FROM LEFT: San Diego and Imperial Valley Dioceses Bishop Myron Winfield, and the Rev. Ron Griffen address the congregation during worship services Sunday celebrating the centennial of First United Methodist Church in El Centro. (Dennis Jacobelli) |
With an array of old photos on display in the Fellowship Room of the First United Methodist Church in El Centro, former Imperial Valley resident Dawn Cleveland couldn’t help but look at a 1965 snapshot of a choir that included her cousin Terry Quillin.
“I was not sure he was a singer,” said Cleveland, now a Nebraska resident, who was in town on a 10-day visit to attend her nephew’s 28th birthday party. “Who knows? It’s funny to see these.”
Cleveland wasn’t the only person Sunday who gazed at the old photographs and shared memories of their connections with the church that has weathered an arson fire and many changes in the cultural landscape in entering its centennial year.
More than 150 people celebrated the occasion by attending a church service led by the Rev. Ron Griffen, who urged the congregation to consider that their work is far from over.
As the church enters a milestone in its history, it’s up to the congregants to do the work of Christ, Griffen said.
After the service was over, Griffen said an outreach effort called a shalom zone, is being pursued so as to build relationships in the community.
A shalom zone here, Griffen explained, would be modeled after such community service efforts that sprouted following the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
“We’re sort of the hinge,” said Griffen, who meant that the current congregation serves as a contingent, or representative group, into a new era as the church enters its 100th year.
Griffen’s wife, Sara, who heads the Imperial Valley Food Bank, said that while the church survived the ravages of an unsolved arson fire in July 1962, the First United Methodist Church also made it through the Easter Sunday 7.2-magnitude earthquake that rattled the Imperial Valley from Baja California.
The church’s organ, stained glass and chandeliers were damaged, but the weekend’s festivities helped showcase the repairs to congregants.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing for me,” Griffen said. “And everyone else.”
Staff Writer Silvio J. Panta can be reached at 760-337-3442.
“I was not sure he was a singer,” said Cleveland, now a Nebraska resident, who was in town on a 10-day visit to attend her nephew’s 28th birthday party. “Who knows? It’s funny to see these.”
Cleveland wasn’t the only person Sunday who gazed at the old photographs and shared memories of their connections with the church that has weathered an arson fire and many changes in the cultural landscape in entering its centennial year.
More than 150 people celebrated the occasion by attending a church service led by the Rev. Ron Griffen, who urged the congregation to consider that their work is far from over.
As the church enters a milestone in its history, it’s up to the congregants to do the work of Christ, Griffen said.
After the service was over, Griffen said an outreach effort called a shalom zone, is being pursued so as to build relationships in the community.
A shalom zone here, Griffen explained, would be modeled after such community service efforts that sprouted following the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
“We’re sort of the hinge,” said Griffen, who meant that the current congregation serves as a contingent, or representative group, into a new era as the church enters its 100th year.
Griffen’s wife, Sara, who heads the Imperial Valley Food Bank, said that while the church survived the ravages of an unsolved arson fire in July 1962, the First United Methodist Church also made it through the Easter Sunday 7.2-magnitude earthquake that rattled the Imperial Valley from Baja California.
The church’s organ, stained glass and chandeliers were damaged, but the weekend’s festivities helped showcase the repairs to congregants.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing for me,” Griffen said. “And everyone else.”
Staff Writer Silvio J. Panta can be reached at 760-337-3442.
