GOOD OLD DAYS:

When Diane Hill first moved to Costa Mesa with her husband, Paul, and three young children in 1964, the ladies of First Church of Christ, Scientist, Costa Mesa, threw her a luncheon so she wouldn’t feel alone.

“Who holds luncheons these days?” she said with a chuckle. “There’s a good deal of love in our church. Love of God is what has kept it going all these years.”

In her more than 40 years with the church, Hill has seen it and the community around it age, grow and shift. The church will celebrate its 50th year today with a musical program, refreshments and a lecture.

The church began in 1956 with 39 charter members, mostly from a Christian Scientist congregation, or branch, in Newport Beach.

The fledgling congregation met at what was the old women’s club at 427 E. 17th St. It later purchased land at its present location at 2880 Mesa Verde Drive East in January 1967.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the new church building took place April 16, 1968.

The church added a new Sunday school building in 1969 and underwent extensive remodeling in 1988 and 1989.

Other buildings have sprouted up around the church over the past 40 years, and the neighborhood around it has changed. The church recently sponsored its first lecture offered in Spanish, which was well-attended in the community.

“The land is quite valuable, and the church has had several offers to sell, but they’ve always been turned down,” said longtime member and church clerk Cindy Dye. “We’re an older congregation now, it seems like most of the young families have moved to South County, so that has changed.”

Many people who attend the church have known each other for decades, Dye said.

And she has watched people in the congregation grow from being young children to having families of their own.

Dye’s children attended Sunday school years ago at First Church of Christ, Scientist, Costa Mesa. Today, her grandchildren go to church there.

“We are so close because we all work together,” said Dye, who also does volunteer work with the church outside of her duties as clerk. “We’re all like one big family.”

The church’s anniversary celebration will begin 2 p.m. today at the church.

Musical performances will include Jean Taylor at the organ and singing by Joan Iden Bowie and Duane Williams.

Mark Ruble, a Christian Science practitioner from Claremont will be the featured speaker at the event.

Ruble will talk about his experiences working in Africa and Hungary.

An open house and refreshments will follow the event. The church will open its reading room and Sunday school for public tours.

Visit www.christiansciencecm.comfor more information.

BRIANNA BAILEY may be reached at (714) 966-4625 or at brianna.bailey@latimes.com.