Our History: Patterson Federated Church
Our 96th Anniversary
December 10th, 2022
On December 11th, the church celebrated the 96th anniversary of our federation. Our church was federated on December 10th 1926. Everyone, including our youth, who attended worship and sat in the pews read out loud a paragraph from our church history in remembrance of this day. The Usher Captain gave each person a random, numbered paragraph, then Lay Leader Al Parham called out the number to be read next. Pastor Eun-Joo used the paragraphs as bricks to build a foundation on the whiteboard, representing how this history is our foundation and stories. The history read in church that day is as follows:
This year, the Patterson Federated Church is celebrating its 96th anniversary. In honor on this momentous occasion, we thought we’d provide some history, adapted from an article written in the 1990s. We remember Ron Swift, who provided us with the historical documents we used to read this! We also remember the many angels those who were among us and who founded our community of faith for us!
FOUNDATION
1. Our story begins in 1911, when a small group of Presbyterians decided, they would like to build a church in Patterson. Mr. T. W. Patterson, the founder of the town, donated the land the church was to be built on, and the first service after the construction was finished was held on May 2nd, 1912.
2. The Methodist’s story also begins in 1912, when a meeting was held in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Lee, where those present vowed to form their own church with a full-time minister. That year they joined with the Presbyterians for a joint Christmas program. The Methodists were given a lot by the Patterson Ranch Company in 1914, and the building that would become our very own church was finished in 1916.
FEDERATION
3. A strong friendship was born between the two churches. Union services would be held in multiple years to help cover gaps in permanent ministers, and both buildings were used for Sunday School. The churches held a series of six dinners in 1926 to seriously discuss the matter of federation and work on the by-laws.
4. The dinners also served as an open form for members to discuss their questions and concerns. The final dinner was held on December 10th, 1926, when the 175 people present unanimously voted to join together as the Patterson Federated Church.
5. There were several changes after the federation. Moving a piano between the two churches was a big job. Presbyterian and Methodist pastors were rotated until a decision made in 1959 that the pastors of the church should be Methodist pastors. There were other changes and problems, of course, but none so big they could not be solved. Through it all the church has stood firm.
6. Each church had organizations for women, and they were quick to reorganize. They were able to work out their problems amicably. The children continued with their Sunday School and the youth groups were organized. All three groups were active. After federating each church building was used quarterly. The Presbyterian Church was hard to heat so eventually the Methodist became the winter church and the Presbyterian the summer church.
THE STORIES OF MINISTRIES
7. The Federated Church continued to use both buildings during this time, gathering in the Methodist church in the winter and the Presbyterian church in the summer. This all changed in August 1935 when the Presbyterian Church burned down. It was decided that instead of trying to rebuild, the Methodist Church would be used full-time and renovated.
8. The lot where the old Presbyterian Church once stood is now Mils Bar & Grill. The renovations of the Methodist Church, which included removing its tower, installing a kitchen, and enlarging the basement, were handled by Walfrid Knutson, who became a friend of the church. Mr. Knutson spoke at the celebratory dinner held in the finished basement in January of 1938.
9. The church now dreamed of having a second building, a new “educational and social unit.” Progress was slow, with nearby land being purchased in 1944 and 1948, but finally the plans were drawn, and ground was broken in 1949 with a special ceremony.
10. During the event, Mr. W. W. Cox formally authorized Mr. Knutson to construct the building and several church members representing the congregation, the youth, and the children dug up shovels of dirt. Then, the project was hit with a very sad setback. In March of 1950, Mr. Knutson suddenly passed away. The whole church mourned him, and the new building was named the “The Walfred Knutson Fellowship Building” in his memory.
11. There were many other projects over the years, including the building of a new parsonage which was finished in 1958. And the Sanctuary was extensively remodeled including the expansion of the chancel area in 1963.
12. This renovation is what brought us the addition of our beautiful memorial Stained-glass cross and stained-glass windows, which were created by the Glassart Studio in Tucson, Arizona. It didn’t stop there – air conditioning was installed in 1970, and our redwood and ceramic memorial cross was added to the front wall of the church in 1979.
