updated 10/3/23
Prayer Podcast 5/26/22 A | Prayer Podcast 5/27/22 B | for the officials
Location: a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, making it the 18th-largest city in California. San Bernardino is the economic, cultural, and political hub of the San Bernardino Valley, as well as a college town, as home to California State University, San Bernardino. Neighboring cities include Rialto & Fontana to the west; north is Crestline & Muscoy; to the east is Highland & Redlands; south is Loma Linda & Grand Terrace.
Demographics est. population 223,044 [2022]; founded in 1810; county seat of San Bernardino County; median age 30; M:F ratio 1:1; 42% married; 53% have kids <18; 50% speak English; 45% speak Spanish; 43% Hispanic; 15% White non-Hispanic; 14% Black; 5% Asian; 23% other; 23% born outside of US; $45K median household income; $249K median property value; 86% US citizens; 5580 Veterans [98 WWII; 462 Korean; 2200 Gulf Wars]; 70% high school graduates; 7% attended college; 12% college graduates; 60% own homes; 3.3 average people per house; commute time average 32 minutes
Location of San Bernardino city in SBC
Spanish missionaries were the first settlers to the region. They chose the fertile valley at the foot of a mountain range as an outpost for other missionaries who traveled throughout the California territory preaching to the various Indian tribes. Father Francisco Dumetz made his last trip from Mission San Gabriel to the San Bernardino Valley and in 1810 set up an altar in a planned effort to convert the Indians living there. Padre Dumetz named the area "San Bernardino" after Saint Bernardino of Siena, the patron saint of the day on the Catholic Calendar. In 1819, Mission San Gabriel established Rancho San Bernardino in the area. The main concern of the missionaries was the spiritual welfare of the Indians, but they also took a part in their material well being, showing their peaceful friends how to bring water down from Mill creek and the best ways to plant and irrigate crops. As the mission flourished, so did the Indians. However, all missions were ordered closed by decree of California's Governor Figeroa in 1834 and the mission period came to an end. But with its demise came the birth of the Great Spanish rancheros. The abandoned mission didn't stay vacant for long and soon became an important post on the trading route known as the Spanish Trail.
Pioneer trailblazers like Kit Carson and Jedediah Smith, among others, spent a good deal of time in the valley during those years. Beautiful haciendas were built to house the Spanish landowners and the ranchos were kept in a constant state of excitement from all the fiestas, rodeos, horse races and celebrations of religious holidays.
The biggest threat to the happy life on the ranchos was the horse and cattle-stealing raids made by tribes of desert Indians. Usually made during the full moon, these attacks could wipe out a rancho's entire herd and many rancheros eventually gave up and moved out of the area. The stealing continued, however, until a company of nearly 500 Mormons arrived in the valley in 1851, making camp at the mouth of a creek which flowed briskly through the valley to the Santa Ana River. Overjoyed with the abundance of water, the dense growth of willows, cottonwoods and sycamores and the mustard and wild oats that grew on the hillsides, the followers named the stream "Lytle Creek" after their leader, Captain Andrew Lytle.
Dedicated to expanding Brigham Young's religious empire, the religious pioneers purchased 35,000 acres of the San Bernardino Rancho in 1851, for $77,500, with a down payment of $7,000. Having heard tales about the Indian attacks, the Mormons quickly built a stockade around the rancho and named it Fort San Bernardino. The families lived inside the stockade for the first few years, growing wheat and other crops outside and building a grain mill inside. But since the Mormons weren't raising cattle or horses, the desert Indians were no longer a threat and soon families were able to move out and build their own homes.
In the fall of 1852, Colonel Henry Washington, a United States deputy surveyor, erected a monument on top of Mount San Bernardino and through it ran the base line from which surveys in the southern part of the state were, and are still made. The community thrived and in 1854 the City of San Bernardino was officially incorporated. Population at the time was 1,200 - 900 of them Mormons. San Bernardino was strictly a temperance town, with no drinking or gambling allowed.
In 1857 Brigham Young recalled his Mormons to Salt Lake City. Some went, taking great financial losses, while others opted to remain and struggled to continue on their own. In the six short years that the Mormons followed their mission at San Bernardino Rancho, they made numerous achievements, establishing schools, stores, a network of roads and a strong government.
