History
First Presbyterian Church of San Pedro Spiritual History
Revised October, 2006
1869 — William Banning completes a rail link from Los Angeles to the neighboring city of Wilmington, thus creating the first ship to rail harbor in Southern California. But the land that is now San Pedro remains what it had always been--an arid hillside full of scrub.
1882 — Augustus Timms manages to extend a rail link to the new township of San Pedro, thus creating some competition in the shipping business. Thus, Mr Timms became a central figure in San Pedro, and his monument lies in the exact geographical center of San Pedro's first graveyard. In the last years of his life, Mr. Timms would later chair our church's board.
1883 — Pastor William Fackler of Calvary Presbyterian Church in Wilmington exhorts a small crowd to begin a Christian Church in San Pedro. Six women (including his sister) and one man agree. On November 25 of that year, the First Presbyterian Church is born.
1888 — William Waddell becomes the first full-time pastor. A simple clapboard building is constructed at the corner of 7th and Palos Verdes Streets, and Mr. Timms donates a sturdy bell. Adult membership remains small, but the Sunday School program thrives, reaching 190 children within 5 years. Nonetheless, there are 4 saloons for every church in the newly incorporated city of San Pedro, and every Monday brings a funeral from some brawl.
1894 — Albert Frazier begins a 5 year pastorate at First Church. During this era, San Pedro is formally selected as the official harbor of Los Angeles, and rapid migration to San Pedro almost closes the Wilmington church. Thus, Calvary Wilmington and First San Pedro share one pastor for many years.
1905 — William Mills begins a 13 year tenure as pastor of First Church. During this era, our old church building was sold to the Elks Club, and a handsome new sandstone church was constructed at the corner of 10th and Mesa. After repeated requests, Rev. Mills also secured a $3,000 matching grant from Andrew Carnegie to supply the new building with a grand pipe organ. A good friend from Pasadena brings in another $2,000, and church women supply the rest. Mr. Carnegie also built a handsome city library that stood for many years downtown.
1917 — Stewart MacLennon begins a brief but thrilling tenure at First Presbyterian Church. During the 4 years of his ministry, youth rallies are held throughout the city, and church membership almost triples to 347. Then, Rev. MacLennon is wooed by the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, where he builds a congregation of several thousand members. At First Hollywood, Rev. MacLennon hires the legendary Henrietta Mears as Christian Education Director, and he launches a nationwide radio ministry. Each broadcast ended with his signature remark: "Only one life, soon 'tis past--only what's done for Christ will last."
1924 — Martin Luther Thomas begins a 6 tenure at First church. Highlights of this era include the completion of a fellowship hall in our church basement and the city's first radio ministry, broadcast on the airwaves of MDMS, San Pedro's first and only radio station. This station was owned by FPC member Bill McWhinnie.
1931 — Bill Darcy begins a 10 year pastorate of loving care that helps many church members weather the Great Depression. A highlight of this era was the church's 50th anniversary party held in 1933. Rev. Darcy chaired the ecumenical council of San Pedro for many years, and he was keenly aware of distressing trends throughout the world. He left to become a navy chaplain near the start of World War II.
1941 — Andrew MacCormick begins a 17 year tenure that became a "golden era" for the church. Dr. MacCormick had a wonderful rapport with soldiers and sailors, and the city was teaming with them during and after the war. Meanwhile, the harbor employed almost 90,000 people building ships. Soon, the congregation swelled beyond the capacity of our building, and new property was purchased "up the hill" at the corner of 8th & Averill. A Greek Revival education building was dedicated in 1950, and a large brick sanctuary was completed in 1954. Another highlight of this era was the creation of our "Mariners" ministry, a social and spiritual outreach to families. At one time, our church had four different mariners "clubs" and over 400 active members in this ministry.
1958 — Henry Greene begins a 6 year tenure during which the church dedicated a new bell tower and 6 stained glass windows. During this era, the church was known throughout the city for its wonderful choirs (including several groups for children) and its excellent youth ministry. We also added a music/social wing for both children and adults.
1967 — Ed Couch begins a brief, exciting tenure as Pastor of First Church. During the three years of his ministry, membership swelled to over 1500 persons. After leaving First Church, the personable Rev. Couch spent several years as the chief development officer of Oberlin College.
1970 — Karl Christ begins a 5 year tenure as Pastor of First Church. This was an era of controversy that reflected the political, economic, and cultural struggles of our nation. Church membership was cut in half, but there were important gains: the founding of the FISH food pantry for the poor, the creation of San Pedro's first Meals on Wheels program, and the development of the Harbor Area Halfway Houses for ex-convicts from Terminal Island. This era also brought the dedication of a grand, new pipe organ in 1972.
1976 — Malcolm Lovell begins a 13 year tenure as pastor of our church. Dr. Lovell was known as an excellent preacher who valued community ministry and traditional worship. During this area, the church's food pantry grew into Harbor Interfaith, a city-wide food and shelter ministry that operated from our basement. San Pedro's Meals on Wheels program took up much of our church kitchen, and we began to house a strong, co-operative preschool in the Christian Education wing. Dr Lovell also brought us a bold visitation program called "Evangelism Explosion."
1992 — Bill & Margaret Steele begin a 10 year tenure of encouragement to our church. Major initiatives in both men's and women's ministries were taken in this era. Several parts of our church building were renovated following a mysterious fire, and several new stained glass panels were installed in the chancel. A Thanksgiving Basket Program for needy families was created, and an excellent mission plan was developed.
2004 — Neal Neuenschwander begins his tenure at First Church. Rev. Neuenschwander is known as a thoughtful listener and a creative preacher with a record of innovation through church teams. The first fruit of this approach has been the Alpha ministry that began in January of 2006. The second fruit is the Mission Facilitation Team that is working with our Commissions to refurbish our church property and implement our Mission Plan.
by Rev. Neal Neuenschwander
with helpful contributions from several "Real San Pedrans"
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Page Last Updated: Wed Nov 1, 2006