13. We have continued to improve and beautify the church over time, the most recent project being the repainting of the buildings that took place over the last summer in 2021.
14. A fall Harvest Dinner was initiated by this society many years ago. The dinners have continued through the years, and over the years the whole church has become involved. Several hundred dinners were served.
15. This had become a community event and in addition to generating goodwill, serving good food, and providing interesting fellowship, it helped build the budgets. It continued to be a big church dinner until 2020 when COVID-19 happened. Our annual Harvest Dinner returned this year! It was a potluck dinner where people brought their own special dishes.
16. The church history would not be complete without mentioning the music. Foremost, the choir added to the meaning of the church service. They gave freely of their time and practiced faithfully, not only for Sunday service, but for community events. Christmas and Easter were special times for the church due in part to the choir. Their music was an inspiration to everyone.
17. The choir sang at the church beginning in 1911 and it is fair to say that they have contributed to all special events ever since. The Bell Choir began in 1988 and has been playing bells for Sunday worship and community events. This is the only Bell Choir in our town.
18. The church introduced a contemporary band, the ReMade band, in 2013. The ReMade band initiated a contemporary service on Sunday evenings which continued for several years. Though the members have changed, the band continues to reconvene and contribute music to services from time to time.
19. Youth groups have always been a part of the church. In 1980’s and 90’s, the Federated, Mission Covenant, and Lutheran youth worked, worshipped, and played together. They were fortunate to have youth directors who were on call to help them with their issues, to worship with them, and to guide them in their activities.
20. Our youth meets weekly. The youth group has been participating in the Sierra Service Project (SSP) every summer for over 10 years – since 2008. Church members participated in SSP as SSP counselors. SSP was forced to stop due to COVID-19 for two years in 2020 and 2021. And this summer in 2022, our youth went back to participating in the program again!
21. After youth group members graduated from high school, they still wanted to continue their faith journey together. They named their group, The Journey Ministries. Our young adults keep their faith by meeting, sharing, praying for one another, and seeking God's Word while they live in the world.
22. There has always been Sunday School for the children. The children often participate in special programs that are thoroughly enjoyed. Christmas remains a special time for children and this makes it a special time for the church as well. This continues to be the case this Christmas. Pre-school children used the Federated Hall rooms for several years. In 1951, a Kindergarten class from the Patterson school system used the rooms for the year.
23. The Federated Church has enjoyed a friendship with all the other churches in Patterson. In the past years several of the ministers have, on occasion, exchanged pulpits on a Sunday morning. During Lent and Holy Week and Apricot Fiesta many of the churches have joined in Union services.
24. For 96 years as one church, many great and wonderful people have worked hard and served people and the community. They have worked to help people morally and spiritually and have tried to uphold the meaning and virtue of a Christian church.
25. We are in a moment of major change, like a butterfly struggling to break free of its cocoon. Our church is located in our historical downtown area, and we want to step outside our walls and show Jesus’s love not just by sharing the gospel but through our actions and presence. We want to fine-tune our programs so they are accessible to everyone in our community, from those just starting their faith journey to mature Christians who have Jesus in the center of their life.
26. In early 2022, our Administrative Board created and launched the Moving Forward project. The Front Lawn Project was one of Moving Forward in January 2022. This has been a massive undertaking, but unaffiliated residents have turned up to volunteer their labor and time. We broke ground on April 30th and have had several “All Church Work Days” since then.
27. In May we removed the remaining roots in the project area, in June we started removing excess dirt and leveling the ground, in September we began setting up where the new sidewalk and poles would be, and in October we poured the sidewalk, raised the poles, and started pouring the crushed gravel.
28. Many members of the congregation and the community came and offered their time, labor, and even snacks. We truly believe that this will become an important meeting area not just for our church but for the community at large. This will help make the church more environmentally friendly by reducing our water use, and we also want to install a bike rack.
29. Small groups are the heart of church ministries in which we get to know more about each other and we can invite people to the groups as a way of sharing Christian life.