Gold was discovered in Holcomb Valley in 1860 and men poured into the mountains through San Bernardino to try their luck at panning. For a time Belleville, in Holcomb Valley, was the largest city in Southern California with 10,000 residents, and it almost became the county seat, losing to San Bernardino by only one vote. Times were rough and hard, just like the men who came in search of instant wealth, and numerous internal problems plagued the God-fearing settlers. The community survived and both the library and temperance associations were created at this time.
As the last years of the 19th century waned, the giant railway companies eventually found their way to San Bernardino, changing it from a sleepy town into an enterprising city. The Santa Fe, the Union Pacific and the Southern Pacific railroads all converged on the city, making it the hub of their Southern California operations.
Competition between the railroads set off a rate war, which brought thousands of newcomers to California in the great land boom of the 1880's. When the Santa Fe Railway established a transcontinental link in 1886, the already prosperous valley exploded. Even more settlers flocked from the East and population figures doubled, from 6,150 in 1900 to 12,779 in 1910, the year that the San Bernardino Chamber of Commerce was first organized.
A well-known landmark of the San Bernardino Valley is the arrowhead that sits high on the mountainside. Clearly visible since long before the white man came, the figure has many legends concerning its origin. The Indians, well aware of the medicinal value of the hot springs, often gathered there to bathe in the hot springs. The Mormons called the mark the "Ace of Spades".
Measuring 1,375 feet long and 449 feet wide, the arrowhead is visible from as far away as 30 miles on a clear day. Although it was commonly believed at one time that the Indians had made the arrowhead to mark the location of the hot springs, geologists now say that it is a natural phenomenon, a natural uplifting of the soil. As the years went by, San Bernardino floundered and flourished with growing pains, just as all communities do. The good times went hand-in-hand with the bad times. Today, of course, San Bernardino has grown into a civilized, urban center - a modern community with a bright future. The enduring spirit and vitality of yesterday's pioneers is still evident and is reflected in the pride of the community.
Motto: “The Future is Ours"
Specific Prayer Points
Environment: current earthquakes; current Air Quality; current fire outlook; current drought condition [severe];
Economy: The most common jobs are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (10,647 people), Material Moving Occupations (10,022 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (7,805 people). Compared to other places, San Bernardino, CA has an unusually high number of residents working as Material Moving Occupations (3.15 times higher than expected), Fire Fighting & Prevention, & Other Protective Service Workers Including Supervisors (1.79 times), and Healthcare Support Occupations (1.64 times).
Government: Current City Council | Home of County Supervisors & key leaders 3rd District oversees this city
Colleges: California State University San Bernardino; In 2020, universities in San Bernardino, CA awarded 8,387 degrees. The student population of San Bernardino, CA is skewed towards women, with 12,066 male students and 20,533 female students. Most students graduating from Universities in San Bernardino, CA are Hispanic or Latino (5,107 and 64.3%), followed by White (1,235 and 15.5%), Black or African American (526 and 6.62%), and Asian (447 and 5.63%). The largest universities in San Bernardino, CA by number of degrees awarded are California State University-San Bernardino (5,858 and 69.8%), San Bernardino Valley College (2,152 and 25.7%), and Concorde Career College-San Bernardino (368 and 4.39%). The most popular majors in San Bernardino, CA are General Business Administration & Management (1,435 and 17.1%), General Psychology (781 and 9.31%), and Liberal Arts & Sciences (713 and 8.5%). The median tuition cost for a public four year colleges is $5,742 for in-state students and $17,622 for out-of-state students.
K-12 Schools & Christian schools: San Bernardino City Unified School district | List of Christian schools
Crime grade: [2022] A crime occurs every 25 minutes (on average) in San Bernardino; overall crime grade is D-; violent is D; property is D+; other is D-; top issues are drug crimes 42% [extremely high]; 12% vandalism; 8% theft & burglary; 5% vehicle theft. Central Detention Center; San Bernardino City Jail; Central Valley Juvenile Detention & Assessment Center
Gangs: Crips, Bloods, Verdugo gang some of the largest | Crime Issues & History Video | Rappers promote Doggystyleeee [killed in 2020]; Kingmostwanted Rapper for Bloods
Poverty 30.6%: [double CA Avg 15%] One out of every 3.3 residents of San Bernardino lives in poverty.
