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.
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