30. The story of our church has been one of union and cooperation, where many separate parts come together to form a stronger whole and go on to accomplish great things. Here’s to many more years of worship, fellowship, and service to come! Thanks be to God!
After the paragraphs were read, people were invited to share their own personal stories of the church. The reading was closed with everyone saying together, “Thanks be to God!”
This year, the Patterson Federated Church is celebrating its 96th anniversary. In honor on this momentous occasion, we thought we’d provide some history, adapted from an article written in the 1990s. We remember Ron Swift, who provided us with the historical documents we used to read this! We also remember the many angels those who were among us and who founded our community of faith for us!
FOUNDATION
1. Our story begins in 1911, when a small group of Presbyterians decided, they would like to build a church in Patterson. Mr. T. W. Patterson, the founder of the town, donated the land the church was to be built on, and the first service after the construction was finished was held on May 2nd, 1912.
2. The Methodist’s story also begins in 1912, when a meeting was held in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Lee, where those present vowed to form their own church with a full-time minister. That year they joined with the Presbyterians for a joint Christmas program. The Methodists were given a lot by the Patterson Ranch Company in 1914, and the building that would become our very own church was finished in 1916.
FEDERATION
3. A strong friendship was born between the two churches. Union services would be held in multiple years to help cover gaps in permanent ministers, and both buildings were used for Sunday School. The churches held a series of six dinners in 1926 to seriously discuss the matter of federation and work on the by-laws.
4. The dinners also served as an open form for members to discuss their questions and concerns. The final dinner was held on December 10th, 1926, when the 175 people present unanimously voted to join together as the Patterson Federated Church.
5. There were several changes after the federation. Moving a piano between the two churches was a big job. Presbyterian and Methodist pastors were rotated until a decision made in 1959 that the pastors of the church should be Methodist pastors. There were other changes and problems, of course, but none so big they could not be solved. Through it all the church has stood firm.
6. Each church had organizations for women, and they were quick to reorganize. They were able to work out their problems amicably. The children continued with their Sunday School and the youth groups were organized. All three groups were active. After federating each church building was used quarterly. The Presbyterian Church was hard to heat so eventually the Methodist became the winter church and the Presbyterian the summer church.
THE STORIES OF MINISTRIES
7. The Federated Church continued to use both buildings during this time, gathering in the Methodist church in the winter and the Presbyterian church in the summer. This all changed in August 1935 when the Presbyterian Church burned down. It was decided that instead of trying to rebuild, the Methodist Church would be used full-time and renovated.
8. The lot where the old Presbyterian Church once stood is now Mils Bar & Grill. The renovations of the Methodist Church, which included removing its tower, installing a kitchen, and enlarging the basement, were handled by Walfrid Knutson, who became a friend of the church. Mr. Knutson spoke at the celebratory dinner held in the finished basement in January of 1938.
9. The church now dreamed of having a second building, a new “educational and social unit.” Progress was slow, with nearby land being purchased in 1944 and 1948, but finally the plans were drawn, and ground was broken in 1949 with a special ceremony.
10. During the event, Mr. W. W. Cox formally authorized Mr. Knutson to construct the building and several church members representing the congregation, the youth, and the children dug up shovels of dirt. Then, the project was hit with a very sad setback. In March of 1950, Mr. Knutson suddenly passed away. The whole church mourned him, and the new building was named the “The Walfred Knutson Fellowship Building” in his memory.
11. There were many other projects over the years, including the building of a new parsonage which was finished in 1958. And the Sanctuary was extensively remodeled including the expansion of the chancel area in 1963.
12. This renovation is what brought us the addition of our beautiful memorial Stained-glass cross and stained-glass windows, which were created by the Glassart Studio in Tucson, Arizona. It didn’t stop there – air conditioning was installed in 1970, and our redwood and ceramic memorial cross was added to the front wall of the church in 1979.
13. We have continued to improve and beautify the church over time, the most recent project being the repainting of the buildings that took place over the last summer in 2021.
14. A fall Harvest Dinner was initiated by this society many years ago. The dinners have continued through the years, and over the years the whole church has become involved. Several hundred dinners were served.
