Our Church history
In 1907, Theodore Roosevelt was President of the United States; women could not yet vote; the Model T was about to come out (in 1908, at a cost of $850); population of Riverside was approximately 12,000; and "There are no saloons, no slums and no large factories in Riverside; it is the cleanest city in the entire West, physically and morally..." According to a book about the City of Riverside by the Riverside Fire Department, published in 1906.
In the summer of 1907, the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Riverside built a mission chapel at Eighth and High Street (now University and Victoria Avenues). In September, a charter roll of 94 persons voted to name this new church ." On October 6, 1907, the first services were held, and ". . . At every service from the Sunday School to the closing service at night, the house was filled." Early official board records indicate that "I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord" was sung at each meeting and became a theme song for Grace Church.
The chapel was not adequate to meet the needs of a growing community and an addition to the chapel was added in 1908. By 1910 it was reported that there were annual concerts by a chorus of 50+ voices, accompanied by a Sunday School orchestra! In 1919 the Sunday School enrollment was 410! During this year the church was closed for a total of 8 weeks because of the worldwide influenza epidemic. Grace Church continued to grow, and in 1926 a social hall was added; in 1938 the sanctuary was remodeled and a pipe organ was dedicated.
Grace Church sent many of its young men into the service. In 1941 , even before the United States became officially involved in World War Il, Grace Church saw a need to assist military servicemen and their wives. Tables, chairs, magazines, free writing materials and two sewing machines were available for their use in the old chapel. In April 1942, the use of the social hall was made available in the event of an air raid.
Following WWII, On Labor Day weekend in 1945, the first "All-church Planning Conference" was held in our nearby mountains. Included in a flyer about this first camp, of special interest was this item: "Bring one red and one blue stamp from your ration book." The war was over but not the rationing! This popular family camp was held each Labor Day weekend until the late 60's.
In the 50's, with the coming of the University of California at Riverside and thousands of new residents with cars, Grace Church (with no space to expand) was forced to face the problem of finding a new location. A site of seven acres of a producing orange grove was purchased on Linden Avenue in 1953 and construction was begun on the new church in March 1956. The last worship service at the Eighth Street location was held in November 1957.
Since 1955, we have adopted three refugee families: The Leungs from China; Elena Vigil and two daughters in 1963 from Cuba; and the Hung Phans, from Vietnam in 1975. A parsonage was dedicated in the 1960's, as were the two educational buildings: Dexter Hall, named for Rev. Earle F. Dexter, a charter member, and Hafner Hall, named for Ray and Henrietta Hafner, two stalwarts of the laity.
In 1982, stain glass windows in the chapel were dedicated as part of our 75th Anniversary Celebration. During this same year we united with the Ottawa Avenue United Methodist Church (formerly Evangelical United Brethren Church). Since 1986 we have shared our facilities with a Vietnamese language ministry and have provided a church home to many UCR students. Grace church is affiliated with the United Campus Ministry at UCR, as are many other local Riverside churches.
How great it would be if those who signed the charter in 1907, which began Grace United Methodist Church, could know how the Church is continuing, that we are still a "homelike" church, and that we now enjoy a congregational relationship with our Vietnamese friends. Certainly those saints would be proud, as we are, of the several members of this church who have gone into the ministry: Earle Dexter, Ben Davis, Owen Hollingsworth, Rollin Dexter, Douglas Treadway, Russell Hafner, John Cox, Isabelle Rimbach, Eric Scott, and Judith Portinga.