The story behind 30 years of service — and the community need that drives us still.
There is a verse in Matthew 25 that has guided this ministry since its earliest days. Jesus says: “For I was hungry and you gave me food. I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” At Forrest Memorial Christian Center, these are not merely words we read on Sunday morning. They are a call we have answered — consistently, faithfully, and for more than 30 years.
“Faith without works is dead. At Forrest Memorial, we have never believed that ministry ends at the sanctuary door.”
— Elder Billy L. Forrest II, Pastor
Long before the Brightest Light Initiative had a name, Forrest Memorial was serving. Under the founding leadership of the late Superintendent Dr. B.J. Forrest, Sr., the church established Forrest Fire Ministries — a charitable arm dedicated to reaching families across Contra Costa County with food, clothing, and temporary housing. Year after year, Forrest Memorial adopted families in need, collaborated with Toys for Tots, and showed up in the community with practical love.
That spirit of service was not a program. It was — and remains — the identity of this church. Grounded in the Holiness-Pentecostal tradition of the Church of God in Christ, we believe that the anointing of the Holy Spirit moves us outward — into our neighborhoods, into our community, and into the lives of people who need to know that someone sees them and cares.
As we look at our community in 2026, we see real and urgent need. The data tells a sobering story:
- More than 60 percent of renters in Pittsburg spend at least 30 percent of their income on housing — the highest rate of cost burden in Contra Costa County
- 22 percent of Pittsburg households are severely cost burdened, spending more than half their income on rent alone
- More than 1 in 5 Californians — approximately 8.8 million people — currently struggle with food insecurity, with significantly higher rates among Black and Hispanic households
- Families are routinely forced to choose between groceries and rent, between medicine and meals
These families are not statistics. They are our neighbors. They are the parents sitting in our pews, the seniors walking down Railroad Avenue, the teenagers looking for somewhere to belong. And they deserve consistent, dignified support — not just at the holidays, but every month of the year.
This is why Forrest Memorial has never stopped. Through economic downturns, through a global pandemic, through seasons of scarcity and seasons of growth — we have kept showing up. Because that is what the Church of God in Christ tradition calls us to do. Because that is what our founders modeled for us. And because the need in East Contra Costa County has never disappeared.
Under the pastoral leadership of Elder Billy L. Forrest II — son of our founder and the next generation of this ministry’s legacy — we are not just continuing this work. We are expanding it. The Brightest Light Initiative is our commitment to serve more families, reach more communities, and build the kind of lasting stability that lifts people up for years to come.
“We are not just providing resources. We are saying to every family that walks through our doors: you are seen. You are valued. And we are not going anywhere.”