Ramona’s Oldest Church Serves Community for 113 Years

The familiar brown church with the tall steeple that serves nearly 500 parishioners today looks much the same as it did when it was built in the early part of the 20^th century.

It was more than 113 years ago when 11 men and women met on April 24, 1898, to begin the formation of what would become the . Two days later, the congregation was accepted as part of the San Diego Association of Congregational Churches.

Promises were made, and promises were kept. The founding members met in the Earle School on Mussey Grade Road and vowed to build “an enduring community of faith, and place of worship for the people of Ramona.” Today, the Congregational Church is the oldest, continuously active church in town that has remained with its original denomination.

In the early days, worship services were held on an irregular basis, continuing to meet at the Earle School. The following January, the congregation voted to have “regular services, every Sunday,” according to church records.

Services continued to be held at the schoolhouse for a few more years, before the congregation moved the meetings to the Friends Church on Main Street where they held joint services with that congregation.

The Rev. C.H. Abernathy from the Congregational Church led the combined services. When he resigned in 1904, the Friends Church members decided to find a pastor of their own denomination. The Congregationalists moved out, taking up temporary quarters in from 1904 to 1907 while their church building was under construction.

The church building was dedicated Feb. 24, 1907. The local newspaper described the interior of the church in a report that was published the following week:

“The ceiling has the same angle as the rafters, the walls wainscoted three feet from the floor, above are planed redwood boards and pine cleats having a paneled effect. The scissors beams give a beautiful effect to the building. The acoustic properties are perfect. The church is lighted with acetylene gas, which at night intensifies the beauty of the edifice. Pastor and people declare the occasion to be the beginning of a new epoch in the life of the Congregational Church of Ramona!”

The Rev. Stanley R. Fisher was the third pastor by that time. Since then, there have been 21 other pastors at the helm of the congregation. The Rev. Stanley R. Wilson was the first pastor and a great asset in organizing the church.

Most pastors stayed about two years but some remained longer. The Rev. Alex Dreese holds the record for the most time served, here from 1984 to 2008. Next in line for longevity was the Rev. Lambreth “Tex” Hancock, serving from 1943 to 1964. The current pastor is the Rev. David A. Auten, who arrived here one year ago from Connecticut.

The building has undergone some renovations over the years. In 1918, a partition was built across the back of the auditorium to form a Sunday School room. The adjoining Fellowship Hall was built in 1947 and Pilgrim Hall with its large kitchen was built in 1961. The Youth Building was added three years ago.

A communion set received as a gift in August 1900 remains in use today by the present congregation.

The church is located on the corner of Eighth and D streets. Two worship services are held on Sunday mornings. It is also home to the Congregational Children’s Center, a non-profit Christian preschool and child-care center that opened in 1983.

History for the Congregational Church was researched in the church archives, with special thanks to Susan Ruputz.