User:Johnwelseyhall918/Lancaster United Methodist Church



Lancaster United Methodist Church

Lancaster United Methodist Church is a medium sized, multi-cultural congregation of the United Methodist Church located in Lancaster, California, just north of Los Angeles in the high desert. It is a Methodist Christian denomination that is both mainline and evangelical.

The 670 members church, pastored by the Rev. Dr. W. "Terry" Van Hook, has a worship, prayer and study life as well as a number of community outreach programs including Footsteps Christian Children's Center (day care and after school care), a hot lunch program and a growing scouting program. The congregation also supports a missionary in Liberia, CROP walks,the Katrina Rebuild, and efforts to help the victims of the 2011 Japanese Tsunami and earthquake.

There is a contemporary-style worship at 9 am every Sunday morning with a praise band and a "relaxed traditional"-style worship at 10:45 am every Sunday morning with full choir and organ accompaniment.

The Megumi Kai fellowship is a japanese language congregation that worships at 1 pm every Sunday and is made up of Lancaster United Methodist church members and meets regularly for worship, study, outreach and fellowship activities.

The congregation worships in a 450 seat sanctuary built in 1965 and remodeled in 2006 with the addition of a Grand Foyer and reception area. It is located in the downtown area of Lancaster, Ca. near the corner of Ave. J and 10th Street West.

Officially founded in 1886 under the leadership of Rev. H. R. Stevens it has served as one of the main cultural and civic hubs of the Antelope Valley.

Mission Statement
The mission statement of Lancaster United Methodist Church is: "To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world".

Current Ministry and Activities
Lancaster United Methodist Church sponsors many ministries including a scouting program with a Cub Scout Pack, a Boy Scout troop and a Girl Scout troop (in formation). There are also overseas missions, the Lancaster Homeless Shelter, and the CROP walk for hunger and actively supports a missionary in Liberia, the Katrina Rebuild, and efforts to help the victims of the 2011 Japanese Tsunami and earthquake.

Over the years, members of the Lancaster Methodist Men's group and Women's Society of Christian Service (now United Methodist Women) have supported Meals on Wheels, the League of Women Voters, and Head Start, as well as serving as volunteers at local hospitals.

The Soup Kitchen / Sandwich Shoppe operates twice a week, Mondays and Thursdays, 52 weeks of the year. Currently it is serving between 150 and 350 meals a day to any and all who come and need a hot meal.

In addition to Sunday morning worship services, the 650 member congregation has graded Sunday school classes, a professionally staff nursery, various adult Bible study classes, youth activities, and a wednesday night adult education with free meal and children's program.

The music program includes adult and handbell choirs, a praise band as well as a children's choir.

Lancaster United Methodist Church started a Preschool in 1967? which later become the Footprints Christian Children's Center in 2003?. An accredited child care center, it now serves approximately fifty children ages 2–5 years old.

The large size of the sanctuary makes it well-suited for community gatherings attracting sizable crowds, such as concerts by the MTAC, 100 Women in White and a memorial services for community leaders.

The present Senior Pastor of Lancaster United Methodist Church since July 1, 2009, is W. "Terry" Van Hook, who earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from Claremont School of Theology in Claremont, Calif. Prior to his appointment at Lancaster United Methodist, Rev. Van Hook was senior minister at Orangethorpe United Methodist Church in Fullerton, California.

The church's staff of thirteen includes directors of music, youth and education, children's center, and office/administrative personnel. Lancaster United Methodist is a part of the denomination's California-Pacific Annual Conference (Pasadena District).[16]

The beginning; 1880s-1900s
First settled by

1900's to 1920's
A small structure

1920's to 1950's
Groundbreaking for the new church, 1925 SAMPLE A groundbreaking ceremony was held on October 7, 1956, and construction of the new church was completed by the John K. Ruff Company in May 1958, with a service of dedication held on May 11, 1958.[1][13] A crowd of 1,250 attended the ceremonies in the new sanctuary, with an overflow of 550 persons watching by closed-circuit television in the lower level Fellowship Hall.[14] The old First M.E. Church structure adjacent to Prospect Hill Park Cemetery on McCurdy Avenue (now Investment Place) and York Road was abandoned and eventually demolished in 1965.[7] A display of the stained glass windows which were at the former church is located in the foyer of the current building.[14] The former Second M.P. Church structure was sold in 1954 to the Women's Club of Towson and still stands today.[10] In 2005, the building was sold to an office development firm and is now used by an insurance agency.[9] The erstwhile Epsom Chapel eventually became a meeting hall for Boy Scout troops in the 1920s–1930s.[1] It was eventually abandoned and finally demolished in 1952 to make way for construction of a parking lot for Hutzler's department store, later developed into the present Macy's department store and Towson Town Center mall.[4]

1950's to 2005
(sample) A new, larger church was built. The current name, Lancaster United Methodist Church, was adopted in 1968 to reflect the merger in that year of the Methodist and Evangelical United Brethren denominations in the U.S.[5]

The present sanctuary's completion was celebrated by a reenactment of the original May 11, 1958, dedication service.

On Sunday, the 100th anniversary of Lancaster UMC founding was held.

