A Short History of Santee UMC

The Santee United Methodist Church was started by a group of earnest Christians in the old Santee Elementary School on Mission Gorge and Edgemoor Drive. Afternoon services were held and attended by people of several denominations. The women started a Ladies Aid Group, with interest in establishing a house of worship. Consequently a meeting was held at the home of L. I. Porter for the purpose of deciding on the denomination of the church to build.
It was decided that the church would be the Santee Methodist Episcopal Church. It soon became known as the Santee Community Church, and was chartered by the State of California. The first Methodist service was held in the Santee schoolhouse at 4:00 PM on Sunday, June 4, 1911, with the Reverend Frank Edwards reading one of the letters of Paul to the Corinthians. On June 25, 1911, 33 people were received into membership. In 1911 work began on building the new church. The total cost, after much volunteer labor, was $4,100.00. This cost was paid in full and the church was dedicated in 1912.
Fellowship Hall was built in 1949, while the Reverend Arthur Huckaby was pastor. The church school wing, kitchen and offices were added later.
The original sanctuary was taken apart in November of 1968 and the material given to people of Mexico. Our Congregation moved to Fellowship Hall which had been redecorated, and made into an attractive sanctuary.
In 1971 – 1977, Reverend Vernon Story was pastor, and the congregation was giving serious thought to the building of a new sanctuary. Under the guidance of Reverend Karen Jeanette, from 1977 – 1979, a financing campaign and plans for a new building on the site of the original church were started. First street was declared discontinued, and became part of the church property so that we had sufficient area for a parking lot.
In 1979, Reverend Dennis Ginoza became the pastor. Arrangements were made with the Board of Global Ministries in New York for a $90,000.00 loan, and a groundbreaking ceremony for the new sanctuary was held on July 31st. A year and a half later, after hundreds of hours of volunteer labor and substantial giving, the new sanctuary was completed.
In the mid 1990’s, the congregation, feeling a need for more space for ministry, began an expansion program. In 1995-96, under the leadership of Reverend Gwen Jones-Lurvey, Sunshine Hall, a new pastor’s office, and four new classrooms were added to the existing facility.
Today, Santee United Methodist Church stands as a testament to God’s faithfulness. For 100 years we have ministered on this corner, even as the community around us changed. True to our original call from God, we remain a church in service to God and to our community. As we celebrate our centennial it is with confidence that , “the One who began a good work among us will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ”. (Philippians 1:6)

PASTORAL HISTORY

Rev. F. C. Edwards 1911 – 1913, Rev. F. C. Neptune 1915 – 1916, Rev. A. A. Burge 1917 – 1918, Rev. J. E. Fisher 1919 – 1922, Rev. D. D. Woodworth 1924 – 1925, Rev. C. M. Ross 1927 – 1931, Rev. P. I. Hershey 1934 – 1936, Rev. C. W. Sharer 1938 – 1940, Rev. W. L. Summers 1941 – 1942, Rev. G. C. Rector 1942 – 1945, Rev. A. Huckaby 1948 – 1953, Rev. A. C. Eastland 1956 – 1958, Rev. G. E. Garner 1963 – 1967, Rev. J. R. Augustine 1968 – 1969, Rev. V. L. Story 1971 – 1977, Rev. D. Y. Ginoza 1979 – 1988, Rev. G. Jones-Lurvey 1994 – 2001, Rev. Wesley Matsen Neal 2001 – 2009, Rev. Diane Davis (Associate) 2007 - 2010, Rev. Sandra Olewine 2011 -