IN THE SPIRIT
-- Michele Marr
Address: 420 W. 19th St., Costa Mesa
Telephone: (949) 548-7727
Denomination: United Methodist
Year church established: 1912
Service times: Sunday morning worship is at 10 a.m. Adult education
class meets at 8:45 a.m. Children go to the worship service with their
parents until 10:15 a.m. Early in the service, there is a young
disciples’ time for preschool through sixth-grade children, then the
children are dismissed to attend Sunday school. The children’s choir
practices and participates at a number of services from September to
June.
Senior pastor: Pastor Michael Bankhead
Staff: Betty McDaniels, office manager; Amy Bankhead, director of
Christian education; Charles Hansen, director of music; and Miranda Wu,
assistant director of music, pianist and director of the children’s choir
Size of congregation: 170 members -- about 90 attend services on
Sunday
Makeup of congregation: The congregation includes a number of longtime
members who are native Costa Mesans, as well as families with children of
all ages.
Child care: Child care for children 3 and younger is provided on
Sunday starting at 9:45 a.m.
Type of worship: The church provides a blended worship service that
includes a time for prayer, readings from Scripture, a message and a lot
of singing from a broad selection of music. The choir and congregation
are accompanied by a diversity of instruments.
Type of message: Bankhead’s messages are based on Scripture and
intended to apply to daily living.
Welcome wagon: There is a time of welcoming and passing of the peace
early in the Sunday service. Visitors are encouraged to stay and
socialize during the coffee fellowship that begins after the worship
service. The pastor sends a letter of welcome to visitors who leave their
address.
Outreach programs: The church makes an ongoing effort to serve the
neighboring community the best it can. Members stock a food pantry and
make food available to those who need it, both those who have cooking
facilities and those who don’t. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9
a.m. to 12 p.m., church members run a shower ministry for the homeless.
They open the shower in the church’s gymnasium and provide towels and
toiletries to about 20 people each day. An emergency fund provides bus
passes, a night’s shelter in a motel (usually for families with children)
or money for needed prescriptions. The all-volunteer Costa Mesa Literacy
Center meets here on Monday nights to teach people to read and speak
English. Others who benefit from the church’s hospitality include
Alcoholics Anonymous groups.
Church design: The church is home to a Moeller-Reuter-Skinner pipe
organ. The church’s traditional Protestant sanctuary, with a center aisle
and dark wood furnishings, comfortably seats from 75 to 300 people. This
makes it a popular wedding site. Along with the church’s bell tower, the
sanctuary, which was built in 1928, is a historic building in the
community. Its Spanish modern architecture was influential in the design
of Triangle Square and other new buildings in adjacent areas. The church
was recently painted inside and out. The interior, which was previously
brown, was painted white. The new color lightens the interior and
complements the dark wood furnishing and stained-glass windows.
Mission statement: The church exists to create a nurturing environment
for promoting Christian spiritual growth and to create opportunities to
serve humanity.
Interesting note: On Sept. 9, a Sunday morning celebration will mark
the fall start-up of new children’s ministry programs at the church.
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