In Point Faithful Mildred “Mid” Dornan gives a full history of the first hundred years of Richmond First United Methodist Church, 1900-2000. This page presents a brief history.
A PLACE TO WORSHIP
Our first worship service was held in a Santa Fe Railway passenger coach on October 21, 1900. William N. Younglove was the pastor. Ground was broken for a small wooden church building on December 19 of that year. During construction, the congregation bought a waterproof tent that seated twenty-five people, but on January 2, 1901 a great storm swept the tent away over the heads of the astonished worshipers. Pastor Younglove immediately led his rain-drenched flock to his half-completed two-room cottage where they continued worship. Our name at the time was First Methodist Episcopal Church. Ours was the first Christian church in what would soon become the city of Richmond, California.
After the great storm, people willingly donated for the new structure. It was completed mainly with volunteer labor early in 1901. Located at the top of our current driveway, the first wooden church building was called “the cracker box.” Pastor Younglove did a lot of the work himself. Jobs at the railroad and refinery brought more families to Richmond, and the wooden church housed the public school for a time. The new Methodist Episcopal congregation found the acoustics good as they sang the hymns of Charles Wesley and Fanny Crosby, but the space was cramped, and the path got muddy in the rainy season.
David W. Calfee, pastor from 1904-1909, led the congregation to build the sanctuary that we enjoy today. Grandpa Tzar Calfee told the story in this way: “A popular prostitute named Rose passed away. She was a baptized Catholic, but Father Scanlon refused to do her funeral. Her friends called on Pastor Calfee who was glad to oblige and the service was celebrated. That evening the owner of the largest saloon in town came to the pastor’s house. He emptied a bag on the dining table, counting out $495 collected from the various saloons. Pat Deane then added a $5 gold piece to make it an even $500.” This money was used to buy building materials to begin construction of the current church. Again, volunteer labor was critical to the success of the project. Pastor Calfee put on his overalls and helped where needed with hauling and hammering. Construction was completed in 1906.
We can seat 120 in the sanctuary and 100 more when we open the doors to Friendship Hall. The architectural drawings have been lost, but we continue to enjoy one of the small gems of Methodism as we gather for worship every Sunday morning at 11 am. The roof was replaced in 1928, 1954, and 1998. L.A. Jenks Roofing did the work both in 1928 and in 1954. The foundation was made more secure in 2011, and the bricks were repointed in 2013.
P.E. Peterson, pastor from 1914-1917, helped build the current parsonage. The four-bedroom house was built on the property in 1915 using some of the lumber from the original wooden church. As always, it was built using mainly volunteer labor. Pastor Peterson was one of the workers. We are currently renovating the parsonage [MF1]interior and plan to put on a new roof in a few years.
PASTORS
William N. Younglove was the founding pastor of Richmond First Methodist Episcopal Church. He served for only one year but got the church off to a good start and into its first building. Pastor David W. Calfee saw church membership grow; he stayed long enough to build the current church building. In 100 years, Richmond First was served by 45 different pastors. There was a series of full-time pastors, there were supply [MF2]pastors during some very thin years, followed by over fifty years of less-than-full-time pastors. Often the church was served by a seminary student for a year or two. When the student graduated, they left to serve a full-time church elsewhere. In 1995 Dan Damon was appointed to serve half-time at Richmond First. After a few years the growing church was able to pay three-quarter-time salary. After a couple more years, the church was able to pay a full salary. Dan Damon retires July 1, 2020 after twenty-five years of service to this local parish.
MISSION AND MINISTRY
In the 18th century, John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, taught his followers to put their faith into action. Methodists value works of mercy, helping the poor and oppressed, and working for social justice. At the beginning of the 20th century Richmond First Methodist Episcopal engaged in mission and ministry in the community and beyond. Pastors offered help, hope, and home to all who would come.
Our first church building served for a time as a public school. In 1901 Emily Boorman, age twenty-one, started her teaching career in the basement of our first church. She taught 87 students ages six to sixteen. After the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco the little wooden church sheltered many refugees. They slept on the chapel pews and were fed by neighbors and members of the church. The times were hard, and the early Methodists were a caring presence in the community. Money was always collected for missions, even during building projects.
The women of the church were involved in the temperance movement of the early 20th century. They ran a lunchroom for Standard Oil and used the proceeds to contribute to local church and global mission projects. They raised money for immigrants, orphans, Native Americans, African Americans, the Sinuk Mission School in Nome, Alaska, and an Oriental Children’s Home in Oakland, California. During World War II, the women helped with well-baby clinics at the church. As the population grew, the Methodist pastor was ready to help people who needed a wedding or a funeral service.
