My father was born in Parker, Arizona in 1929 on the Fort Mojave Indian reservation, and was raised in Needles, California. Our Mojave tribe is divided onto two reservations on either side of the Colorado River. Our Indian reservation starts from south tip of the state of Nevada extending down the Colorado river to the Mexican border. My grandmother was full blooded Fort Mojave Indian, the official title of our tribe given by the U.S. government. My grandfather was Mexican from Albuquerque, New Mexico. My grandfather died at the age of 94. He died prematurely in an auto accident. His grandparents were from Spain. My father retired from the Navy after twenty years of service, which included seeing action in the Korean war. His favorite service time was spent on diesel an then nuclear submarines.

I have been married to Darice Delores (Orosco) Gutierrez for twenty-seven years, we met in June of 1972. Darice is Mexicana, but her father is part San Pasqual Mission Indian from the Valley Center area of Southern California. Together we have four adult daughters, Regina ,Shellene Rose, Jennifer Ann, and Sarah Marie.. Our greatest prayer request before all else is for each of us to live a pure life before our personal Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

1961 - At the age of 6 I asked the Lord Jesus into my heart as my personal Savior as I was walking home from a puppet show put on by the Child Evangelism Organization that visited the naval housing project where we were stationed in Chula Vista, CA. I remember announcing the good news to my mother as soon as I entered the house. I don’t know what prompted me to say what I said but at that moment I also told my mother I wanted to be a minister when I grew up, with all this good news my mother and I kneeled down in the living room and prayed again, giving thanks to the Lord, for my the future, and His will to done in my life. With my brother and two sisters we grew in an unequally yoked home. My mother was faithful, taking us to church wherever we were stationed, we had nightly devotions reading King James Bible and prayer time. I remember kneeling many times in the living room as my mother prayed, I thought, Man...my mom takes so long she’s praying for everyone in the world one at a time! and couldn’t wait for her to finish. Today I’m so grateful a our mother’s prayers. I truly believe I wouldn’t be where I’m at today if it weren’t for her faithful prayers. Thank God for godly parents.

1981 - At the age of 27 in December I rededicated my life to the Lord, and a couple of weeks later Darice received the Lord as her personal Savior coming from a family background of Catholicism.

1982 - In January Darice and I started taking Bible institute classes for nine years in American Indian Bible Institute with our teacher Duane Anderson. I have an equivalent of 42 hours of Bible training. Duane Anderson graduated from Biola College and then from Talbot Theological Seminary, with a degree majoring in Christian Education in the mid-sixties. Duane is the first and only president to date of American Indian Bible Institute since 1966. His membership and fellowship is with the IFCA International. Today I serve as vice-president of American Indian Bible Institute.

1982-1992 - I worked as a supervisor for an industrial electrical contractor at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station and oil refinery companies in the Los Angeles area, responsible for maintenance and testing of all electrical gear on the property. Although I considered I had a good career ahead of me, as I continued in this pattern for the next ten years I had no idea the Lord had His plans preparing me for full time ministry. For those ten years our vacant family time was filled, my supervisor would be very angry yelling, screaming, and pounding his desk, his face red and sweaty for not working every weekend he wanted me to work, I would end up saying, you can always fire me as I walked out the door. He never did fire me and in the end although he was a Buddhist he became supportive of my extra curricular activities. One or two weekends a month, holidays, and vacation days, our vacant time was spent leading Bible studies and ministering on the Fort Mojave Indian reservation. It was a true blessing witnessing many coming to the Lord, but only after knocking on all the doors in the Village with a promise to returning each month. The Mojave, my own people were very suspicious of us for the first year or two what white man’s religion are you trying to force on us, kind of attitude. Only after being faithful in my return visits, it took from a year sometimes two years before many actually opened their doors to invite me in their home to begin a relationship in order to share the Gospel. Also, besides taking classes with the Bible institute on Mondays, Wednesdays, and some Saturdays it was my privilege to be apart of the preaching team on Sundays in our church as a part of our training. I also taught from two to three Bible studies during the week in the evenings with friends and family on Darice’s side. We were sharing the Gospel and witnessing the Holy Spirit bring them into a saving and growing relationship with our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. Today many of these Bible studies continue. It is a true blessing to see many growing spiritually and becoming leaders in their church, serving the Lord faithfully.

1984 - I accepted an invitation to sit on the Advisory Board and then moved onto the International Board of Directors of UIM International, (United Indian Mission, Inc,) at that time out of Flagstaff, Arizona.

1987 - I was proved worthy to received my license into the Ministry of the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by my Pastor and elders of the American Indian Bible Church in South Gate, California

1987 - Later that year our family moved to Calvary Church of Santa Ana at the invitation of our friend, Pastor Alfred Fox. Calvary Church was logistically easier on us on the weekends when we were home rather than driving more than eighty miles on a Sunday to attend morning and evening church services with our Indian people in South Gate, CA. (The weekends we were not home as we ministered in Arizona with the whole family, we traveled about 600-650 miles.)

