and releasing. Many caught the vision and the group grew. To accommodate the healthy growth, they looked for a place to rent and found the Filipino-American Association Building at 1210 Solari Street.
From January 1978 to August 1983, Christian Renewal Ministries rented the facilities on Tuesdays as a place of gathering, ministry, teaching, and encountering the power of God. With the leading of God and requests of the people, Sunday worship service began. People from every walk of life and from different cultural and religious background became part of the family. On May 29, 1979 the fellowship was incorporated and officially named Christian Renewal Ministries. The Lord blessed the gatherings and manifested His presence with signs and wonders. The spirit of unity and love were so prevalent that miracles of salvation and healing were common.
On the first Sunday of October in 1983, the building at 1210 Solari Street was officially purchased from the Filipino-American Association. Countless in the city of Pittsburg and the nearby regions found hope, forgiveness, and deliverance within these walls. Christian Renewal Center also became the gathering place for the (spiritually and physically) hungry to be fed, and those in need of comfort to find strength. Throughout the years, numerous ministries have partnered with CRM for advancing the Kingdom such as Pray the Bay, National Day of Prayer, and Ministerial Fellowships. In addition, ministries such as Share and Care, March for Jesus, and Bay Area Youth Leaders as well as city wide feeding programs, East Bay Christmas Basket Program, and after school programs were established to help hundreds of families that were less fortunate.
Today, Christian Renewal Ministries continues to be a place of healing, equipping, and service for the whole man: spirit, soul and body. It continues to be a place of encountering God, training, and releasing for men, women, youth, and children to their God given identities as sons and daughters.