2005 to present
The addition of the Grand Foyer was completed in 2006.

Current building and facilities
Sanctuary interior viewed from the balcony, the organ pipework and windchests are concealed behind the altar screen sample.... The current Lancaster United Methodist Church is a mission shaped structure, with an inner quadrangle.

It was built in four phases with John Wesley Hall (south side) and the Education wing (west side) first being built in 1955.

The Sanctuary came next and was built in 1965 with the office wing on the east being completed in 1970.

The Sanctuary (north side) was designed by architect ______ ? and completed in 195__, the church is built of masonry and concrete, with a prominent, floodlighted spire surmounted by a 9-foot (3 m) cross visible at 1 mi (_ km) distance on the CA 14 freeway.

A new Grand Foyer was added in 2006 highlighting the crosses that were originally on the front facade.

Inside, the sanctuary has three aisles with a rear balcony and can accommodate up to 500 persons.

The education building running north-south classrooms, youth rooms and offices for the Footstep Christian Children's center. The John Wesley Hall building has a fellowship hall, kitchen, dining room and the Fireside room, with a library and featuring an exhibit of memorabilia and historical artifacts along with archival records.

Construction of the church cost $____,000 in 1958 (equivalent to almost $__ million in 2008), not including the expense of land acquisition.

Organ
(sample) Towson United Methodist Church has a 3-manual, 49-rank Casavant pipe organ of 2,516 pipes, including seven ranks of 16 ft. pipes and tubular chimes. It was dedicated in memory of S. Clayton Seitz by then-organist John Duwane Hoffman on May 11, 1958.[17] Hoffman, the church's esteemed virtuoso organist and Minister of Music between 1957–1988, was a graduate of Union Theological Seminary's renowned Master of Sacred Music degree program, after having earned Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees at the University of Denver. At Union, Hoffman studied the organ with Clarence Dickinson and Vernon De Tar.[18] In addition to serving as the church's organist and choral director, Hoffman was professor of organ at Towson State University. He died unexpectedly on July 4, 1988 of complications following heart bypass surgery.

Renovation and expansion project
Lancaster United Methodist Church completed a renovation and expansion of it's worship center in 2006. At the cost of $1.6 million, a Grand Foyer was added to the east facade providing a place sheltered from the wind, sun, rain and snow. In addition a reception area and modern rest rooms were added. This is part of a master plan renovation and expansion that includes new education classrooms and youth facilities.

Previous ministers
Former methodist senior ministers and appointed associate ministers of Lancaster United Methodist Church are:[17]

Antelope Valley 1884 (H. R. Stevens);

Lancaster 85 (C. B. Pershing);

1886 G. S. Umpleby;

1887 Supplied;

1888-1890 Adam Bland;

1891 E. S. Robertson;

1892 (W. 0. Askins);

1893-1895 B. F. Wolffe;

1896 S. P. Sowden;

1896 Supplied;

1897 E. H. Dupuy;

1898 No record;

1908 (E. R. Yost);

1909 (Cornelius Epp);

1910-1912 J. H. Amis;

1913-1914 (W. L. Dexter);

1915 S. L. Todd;

1916 A. H. Bolton;

1917 J. Crawford Trotter;

1918 (C. W. Green);

1919-1920 D. K. Burnham;

1921 S. Phillips;

1922 O. C. Laizure;

1923-1926 J. M. Ocheltree;

1927-1929 H. E. Hooper;

1930-1932 Randall B. Scott;

1933-1936 R. W. Plannette;

1937-1940 Carl B. Johnson;

1941 T. A. Ray;

1942-1945 (Jan) Harold Loy;

1946-1950 Fay H. Prince;

1951-1953 F. Bruce Ellis;

1954-1958 Leonidas I. Brock;

1959-1962 Edmund R. Warne;

1963 (Feb) -1971 Dorsey Allen;

1972 (Dec) -1978 David G. Rogne;

1979 (Jan) - 1985 Kenneth L. Heflin;

1986 - 1991 Richard Burdine;

1992 Kenneth Heaton;

1993 - 1998 J. Robert Stimmel;

1999 (Mar) (Kenneth L. Heflin);

1999 - 2006 James C. Ledgerwood;

2007 (Feb 1) - 2009 Frank Sablan;

2009 (Mar 22) (James Brewster – Interim RA);

Associate Minister's:

1957-58 Charles Maloney; 1958-62 Millard W. Wolfe; 1962 (Nov)-63 Roland Brammeier:

1963-65 (George Wolverton);

1964-65 Paul F. Crockett;

1965-67 Marshall S. Lindsay;

1967-68 J. Edward Burn:

1968-71 Vernon W. Bradley;

1971-72 (Oct) Kenneth G. Heaton;

1973-76 Paul H. Enns;

1976-78 R. Norton:

1980-82 (Sep) Michael Pugh:

1983-86 William S. Cutter;

1986-90 Mary Beth Birgelaitis;

1990-92 Cathy S. Wright;

1901 (Kathy Ledgerwood);

Megumi Kai: Japanese Ministry:

1997-98 (Benjamin Seishi Nonaka); v 04 (Aki Urakawa);