Our Heritage and Style

The Early Years
Early in 1946, in the "cottage" homes of future members, a small prayer group met for fellowship. These dedicated Christians prayed that God would open the way to build a church for their rural community. Later that year, a Sunday School class was formed and in 1949 a church was organized. In those early days most people were not permanent residents in Descanso, rather they came to the mountains for relaxation and a retreat from urban life to the west. When the fellowship grew beyond the space limitations of the average cottage home, the Descanso Town Hall was utilized and continued to be the location of a small and growing community-based church.

In 1952, it was decided to solicit donations for a building fund under the pastoral leadership of The Rev. John Furman Leigh. With the financial backing from the Methodist Conference in Southern California, land was purchased at the present site on Viejas Boulevard. The first phase of the facility was completed in 1954 and in 1966 our sanctuary was dedicated.

A Church Built With Prayer
During the years between 1946 and 1966, service were often held in cramped and drafty quarters, but the vision of a permanent church home persisted. In the several accounts of the history of our congregation, a reference is always made to the dedication to an "altar of prayer" that brought this church into existence.

Current Practices and Styles
Today, prayer remains the focal point of each Sunday worship, and may prayer groups exist within our fellowship.

The current style of worship is a blend of traditional Methodist hymns and liturgy, along with contemporary music of praise and adoration of the Lord Jesus Christ. Sermons are Biblically based with an eye toward practical application for Christians living in the 21st century. In 1999 our educational program was redesigned from a "one-room" Sunday School approach to a dynamic adventure in learning with grade school children, junior and senior high age youth. Today, as many as half of our congregation in attendance on Sunday morning are persons under the age of 19. Our oldest surviving charter member, age 93, is still a vital part of the life of this fellowship and with a twinkle in her eye will tell you first-hand how God has blessed this church!

Our 97 Year Old Church Bell
Every Sunday morning our church bell rings out an invitation for sleepy parishioners and friends to come to worship. It was cast by the C.S. Bell Company in Hillsboro, Ohio on April 9, 1909. Originally made for the Long Island Presbyterian Church in Kansas, it found its way to La Jolla , California. In 1957, the congregation of the La Jolla Presbyterian Church gave the bell as a gift to our fellowship. In our church history it is noted that, "This bell has called men and women to joyful worship and also intoned the grief of a community."