In more recent times the church has hosted a community Thanksgiving Dinner. We give out food at the front door of the parsonage all year. We support the Greater Richmond Interfaith Program, the Early Childhood Mental Health Program, the Bay Area Rescue Mission, the Family Justice Center, IM Hope, Washington Elementary School, and Katherine Parker, United Methodist missionary in Nepal. We sing songs from around the world and celebrate the variety of languages and cultures in our current membership. Our pastor continues to provide Bible Study, counseling, weddings, and funerals for members and non-members alike. Alcoholics Anonymous meets Monday nights at our church. Children attend Vacation Bible School one week in the summer. People from far and wide find bargains at our annual Junktique Sales in May.
THEOLOGY
Our theology has developed through the years. The early Methodists proclaimed the Christian faith they knew. John Wesley believed “unity in essentials, charity in all else.” He taught his followers to evaluate faith through scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. We continue to discover our faith as we worship, study, and pray together. We are learning to honor the light in all faith traditions as we praise God from where we are. In 2006 our Administrative Board adopted a Welcome Statement when we committed to become a Reconciling Congregation.
Our Welcome Statement proclaims our intention to love all people as we worship and serve in the community and the world. We welcome all and celebrate everyone’s uniqueness. We preserve and embrace diversity in nature. We work with others to realize Jesus’ mission of peace, justice, and unconditional love.
In spite of the stance of the General Conference of the United Methodist Church, we affirm our commitment to full inclusion of LGBTQ persons (both clergy and laity) in the life of the church. As a Reconciling Congregation, we continue to follow the way of love. We reject the General Conference policy to disallow LGBTQ clergy, and to penalize pastors who conduct same-sex weddings.
We celebrate faith expression in many languages and cultures. We focus on being kind to all and cultivate a culture of generosity. We serve the community as we partner with friends and neighbors. We work to make the world a lovelier place.
We sing hymns, ancient and modern, every week. Some of the newer hymns, many written and composed by Pastor Dan Damon, help us express our developing faith.
BEAUTY
Beauty is important to the people at Richmond First. From the first services in the railroad boxcar to the services in the wooden church at the top of the driveway, the singing has echoed off of hard surfaces. The acoustics in the current sanctuary allow us to hear the congregational singing in a way that is unusual and powerful in its beauty. We enjoy the musical support of piano, organ, cello, guitar, and mandolin on a regular basis. Our Joyful Noise Choir sings through the school year as it has done for many years under a variety of directors. Our choir has recorded and sent songs to Iraq, Nepal, South Africa, and Canada as we connect in mission beyond our sanctuary walls. We host many concerts every year featuring a variety of musical styles from folk to jazz. Dennis Johnson plays a classical piano concert in the spring to benefit Spirit in Action, an organization making small grants to help people in Africa start businesses.
Our garden has become a place of peace and beauty for the whole neighborhood to enjoy. For years after the wooden church was torn down, the lower garden was left undeveloped. The wood from the church was used in the construction of the parsonage, but the rocks and weeds were allowed to rule. The upper garden was cultivated with roses along the white picket fence, and the canary palm was planted in 1915 by Pastor Peterson’s wife as a centerpiece in that part of the garden when the parsonage was completed. We developed the lower garden in 2001. It features bricks engraved with previous pastors’ names and the years they served, as well as other names and messages. A small labyrinth was included in the design done by then-new member, Allen Folks. Elena Breen gave the labyrinth a makeover in 2015 with rocks she brought from her previous home in the Sierra foothills. In 2008, Patrick McMahon built the stone patio in the upper garden in memory of Ross Parmer, giving us a new place to gather outside after services.
PAYING THE BILLS
Giving with a joyful heart has always been part of our story. The dollar amounts were smaller a hundred years ago, but the generous spirit was the same. Giving and fundraising have been combined over the years to pay the bills, and to support the mission and ministry of the church beyond the sanctuary walls. From 1917-1921 the women of the church ran a lunch counter serving the needs of the employees at Standard Oil, now Chevron. In more recent times the annual Junktique Sale has become a neighborhood event on the first Saturday in May. In the fall we have an Art and Jewelry Sale, and during the year we enjoy other fundraisers. We like to have a little fun while raising money for a good cause. In 2016 we started a permanent Endowment Fund as a way to develop a stronger financial base for mission and ministry in the years ahead. People joyfully contribute to this caring church community.
