The history of the church in California is briefly stated. In 1853 Thomas Thompson, the stepfather of the late Thomas H. Laine, organized the first Christian Church at Santa Clara. The first State convention was organized at Stockton, in 1856. The growth of the church has been steady, but not rapid. The State Board of Missions was organized at Sacramento as late as 1880. Since that time there has been a more rapid growth than in any other Protestant body in the State.

The church in the State numbers about ten thousand; it has one hundred churches and seventy-five preachers. It sustains a State paper, besides several parish papers. It has three colleges in the State, sustained by the patronage of the church.

The question of the permanent location of the State convention has been agitated for several years. At the State convention at Woodland, in 1887. it was unanimously voted to locate. At Irvington, in 1888, a committee reported in favor of that place, but the convention rejected the report of the committee and deferred the matter for another year, but appointed J. W. Craycroft and H. Hoget a standing committee to look out a  location.

On April 15, 1889, E. B. Ware, the general manager of the State work, wrote a letter to C. J. Todd, of Santa Cruz, in which he recited the action of the Irvington convention, and suggested to Todd that, if opportunities were afforded, the Christian Church of California might build up a ‘second Pacific Grove at Santa Cruz.’ This letter was handed by Mr. Todd to Mrs. Nellie Ohden, of Beach Hill, who took it to the Sentinel Office, on the twentieth day of April. The Sentinel, under the caption of ‘A Second Pacific Grove,’ published an editorial which gave the contents of the letter to the public in substance, and called the attention of the citizens to the importance of such a move.

The twenty-eighth day of May the general manager, E. B. Ware, directed Henry Stadle, State evangelist, who was then on his way to Santa Cruz, to investigate the advantages of Santa Cruz as a place for permanent location. He was directed to sec the railroad agent and other landowners, and see what could be done. The 8th of June he went to Santa Cruz and made the investigations. He saw Mr. Hihn, Mr. Robinson, and Mr. Fitch, and drove out and looked at the land now known as Garfield Park. He reported to the general manager the results of his investigations, on the twelfth day of June.”

Reference Data:

History of Santa Cruz County, California, by Edward Sanford Harrison, 1892, page 211