|
|
History
In San
Francisco's Central Methodist Church on January 28, 1913,
twenty delegates from one county and five city church federations
met and organized a California Church Federation. The constitution
adopted that day affirmed, "In the providence of God,
the time has come more fully to manifest the essential oneness
of the Christian Churches of America in Jesus Christ as their
Divine Lord and Savior, and to promote the spirit of fellowship,
service and cooperation among them."
Matters of legislation before the U. S. Congress and California
Legislature were considered and actions taken. State Assemblyman
T. L. Ambrose spoke, and the group not only endorsed the Volmet-Grant
Red Light Abatement and Injunction Bill but also appointed
a committee of eight to represent them at a hearing in Sacramento
the very next night. A delegate was appointed to a Christian
Citizenship Conference in Portland and plans considered for
evangelistic services to be held at the 1915 San Francisco
Exposition. Dr. Edwin P. Ryland, pastor of Hollywood First
Methodist Church and President of the Los Angeles Federation
of Churches, was first President of the California Federations,
with the Honorable J. E. White the first Executive Secretary.
In 1915 Methodist minister E. Guy Talbott was engaged to spend
one-half time as Executive Secretary (with $1,500 per year
as budget for salary and office expense), the other half of
his time continuing as Executive for the Sacramento Federation
of Churches. Continuing its legislative concerns, the Federation
on its first letterhead affirmed, "It was organized to
make effective through legislation the Social Creed of the
Church and to unite the churches of the State in all efforts
for human betterment...." A campaign for a church tax
exemption amendment was unsuccessful at the polls in 1915.
Issues dealt with in those early days: women's suffrage, the
moral aims of World War I, comity, Prohibition, gambling,
and peacemaking through a Dept. of International Justice and
Goodwill. In 1923 Methodist layman Fred D. Parr was the first
layperson to serve as president, continuing until 1938.
Cooperative ventures included founding and building an inter-
denominational church at Yosemite, the University Religious
Center at UCLA, the Hoover Dam International Council, Weekday
Religious Education, plus consolidation of the work of six
organizations in an enlarged cooperative organization called
the California Church Council in 1934. Dr. Guy W. Wadsworth
was employed as Acting General Secretary as of January 1,
1935, with Dr. H. V. Mather as Associate. Mr. Fred D. Parr
was elected (again) as President, with Dr. Murray T. McNeil
Vice President for Southern California and Dr. J. W. Bailey
Vice President for Northern California. Annual meetings were
to rotate between south and north. The formal incorporation
of the new Council was filed on March 5, 1937. By this time
the continuing tension between a united witness for the whole
state and the need of both north and south for access to leadership
resulted in two Executives: Dr. Harold V. Mather in the south
and Dr. Paul Buchholz in the north.
Looking back on these years, President Parr said, "We
tried very hard to work out a statewide program, but experience
proved that it was practically impossible to handle the interdenominational
program on a statewide basis...." By 1941 it was agreed
to form the Southern California Council of Churches (now Southern
California Ecumenical Council) and the Northern California-Nevada
Council of Churches (later Northern California Ecumenical
Council). The Rev. Abbott Book became Director in the North;
Dr. F. G. Farnham and (1950) Dr. Forrest Weir became Directors
in the South. Long-time supporter Dr. C. M. Goethe insisted
that the California Church Council continue as an Office for
State Affairs, uniting the North and South ecumenical organizations
through a board of directors elected from both groups.
Continuity for the Office for State Affairs was outlined in
a proposal May 24, 1963. By March 1964 it was agreed that
programs to be administered included (but were not limited
to) California Migrant Ministry (Rev. Wayne Hartmire, Jr.,
Director); Ministry to Institutions (California Parks Ministry,
with Rev. Ralph Bolick as Director); and Office for State
Affairs (Rev. Glen A. Holman, Director). It was in 1969 that
Holman was called, with a total budget of $14,000. The first
two years he continued his work as Director of the Sacramento
Council of Churches, using that office with added duties for
the California Church Council. In 1970 the position became
full-time with the California Church Council (later, California
Council of Churches), and the offices were moved to 1300 N
Street across from the Capitol in Sacramento. During the years
of Holman's leadership, work was accomplished on the Farm
Labor Bill, welfare reform, protection of churches from state
intrusion, and food policy advocacy, with part-time staff
including Anna Hackenbracht, Patricia Whitney-Wise and John
Peirce. Glen Holman retired on December 31, 1989.
Patricia Whitney-Wise was called to be the next Director and
Scott D.
Anderson as Associate. In 1996, following the move of Mrs.
Whitney-Wise to Oregon, Mr. Anderson became Director. In 2003,
the Rev. Dr. Rick Schlosser was named Executive Director.
Currently, the California Council of Churches seeks to be
"a prophetic witness to the Christian Gospel by advocating
for justice, peacemaking, and the well-being of the powerless."
Work includes backing low-cost housing, school breakfast programs,
comprehensive health care for all, overcoming youth violence,
and wise welfare reform. The California Council of Churches
educates via an annual legislative issues briefing, in cooperation
with the California Interfaith Coalition, and publishes the
ALERT. California Church IMPACT advocates for social justice
on behalf of member congregations and denominations.
Currently, the California Council of Churches and California
Church IMPACT
include over 30 denominations and judicatories in California,
representing
over 4,000 congregations and more than 1.5 million members.
|
|
