A Century Later, This Church Remains

A century ago, Santee was comprised of dairy farms, ranches and lots of open space. There was a railroad, and next to that, a church was built.

The railroad is gone, except for the avenue that bears its name. So are most of the open spaces, giving way to a vibrant suburban town. But one thing remains: the church.

celebrates its 100th anniversary on Sunday, June 5. Activities being at 10 a.m. and include a luncheon, nostalgia and homecoming for some of the 3,300 people who have called the church home over the century.

“Most of this place was still just open land,” said Bill Grill, a staff member of the church, of his earliest memories of Santee in the 1969. “There wasn’t much in the way of buildings. And it was for the most part a bedroom community. It was a rural community. Now it’s more urbanized. Progress is not a bad thing, but when you’ve lived here 40 some odd years you’ve seen the changes. There’s a definite difference.

“As Santee has grown, I think we’ve maintained our kind of country appeal. We’re not a small church but we’re an active church. We’re medium size and we try to be as active in the community as we can.”

Such activities include an annual Christmas gift drive for under-resourced children and long-term commitment to such groups as .

“The congregation here really supports things like that,” said Grill. “It really didn’t matter the economic time. They’re always very giving, here at this church.

At a time when so much is new, here is a place with history.

The first meeting was June 4, 1911. Thirty people at Santee School House eventually formed formed Santee Methodist Episcopal church. They raised the $4,100 to build the original sanctuary that was dedicated in January 12, 1912.

That building was large enough to seat around a hundred people, mostly farmers and ranchers. The congregation also included a San Diego hotel developer named Edgar E. Campbell. On display at the church is a letter from someone named Mr. Kramer who owned what is now .

Otis Hurley went to see Kramer to get a donation. At first, Kramer did not oblige the request. Hurley returned home and shared the exciting news that a check was in hand. His wife celebrated the $20 donation, and then her husband corrected her. “No,” he said, “it’s $200.” Not a small sum back then.

To be sure, much has changed at the property located on 8964 N. Magnolia Ave. The original church building was condemned and removed in 1969.

In 1949 the church added a fellowship hall and classrooms around the original building. The hall became host of worship services for ten years when the original building was condemned in 1969. After a decade of fundraising and construction, the new sanctuary opened in 1979. In 1996, more space was added to bring the campus to its present configuration.

The space is well used, host to several other groups:

- The phone of the Santee Food Bank rings in the church office. Congregant Lisa Hopewell, recognized as Santee by the , works for the food bank.

- For 34 years, the church has been doing a sunrise service at in conjunction with the Santee and the .

- A pancake breakfast is held on the first Saturday of each month for anybody that wants to come.

“We don’t talk about joining the church,” said Grill. “It’s just come have breakfast enjoy some fellowship. There’s no service during the breakfast. It’s just come and have breakfast and it’s absolutely free to anyone who wants to come. We did it out of a need for economic reasons, for people to be able to come and have breakfast and help people reaching out to people in these economic times. We just saw a need.”

- The church founded a in 1977 to give affordable childcare to working families.

- Recovery groups meet each day of the week.

- Another hallmark is the annual toy drive through , beginning the last week of October with a tree in the sanctuary that gathers ornaments for children. Beginning of December, Grill’s Silverado gets loaded with toys for donation.

- Showers are available for homeless patrons, and a closet is often stocked with sanitation supplies in to-go kits.

And of course, there are religious gatherings and Bible studies. Rev Gwen Jones, who has lived in Santee since first being appointed to shepherd the congregation in 1994, said:

“One of the things that I think that’s amazing about Santee United Methodist Church is it’s incredible music program. We have lots of talented people willing to give time and energy. We have three vocal groups in the church: a choir, a praise team and a group called ‘Cross Section,’ which is country. There’s always good music and a great pianist. All three groups will be performing at the anniversary, and a lot of soloists.”

Mary Ann Swenson, bishop of the Cal-Pac Conference of the United Methodist Church, will speak at the anniversary service. Others who have responded favorably to invitations include Santee councilman Jack Dale, county supervisor Dianne Jacob, Senator Joel Anderson and assemblyman Brian Jones.

A catered lunch follows the worship service. Meal tickets are $12; $10 for seniors and children between 5-12; children under five eat free.

Other attractions: A new time capsule will be buried on church property, and a memorial wall is set to be unveiled.

Swenson is one of 38 pastors in church history, and this is her second stint. A new pastor will begin service on July 1.