1988 - We were invited to pray and consider to come on staff full time with the American Indian Bible Institute. At that time I was not attuned to what missions and the missionary movement in the world was all about. So I asked my brother Duane what it meant to be a missionary in these days and what it all entailed? His response to me was in so many words Well...you and your family are essentially ‘doing it’ now, it’s not much different than what you are already doing only now it will be full time. We didn’t arrive at a decision quickly in our answer to Duane’s request. After three years of praying, planning, preparation (going over bills, going over bills and then going over bills), deputation traveling and numerous introductions of ourselves into many small churches followed. Our preparation included enrolling and being accepted to a three year missions shepherding group, training potential missionaries under Calvary Church of Santa Ana’s Practical Missionary Training program. At the end of the three years a two week evaluation and assessment was given to each missionary who successfully completed the course from an outside independent organization for final approval. A major step we as a family agreed to, was the whole family had to be in complete prayerful agreement from our youngest to the oldest that this was God’s call to our family to be in His service full time. Finally as a family we agreed to go into full time ministry as missionaries. The group I worked for thought I was crazy and after several meetings offered for me to write my own contract as an independent subcontractor to the Edison Electric Co. as a consultant two or three days a week for close to $60k a year where they would allow me time for ministry if that’s what I really wanted to do. In January of 1992 I quit my secular job completely, then Darice and I were commissioned in January of 1992 on a Sunday service with the laying on of hands by our senior pastor and elders in front of our congregation of several thousand members, at Calvary Church of Santa Ana. We are now partially supported financially from C.C. of S.A. They are our main stay and a tremendous help that allows us to stay in the field full time. The other half of our prayer and financial support comes from our many friends, family, and independent church supporters, we simply would not be able to exist without any of them. Our ministry is in Orange County, California under American Indian Bible Institute reaching Native American Indians with the philosophy of Evangelize, Encourage, Equip, and Extend, or in other words Reaching, Teaching, Training, and Sending.

1993-1999 - I was nominated and accepted as a volunteer to serve as the only pastor on the School Attendance Review Board for the Anaheim Community School District and then the Anaheim Union High (Public) School District, working with the Anaheim Police Department’s Anti-Gang Task Force. We held our meetings at the police department dealing with kids and their parents who brought weapons on campus, gang violence, kids who committed acts of aggression or violence against other students and teachers, and kids with major truant problems. We were the last line of opportunity for these kids to turn around. We were instructed to be hard nosed, the meetings were often difficult. Some children elected not to change and their files were turned over to the District Attorney’s office with no more second chances. Out of eight of us who sat on board I believe I was the only Christian.

1994 - I accepted the invitation to sit on the General Board of Directors of Bible Church Mission Inc, the church planting arm of the Southern California Regional, of the IFCA International.

1996 - For the next three years I served as President of the Board of Directors for Bible Church Mission during this time we were three years without a General Director. This was a time for us as a board to jell together, unified as we hashed out our vision, purpose, and goals. We defined ourselves, where each of us knew what we stood for. At times during some tough meetings, none took it personal, it was business. We left each meeting twice a month for the next three years with a good spirit, all along overseeing the on going church planting ministries under BCM as well as each of us carrying on our own ministries. The Lord has now called a good man for the job in Jose Fernandez as the General Director, (he was the pastor of Bassett Bible Church in La Puente) at which time I stepped down as President, but I am privileged to continue to serve on this board today with a group of mature godly brothers.

1997 - In February there was an urgent need for BCM to temporarily replace the lay pastor of the church planting efforts of Primera Iglesia Biblica Fundamental (First Fundamental Bible Church) in Garden Grove, CA. at the facilities of Village Bible Church. Originally the call was for two weeks, which seemed to be a good idea for me to handle at the time. Five years later I am still the pastor of Primera Iglesia Biblica Fundamental, a totally Spanish speaking congregation. In five years I continue to learn the fine art of speaking Spanish, when I first came into this church I did not know a word of Spanish. The strength of our church is in the training of our leaders and extending our leaders out into the community as we lead in different Bible studies in homes during the week nights. To date, as leaders, together have had the awesome privilege of leading about 155 lost souls to Christ in home Bible studies in the last 5 years I’ve been here. At least from the outward appearance there were 155 professions of faith, the Lord knows those who are His. We praise the Lord as He works and we give Him all the glory.

1998 - I entered a new endeavor at the suggestion of the long range planning committee and the evaluation committee of UIM International to begin a new ministry under UIM made up of Native men from the board of directors of UIM, called Native Ministry Board. The purpose of this board would be to oversee, review, and assure that all of UIM missionaries in the U.S. field are in compliance with UIM’s purpose statement and church planting philosophy involving the indigenous church planting principles of each people group that UIM missionaries are involved with and will be involved with in the future. Also we are privileged as a board to be able to consult with and give advice to the International board from a native perspective. I was elected to chair this board which has great potential. We have exciting challenges ahead of us as Native men.

The Gutierrez’s are missionaries involved in the Lord’s work, we are a faith promise mission, and currently we are at 66% of our financial support level on a monthly average. But more important we seek prayer support of God’s faithful servants, those who will stand by in good times and bad as the Lord directs your hearts.