15. This had become a community event and in addition to generating goodwill, serving good food, and providing interesting fellowship, it helped build the budgets. It continued to be a big church dinner until 2020 when COVID-19 happened. Our annual Harvest Dinner returned this year! It was a potluck dinner where people brought their own special dishes.
16. The church history would not be complete without mentioning the music. Foremost, the choir added to the meaning of the church service. They gave freely of their time and practiced faithfully, not only for Sunday service, but for community events. Christmas and Easter were special times for the church due in part to the choir. Their music was an inspiration to everyone.
17. The choir sang at the church beginning in 1911 and it is fair to say that they have contributed to all special events ever since. The Bell Choir began in 1988 and has been playing bells for Sunday worship and community events. This is the only Bell Choir in our town.
18. The church introduced a contemporary band, the ReMade band, in 2013. The ReMade band initiated a contemporary service on Sunday evenings which continued for several years. Though the members have changed, the band continues to reconvene and contribute music to services from time to time.
19. Youth groups have always been a part of the church. In 1980’s and 90’s, the Federated, Mission Covenant, and Lutheran youth worked, worshipped, and played together. They were fortunate to have youth directors who were on call to help them with their issues, to worship with them, and to guide them in their activities.
20. Our youth meets weekly. The youth group has been participating in the Sierra Service Project (SSP) every summer for over 10 years – since 2008. Church members participated in SSP as SSP counselors. SSP was forced to stop due to COVID-19 for two years in 2020 and 2021. And this summer in 2022, our youth went back to participating in the program again!
21. After youth group members graduated from high school, they still wanted to continue their faith journey together. They named their group, The Journey Ministries. Our young adults keep their faith by meeting, sharing, praying for one another, and seeking God's Word while they live in the world.
22. There has always been Sunday School for the children. The children often participate in special programs that are thoroughly enjoyed. Christmas remains a special time for children and this makes it a special time for the church as well. This continues to be the case this Christmas. Pre-school children used the Federated Hall rooms for several years. In 1951, a Kindergarten class from the Patterson school system used the rooms for the year.
23. The Federated Church has enjoyed a friendship with all the other churches in Patterson. In the past years several of the ministers have, on occasion, exchanged pulpits on a Sunday morning. During Lent and Holy Week and Apricot Fiesta many of the churches have joined in Union services.
24. For 96 years as one church, many great and wonderful people have worked hard and served people and the community. They have worked to help people morally and spiritually and have tried to uphold the meaning and virtue of a Christian church.
25. We are in a moment of major change, like a butterfly struggling to break free of its cocoon. Our church is located in our historical downtown area, and we want to step outside our walls and show Jesus’s love not just by sharing the gospel but through our actions and presence. We want to fine-tune our programs so they are accessible to everyone in our community, from those just starting their faith journey to mature Christians who have Jesus in the center of their life.
26. In early 2022, our Administrative Board created and launched the Moving Forward project. The Front Lawn Project was one of Moving Forward in January 2022. This has been a massive undertaking, but unaffiliated residents have turned up to volunteer their labor and time. We broke ground on April 30th and have had several “All Church Work Days” since then.
27. In May we removed the remaining roots in the project area, in June we started removing excess dirt and leveling the ground, in September we began setting up where the new sidewalk and poles would be, and in October we poured the sidewalk, raised the poles, and started pouring the crushed gravel.
28. Many members of the congregation and the community came and offered their time, labor, and even snacks. We truly believe that this will become an important meeting area not just for our church but for the community at large. This will help make the church more environmentally friendly by reducing our water use, and we also want to install a bike rack.
29. Small groups are the heart of church ministries in which we get to know more about each other and we can invite people to the groups as a way of sharing Christian life.
30. The story of our church has been one of union and cooperation, where many separate parts come together to form a stronger whole and go on to accomplish great things. Here’s to many more years of worship, fellowship, and service to come! Thanks be to God!
After the paragraphs were read, people were invited to share their own personal stories of the church. The reading was closed with everyone saying together, “Thanks be to God!”