Our church was indeed the first church in Ukiah. The Church was started in the town of Ukiah in 1857 with nine members as the Christian Church (now Disciples of Christ) which at that time was a loose“brotherhood” of
independent congregations. In 1859 the town of Ukiah had a population of around 100 people. It was in this year Ukiah became the County Seat and the court house was built as was the first hotel. By 1877 the population had grown to 1,800
people. The early years of the church were ones of continual struggle as the congregation depended largely on
traveling preachers who managed to keep the congregation alive. Apparently church members also headed up church services. Church records recall “in 1860 ‘Old Brother Porter’ held a successful and protracted meeting and in the
following year 1861 Brother Thompson held a meeting at the Court House. During this meeting Honorable J. B. Lamar, afterwards County Judge of Mendocino County became a member of the Church and it was though him a movement was set a foot for a meeting house” (Imagine- a meeting in the Court House!) In 1862 the Church started the erection of its first building which was not completed until 1866. It was a white frame building with green shutters and stood on the corner of Smith and School Streets. The Baptists and South Methodists helped to purchase seats and were permitted to use the building one Sunday each month until they erected their own buildings. During the Civil War years 1861-1865 there was a falling away from all churches due to differences of opinion regarding the war. The church history states “This condition existed until the assassination of President Lincoln in the year 1865, where upon the wounds of division were healed in the mutual loss felt so deeply by adherents of both sides.” In those days, as it is today the Ukiah Valley was an agricultural center. The valley was most fertile and records mention wheat growing to a height of 6 feet and corn to a height of 8 feet and the planting of tobacco was very successful. This was so marked that it was prophesied that this country would be the big tobacco center of the future. In the year 1864, tobacco and corn were the valley’s largest
crops.
In the spring of 1878 a new church edifice was begun in the middle of the same block where the first church still stood. This building was in use for many long years as the center of Christian Church worship in Ukiah. In fact, there are still a
few current members of First Christian’s congregation who delight in reminding us that as children they were “baptized in the Savings Bank parking lot!” In 1892 the church undertook a modernization project with the installation of electricity, but the formerly used kerosene lanterns were wisely kept in readiness in the event of an electrical failure. In 1902 the lamps were put into use again due to such a failure, necessitating increasing the janitor’s salary from six to seven dollars per month! First Christian Church remained at that location until 1953 when a new structure was begun at 140 North Spring Street. The new building was dedicated on February 28, 1954. In 2003 the church held a fifty-year celebration, including a “parade walk” from the old Main Street location and a blessing and re-dedication of the “new”
building.
And now we are moving again ... right now we are pilgrims -- somewhere in the middle of our journey -- waiting to find where it is we are to serve next. Watch back here to see where we are led!