Points of Interest: Abortion clinics: Planned Parenthood; FPA Women's Health; Alternative clinics: San Bernardino Pregnancy & Family Resource Center; Assure Pregnancy Clinic
Spiritual: Intercessors to rise up with courage and faith to believe God to move in the churches, in the believers and in the outflow of the Spirit; for prayer groups to grow and pray with fervor; strongholds broken that oversee the crime, lawlessness, abortions, poverty and fears; hearts broken over sin and the love of God; may those who know the Lord humble themselves and pray; may those who do not know you yet discover your mercy and hear and see of your greatness and turn to you; for laborers for the harvest; churches to unite in events that reach the communities in most need; outreaches to the poor; recovery groups for the many struggling with drugs; those selling drugs be caught, imprisoned; ministries arise to those in the prisons that help them get delivered, healed and transformed by the Gospel and the name of Jesus; for an outpouring of the Spirit of God over the city that brings an amazing reformation in all sectors.
Churches & Ministries [not exhaustive]
16th Street 7th Day Adventist
Agua Viva Iglesia Comunidad
All Nations African SDA Church
Allen Chapel Ame Church
Apostolic Pentecostal Church
Assumption Church
Base Church San Bernardino
Bethesda House of Mercy
Calvary Assembly Of God Church
Calvary Chapel Antorcha de Fe
Calvary Chapel San Bernardino
Calvary Christian Church
Campus Hill church
Central Christian Church
Church Of Acts
Church Of Christ Apostolic
Church Of Christ At 11Th Street
Church Of Christ Of Mountain View
Church of Pentecost
Community Bible Church
Community Ch of Devore
Community SDA church
Cornerstone Christian Fell
Crosswalk SDA church
Del Rosa United Methodist Church
Ecclesia Christian Fellowship
Emmanuel UMC San Bernardino
Faith Bible church
Faith Temple Apostolic Church
First Church of the Nazarene
First Congregational-Ucc
First Presbyterian Church
Galilee Presbyterian Church
Gateway Christian Fellowship
Golden Valley Christian Church
Grace Baptist Church
Great Commission Bible Fellowship
Greater Bethel Baptist Church
Greater Faith Community Church
Greater Holy Trinity Church
Greater New Jerusalem Church
Greater Victory Church of God
Highland Avenue Lutheran Church
His Light Neighborhood
Iglesia de Nuestro Senor Jesucristo
Iglesia Unidos En Cristo
Iglesia Vision de Futuro Asamblea de Dios
Inland Empire Indonesian Group
International Ministries Of Holiness
Iraq Site
Israel Church Of God
Judson Baptist Church
Kingdom Builders Church International
Little Zion MBC
Living Rock Community Church
Living Word Baptist Church
Loma Linda Tagalog Adventist Church
Loving Shepard Church Of God
Lutheran Church Of Our Savior
Meadowbrook Apostolic Church
Mission San Bernardino
Mountainside Community Church
Muscoy Faith Assembly Of God
Muscoy United Methodist Church
New Apostolic Church
New Hope Church Of God In Christ
New Hope Missionary Baptist
New Jerusalem MBC
Northpark Community Church
Our Lady Of Fatima Church
Our Lady Of Guadalupe Church
Our Lady Of Hope
Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral
Praise Chapel Christian Fellowship San Bernardino West
Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox
Roadhouse Biker Church
Rock Church & World Outreach
Roman Catholic Newman Ministry
Saint John's Parish
Saint Mark Baptist Church
Saint Paul Ame Church
Saint Prophet Elias Church
Saint Stephen's Church Of God
Saint Timothy Community Church
San Bernardino 16th Street SDA Church
San Bernardino 2 Foursquare Church
San Bernardino Christian Center
San Bernardino Foursquare Church
San Bernardino Hispanic Foursquare Church
San Bernardino Samoan
San Bernardino Spanish SDA Church
Set Free Church San Bernardino
Set Free Westside Christian Fellowship
Social and Community Services
Spanish Church Of God
Spirit of Love Christian
St Anthony's Church
St Bernardine Parish
St Paul AME Church
St Paul's United Methodist Church
St Philip the Apostle
St. Mark Baptist Church
Temple Missionary Baptist
Templo El Siloe Latin American AG
The Branch Church
The Living Word of God Ministries
The New Anointed Ones Ministries
The Rock Church And World Outreach Center
Trinity Full Gospel Church
Unified Baptist Church
University Park Christian and MA Church
Uptown Church of Christ
VCF San Bernardino
Victoria 7th Day Adventist
Vietnamese Evangelical Church
Water of Life Community Church Rosena Ranch Campus
Waterman Visayan Filipino SDA Church