About Tesoro Club
Our Mission
Discipling and mentoring children and youth through weekly Bible studies, Summer Camps, VBS and Bible Clubs.
Tesoro Club fills a need in the East Coachella Valley for an avenue to share the Gospel to hundreds of migrant farm worker children. In Spanish, the word "Tesoro" means treasure, and we believe that the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Word of God are the greatest treasures that can be found in this life.
Jesus said, "Therefore go and make disciples…and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." We are committed to not only sharing the Good News with kids but also teaching them the truth of God's word and how to use it in their lives.
On a weekly basis, we have around 200 kids in our various programs, from Saturday Kids Club to summer camps. Each program helps children discover their identity in Christ.
Our History
In the summer of 2005, two East side Hispanic churches and a vegetable growing company teamed up to host a vacation Bible school for the children of local farm workers at the company's packing facility. That first year, 44 children attended this weeklong event, and the Tesoro Club was born.
Since that first year, the club has grown into a full-time discipleship ministry that administers several programs for the benefit of children from the Eastern Coachella Valley. The Tesoro Club runs programs available to any child between the ages of 4 and 18, including summer vacation Bible school (VBS), summer mountain camps, bimonthly clubs, and special activities for Jr. High through high school aged kids.
Currently, the club is supported by the generous donations of those who support the vision and mission of Tesoro Club
Our Team
Tesoro Club has grown since the first VBS over 20 years ago. We now have a committed full-time team that work as our staff and run the various programs. Meet the dedicated individuals who make our mission possible:
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Our Board of Directors
Our board of directors are more than just advisors - they are part of the Tesoro family. Their desire is to see the Lord's work continue to grow in the East Valley, bringing a wealth of experience and knowledge to the team.
Dennis Gallifent
Retired from Morton Salt Company after 26 years of service. Dennis serves on his church's mission committee and as chairman of the finance committee. He believes that children are the key to our future and Jesus Christ is the way.
Kit Carson
A retired man who loves the Lord and serves with Tesoro Club so the youth of the East Valley can experience God's love through the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Drew & Patti Belk
Founders of Tesoro Club who also serve on the board of directors. Their full bios can be found in the Our Team section above.
Debbie Strboya
A long-time Coachella Valley resident who has volunteered with Junior High students at Tesoro Kids Club for thirteen years and serves as Area Coordinator for Operation Christmas Child.
Andrew Staffieri
Youth Pastor at Peninsula Community Church since 2017 who partners with Tesoro Club for their annual summer VBS, bringing teams to help serve.
Our Statement of Faith
The Scriptures
We believe the sixty-six books of the Bible to be divinely and verbally inspired and completely inerrant in the original manuscripts. It is the supreme authority and sufficient as our only guide for faith and practice and is designed for our practical instruction.
2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21
The Trinity
We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Matthew 28:19
God, the Father
We believe that God the Father is spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in His being, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth. We believe that He is the creator of all that is, that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer and that He saves from sin and spiritual death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.
Genesis 1; Isaiah 43:10b-11a; Matthew 6:8-15; John 4:24; 14:6-13
Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God is preexistent and complete deity, creator of all, begotten by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He was both God and man in the flesh, lived a sinless life and died on the cross as a substitutionary sacrifice for our sin. We believe in the bodily resurrection of our Lord, His ascension into Heaven, and His presence there as our Intercessor. We believe in His personal, visible return to the world in power and glory and in His present rule as Head of the church.
Luke 1:26-38; John 1:1-4,14; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8; Revelation 19:11-16; Colossians 1:13-20; 1 John 2:1-2
Holy Spirit
We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, by who's indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.
Romans 8:9-11; John 14:16-17; 16:7-15; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 2:12
Man
We believe that man was created in the image of God, but became separated from God through voluntary disobedience, and as such is spiritually dead and subject to physical death. This fallen nature was transmitted to all humanity, except Jesus Christ, who lived a sinless life.
Genesis 1:27; Genesis 3; Ephesians 2:1-10; Romans 3:23; 5:12; Hebrews 4:15
Salvation
We believe that salvation is a gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in Jesus Christ; that repentance is a part of personal faith but is in no way in itself a separate and independent condition of salvation; nor are any other acts such as water baptism, prayer, or faithful service to be added to believing as a condition of salvation.
2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 5:8; 6:23;10:9-10; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-9; John 1:12-13; 1 Peter 3:18; 1 John 1:9