A Reconciling United Methodist Congregation
Montclair History |
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Early HistoryMontclair UMC history began in 1869 when Rev. Frederich Bonn, pastor of the Broadway German Methodist Episcopal Church of San Francisco, requested a regular meeting place for Sunday school and worship for German immigrants from Pastor T. S. Dunn of the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Oakland, then located at 9th and Washington. In 1872 the first Methodist Episcopal Church moved to Clay and 14th Street, so the German congregation bought the Washington Street building and became the German Methodist Episcopal Church. As more German families move into the area in the late 1800's, the church moved to 17th Street and San Pablo in Oakland. After the 1906 earthquake when more and more people moved to the area, the pastor and trustees found a vacant lot at 38th and Telegraph. When the pastor found the place he said "Das ist der Platz!" (This is the place!). A church and parsonage was built which still stands today. After World War I the name was changed to Calvary Methodist Church. Services were held in both German and English until 1949. The last bilingual pastor was Rev. Rudolf Zarbrucker who presided over the last service in June of 1949. In the late 1940's the church leaders began to expand their vision. Feeling the need for a ministry to the children, youth, and adults in the hills of Oakland, they sold the 38th and Telegraph property looking for a place in Montclair where there was a growing family neighborhood. For a year and a half they met at the Chapel of the Chimes until they found a plot at the corner of Snake and Mountain Blvd. They chose an architect and designed the church based on a unique Catholic chapel in Brazil. It had a new style of glass, walls, and roof forming an oval ellipse supported by magnificent trusses. The design was so unusual that it appeared in national magazines and architectural classes came regularly to view it. Move to Montclair On February 4, 1951, Montclair Methodist Church opened its doors with over 200 people present. The first pastor was Dr. Elmer Schmitt who reached out to the surrounding community, knocking on the doors of over 700 houses. The church motto was "The Church that dares" which later became "The church that cares". Two "saints" from that time were Bill and Carrie Blumert, who made quilts and blankets for needy mothers at Children's Hospital, provided food to needy families, began a prison ministry at San Quentin, and a ministry in the Peniel Mission which is now called City Team Ministries. John and Margaret Stroebel were two other saints who gave a lot of themselves to the church. John worked in the background and became an unofficial "handyman" who also created a lot of the church fixtures, including the beautiful worship table currently in use at Trinity. |
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Recent History The church prospered at the Montclair location for a number of years. In the early 1990's with declining membership, the church began a program of church growth under Rev. Chris Shiber that brought in many young families. Children have always been an important part of the congregation as well as Bible study and Sunday school. The services became "blended" with both traditional and modern features. The motto became "Believing, Belonging, and Serving". We became a reconciling congregation in 2003.  Over the years the church building developed structural problems and that along with extensive deferred maintenance grew beyond the financial ability of the members to repair. The congregation, rather than allowing itself to slowly dwindle away, took a pro-active stance and faced the problem head on. In 2005 the congregation under Rev. Linda Pickens-Jones entered a discernment process, looking at a variety of options: merger with another UMC, building another church, or developing a cooperative ministry with a social service agency. The decision was to merge with another congregation. The congregation then examined its core values and visited many other churches, narrowing down to four and eventually to one. The building and land were sold in 2006 and the congregation continued their pioneering spirit and merged with Trinity United Methodist Church in Berkeley.  |
| 2362 Bancroft at Dana |
| Berkeley, California |
| Phone: 510-548-4716 |
| Fax: 510-548-4717 |