IN THE SPIRIT

-- Michele Marr

Address: 420 W. 19th St., Costa Mesa

Telephone: (949) 548-7727

Denomination: United Methodist

Year church established: 1912

Service times: Sunday morning worship is at 10 a.m. Adult education

class meets at 8:45 a.m. Children go to the worship service with their

parents until 10:15 a.m. Early in the service, there is a young

disciples’ time for preschool through sixth-grade children, then the

children are dismissed to attend Sunday school. The children’s choir

practices and participates at a number of services from September to

June.

Senior pastor: Pastor Michael Bankhead

Staff: Betty McDaniels, office manager; Amy Bankhead, director of

Christian education; Charles Hansen, director of music; and Miranda Wu,

assistant director of music, pianist and director of the children’s choir

Size of congregation: 170 members -- about 90 attend services on

Sunday

Makeup of congregation: The congregation includes a number of longtime

members who are native Costa Mesans, as well as families with children of

all ages.

Child care: Child care for children 3 and younger is provided on

Sunday starting at 9:45 a.m.

Type of worship: The church provides a blended worship service that

includes a time for prayer, readings from Scripture, a message and a lot

of singing from a broad selection of music. The choir and congregation

are accompanied by a diversity of instruments.

Type of message: Bankhead’s messages are based on Scripture and

intended to apply to daily living.

Welcome wagon: There is a time of welcoming and passing of the peace

early in the Sunday service. Visitors are encouraged to stay and

socialize during the coffee fellowship that begins after the worship

service. The pastor sends a letter of welcome to visitors who leave their

address.

Outreach programs: The church makes an ongoing effort to serve the

neighboring community the best it can. Members stock a food pantry and

make food available to those who need it, both those who have cooking

facilities and those who don’t. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9

a.m. to 12 p.m., church members run a shower ministry for the homeless.

They open the shower in the church’s gymnasium and provide towels and

toiletries to about 20 people each day. An emergency fund provides bus

passes, a night’s shelter in a motel (usually for families with children)

or money for needed prescriptions. The all-volunteer Costa Mesa Literacy

Center meets here on Monday nights to teach people to read and speak

English. Others who benefit from the church’s hospitality include

Alcoholics Anonymous groups.

Church design: The church is home to a Moeller-Reuter-Skinner pipe

organ. The church’s traditional Protestant sanctuary, with a center aisle

and dark wood furnishings, comfortably seats from 75 to 300 people. This

makes it a popular wedding site. Along with the church’s bell tower, the

sanctuary, which was built in 1928, is a historic building in the

community. Its Spanish modern architecture was influential in the design

of Triangle Square and other new buildings in adjacent areas. The church

was recently painted inside and out. The interior, which was previously

brown, was painted white. The new color lightens the interior and

complements the dark wood furnishing and stained-glass windows.

Mission statement: The church exists to create a nurturing environment

for promoting Christian spiritual growth and to create opportunities to

serve humanity.

Interesting note: On Sept. 9, a Sunday morning celebration will mark

the fall start-up of new children’s ministry programs at the church.