Petaluma Christian Church

I visited Petaluma Christian Church at 1160 Schuman Lane this Sunday, June 19 (Father's Day). This congregation of about 100 members with a weekly average attendance of around 60 boasts a lively worship and solid Bible-based sermons under the leadership of Pastor Bill Linton. In addition, they held a wonderful Father's Day breakfast which I immensely enjoyed.

Many might not guess this church is one of the oldest in Petaluma, with small groups meeting in homes starting in 1865. After renting some halls, they purchased a building bordered by Western, Post, and English Streets, and expanded it into a church building, and further expanded it over time. Eventually, Petaluma Christian Church sold the building and purchased the property at 1160 Shuman Lane. The old church building is in the process of fund-raising to complete the Poly Klass Theater by the City of Petaluma.

Petaluma Christian Church shares some roots with the Church of Christ in the Restorationist Movement. Starting in the mid-1800s, divisions began occurring within the Churches of Christ, sometimes over musical instruments and sometimes over other issues. Eventually some began using the name Disciples of Christ in preference to Church of Christ, and many started using the name "Christian Church," with the name of the town before it. Petaluma Christian Church comes out of this tradition, though, as I best understand it, it no has formal ties to the Disciples of Christ.

Though they share similar roots, there is a sharp contrast between the Petaluma Church of Christ, with no musical instruments in their worship, and Petaluma Christian Church, which embraces musical instruments in their worship.

Update

St. John's Episcopal Church

I visited St. John's Episcopal Church this Sunday (June 12). St. John has a long history in Petaluma, first established 1856, soon after the town was established. The current church was started in 1890, and dedicated in 1891, designed by Ernest Coxhead. It is an architecturally beautiful building.

I previously wrote that most of the conservative congregation followed Rev. David Miller in breaking with the Episcopal Church and reforming as part of the Anglican Church (St. John's Anglican Church). Those who remained, and others who joined, have reformed as the local Episcopal Church, and now are being led by a new local priest, the Rev. Daniel Green. On my visit, I would estimate the newly reformed congregation to be around 60 (about 30 at the first service and about 30 at the second service, though in summer, it is hard to know how many of the congretation are travelling.) Rev. Green was on vacation on this Sunday, so a visiting priest presided over the services.

Kayleen Asbo, who lead the music at the first service, a contemplative worship time, and who leads a class afterwards, also conducts several interesting lectures that combines art with the study of saints or biblical figures, and also leads Taize services, a candlelight contemplative nightime service preceded by her lectures preceding the service. She teaches at several San Francisco Bay Area institutions including Sonoma State University.

I wrote a small bit about the history of the Anglican/Episcopal Church in my post about St. John's Anglican Church (see the link above.)

First Presbyterian Church - Denomination

I attended First Presbyterian Church on Sunday (June 5th). This time I will focus on the denomination they are affiliated with, the Presbyterian Church (USA).

The PCUSA represents the largest, but not sole, Presbyterian denomination in the United States. Other U.S. Presbyterian denominations include the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC), the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC), the Reformed Presbyterian Church, the Bible Presbyterian Church, the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, among others.

The PCUSA has been in the news lately because by a somewhat narrow vote (55% to 45%), it changed language in its Manual of Goverrment which would effectively allow local congregations and Presbyteries (regional governing bodies), to ordain openly proclaiming homosexuals.

Specifically, the language that used to require "fidelity with the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman, or chastity in singleness," has been changed to "joyfully submitting to the Lordship of Jesus Christ."

Some of my friends have been a bit confused about the news of this vote. They think it means the denomination will start directly ordaining homosexuals. It doesn't quite work that way. As I best understand it, a local pastor has to both be called by a local congregation and ordained by the Presbytery, so that it takes both the approval of the local congregation and the regional Presbytery to ordain an openly homosexual pastor.

Many conservative Presbyterians may leave the denomination over the possiblity of a congregation and Presbytery ordaining an openly homosexual pastor condoned under the standards for the denomination. We will have to see how this turns out, and whether such departures will be offset by others attracted to the denomination by what they view as a more open stance in the denomination on this issue.

St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church

This Sunday (May 29th), I visited St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church at 455 McNear Ave. They currently have an average attendance of about 35. They are currently undergoing a pastor transition, and thus have a transition pastor, Ted C. Mueller. (Their last pastor, Richard M. Gaub, is seeking a new calling.) St. John's last year celebrated 100 years in the Petaluma community.

Sometimes I am asked why there are more than one Lutheran church in town. (If you might remember, I wrote about Elim Lutheran Church in this blog.) The reason is they belong to different denominations. St. John's is associated with the The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, while Elim Lutheran Church is associated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. To an outsider, this may not make much of a difference, but for a Lutheran, it can make a great deal of difference.

The Missouri Synod, the second largest Lutheran denomination in America, is generally considered more conservative than the ELCA. More importantly, they are part of the tradition of confessional Lutherans, who adhere to the creeds and other documents contained in the Book of Concord. However, other than that, when you attend a service at either Lutheran church, you would probably not notice any difference, since the services are very similar. In fact, I have many Catholic friends who find the liturgy at a Lutheran service to be very similar to the liturgy at a Catholic mass. Anyway, I enjoyed the service.

I am sure St. John's would appreciate your prayers as they will very soon begin their search for a new pastor to continue their ministry to the Petaluma community, and for Pastor Gaub as he seeks a new calling.