Plenty of new things happening at St. Peter’s

Michele Marr

“New” is a pivotal word for any Christian church with a mission

centered on the Gospel message of receiving new life through Jesus

Christ, but this year at Saint Peter’s By-the-Sea Presbyterian Church

“new” has been a particularly operative word.

This year, the congregation welcomed Chris Grange, their new

permanent pastor and on Sunday the congregation celebrated its 10th

birthday with a beach-themed party, a new worship schedule and new

plans for the expansion of its squeezed facilities.

“We’re very grateful for the 10 years we’ve had,” Grange said.

“[But] in many ways we feel we’re really just beginning now.”

The Presbytery of Los Ranchos bought the property the church now

occupies in 1992, to develop what would become Huntington Beach’s

second Presbyterian Church. The building, which was once a restaurant

owned by Mary Pickford and Charles “Buddy” Rogers, had been moved

from its original Burbank location decades before.

The congregation remodeled what was for a time an Italian then a

seafood restaurant to provide for a sanctuary, a nursery, a few

offices and classrooms. The restaurant’s kitchen was retained as part

of the church’s fellowship hall.

The first Sunday worship service to be held at the church was in

September 1992. A year later, on Sept. 12, the church, with 150

members, became chartered.

Five years ago the congregation bought a small former insurance

office close to its property to expand its office space, but the

purchase left the church’s sanctuary and offices separated by a

three-quarter acre parcel of land the church was also eager to

acquire.

“We have been strangled for space for several years now as the

church has grown,” Grange said.

The acquisition, however, was repeatedly delayed because of

complications with the property’s title as well as the ramshackle

condition of once-residential structures on the land. Meanwhile, the

neglected property, its structures condemned, became an attraction

for transients and trespassers.

Now after years of tangled negotiations, the church is waiting to

close escrow on the property. The land has been cleared and the

330-member congregation has engaged Dominy & Associates Architects to

create a master plan for a multi-phase expansion project. Early next

year, the church will kick off a capital campaign to fund the

construction.

“We anticipate the first phase will be a multipurpose building

that will include classrooms, meeting rooms, office space and a

nice-size fellowship hall that will serve as a larger sanctuary for

us until we get to the next phase [of construction], which will

probably include a sanctuary,” Grange said.

He foresees breaking ground for the new facilities by the end of

next year and hopes to complete the expansion in three to five years.

“I’ve been impressed by the pioneer spirit of the congregation.

They came here 10 years ago and [nearly half] of those charter

members are still here. A lot of people have given of their time and

talents and treasure to keep the church going,” said Grange, who came

to the church a year ago from Bakersfield where he served as an

executive pastor.

Grange grew up in Southern California and worked with the Los

Angeles County Fire Department for 12 years after which he, his wife

Helen and their five children spent 10 years based in Kona, Hawaii

with Youth with a Mission, traveling throughout much of Asia on

short-term missions.

While Grange studied at Fuller Seminary before being ordained,

Helen worked with Joni and Friends, a Christian ministry that

evangelizes and disciples people affected by disability.

“We really believe the last 20 years in our lives have been

preparation for this call here to this church,” he said. “My goal

[when I preach] is to take the word of God and make it practical in

our daily lives.”

He envisions the church as a place where people can be introduced

to Jesus Christ and can develop a relationship with him, where they

can discover and be prepared for a personal ministry within the

church or out in the community.

On Sunday, as the congregation celebrated its short but successful

past, it also looked forward to the promise of its future. Their new

worship schedule of three Sunday morning services, two

traditional-blended services and one new contemporary service, had

been put into place the week before.

“Our attendance jumped 40%,” Grange said.

Even with its current limited facilities, he points out, the

church is not merely surviving; it’s growing.