History of LOPC Part 1 - The Beginning

Take yourself back in time to fifty years ago and the lifestyle that characterized the founders of LOPC.  All had grown up in the midst of a serious depression.  Most of the men had been involved in fighting World War II, and their lives had been put on hold for two to five years. Then they had finished their education (compliments of the GI Bill), and followed the track of early marriage, young children and starting a career. They were in a hurry! For the most part, the men worked at building those careers while the women took care of the home. This was perhaps the first generation where both men and women had secured college educations. They wanted a home of their own and a church in the community that could provide meaning and balance in their lives.

That was the common scenario across America, not just in Contra Costa County. But there was something different happening in Lafayette and Orinda. It was happening much faster and more intentionally. A small trickle of people was beginning to move through the Caldecott Tunnel, but these communities were still sleepy communities and there were definitely not any freeways.

Howard Robie, San Francisco Presbytery's alert young Director of New Church Development, thought there needed to be a church in the Lamorinda area. He started by contacting his friends, Betty and Jim Leppard, suggesting a meeting of interested people. That meeting took place on November 30, 1953, and included thirty-five young and mostly married folk, crowded into the Leppard's small family room on Overhill Road in Orinda. Most were members of either Walnut Creek Presbyterian or Berkeley First Presbyterian Church.

The enthusiasm generated by this meeting resulted in a second meeting in January. This time the group met in the chapel of the Orinda Community Church with forty-seven in attendance. In true Presbyterian style, a steering committee was selected to begin the organizational tasks. Jim Leppard became chairman with help that included Vernon Frederickson, Earl Glenk, Kenneth Coleman, Irene Hickcox, Ted Ockels, Irene Johnson and Kay Valory. Still things were not moving fast enough, so the committee voted to include their wives and husbands. This brought in Betty Leppard, Mamie Frederickson, Evelyn Glenk, Virginia Coleman, Ralph Hickcox, Rosemarie Ockels, Haakon Johnson and Mark Valory. Things really began to happen.

The Jewish community had purchased an abandoned nightclub in Lafayette for a future church site, and they offered its use without charge. That was just the first in a series of small miracles. After a thorough washing, dusting, and fumigating, it was ready for the next meeting of interested friends. On March 5, 150 people arrived for the first real potluck dinner. The April meeting discussion centered on the topic of a possible founding pastor.

Then, on May 7, there was a Kick-Off Dinner to introduce the young assistant pastor from the staff of the Berkeley Church, William Carl Thomas and his very talented wife, Helen. (Remember - this is only two months after the idea of a pastor was first mentioned.) The 175 listeners overwhelmingly endorsed the choice. Behind the scenes, another small miracle had happened. Carl Thomas really did not have time to come to the meeting. His senior pastor was away on vacation and Carl was completely swamped with work. But Carl had caught the feeling of the group and he sensed the movement of the Holy Spirit. Right there, he announced plans for the first Sunday worship service, which would take place two days later.

The Worship Committee had done its homework and found the ideal spot to meet. It was the Lafayette Park Theatre, which was certainly not in use for movies on Sunday morning. The first Sunday it was also very dark, so the people could not see hymnals. The next Sunday, things were much better with spotlights all over and one shining right on the pulpit on the stage "I couldn't see anyone out there; I just assumed they were there. I learned to preach by faith, not by sight," Carl said.

All of this work led to the commissioning of the group as an official Presbyterian Church. The leaders picked Pentecost Sunday, June 6, 1954, and the location was the original wooden chapel of the Orinda Community Church. With great dignity, the 133 founding members signed the charter. Eleven elders, nine deacons and two "deaconesses" were installed. Among the other ministers participating in this occasion were the Rev. John Turpin (Bethel Community Church, San Leandro), Dr. Robert Munger (Berkeley First), the Rev. Donald Latimer (Moderator of Presbytery), and the Rev. Ronald White (General Presbyter). On Sunday, August 29, another thirty-two members joined and were granted the title of Charter Members, bringing the official total to 165 Charter Members.

Lafayette Park Theater Days

Now there were new challenges for the group that had formed a church in just six months. One hundred used hymnals came from Oakland's Park Boulevard Presbyterian Church; a communion service came from Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church; a rostrum came from the creative hands of Haakon Johnson; and flowers came each Sunday from Velma Clements and her committee. Ray Dear, Jack Everett, and Charlie Butler were the early arrivals each Sunday to set things up properly. Irene Johnson played piano for various quartets and trios with Rosemarie Ockels and Mamie Frederickson as mainstays of both groups.

But those were easy problems to solve. How do you have a Sunday school for 150 children at the same time the worship service is being conducted in a movie theatre? The answer appeared obvious. You just use seven different homes scattered (hopefully close in) around the center of Lafayette. Even then, the traffic problems and confusion did not help. There had to be a better way.

And there was. It was called the Lafayette Town Hall - vacant, abandoned, spider infested, unheated - but the location was almost perfect and it meant only one stop before church. Ken Coleman was the highly motivated Sunday School Superintendent who took on the challenge. Weekend work parties had soon performed their magic, and by September there were 200 happy children in Sunday school.

That still left the question open concerning the junior-high and high-­school children. They needed a place too. The junior-highers found the spot to be the American Legion Hall, while the high-school class met in the home of Milt Claussenius on Hamlin Road. To round out the solution of all of this, the nursery (much needed in the early 1950s) was ably cared for by Mrs. Ellen Brians in her small house, now a shop on Brown Avenue in Lafayette. The rent for all three public buildings -Theatre, American Legion Hall, and Town Hall - came to a total of $75 per month.

 The first adult education class was also functioning during this time. Howard Reinheimer conducted it early every Sunday morning over in a corner of that movie theatre. As early as October of 1954, the first all-church Family Conference was held at Mt. Hermon, a tradition that has continued for fifty years. Not to be outdone, the women also began organizing in the fall of 1954. Bernice Bryan headed the Steering Committee. By January of 1955, the Women's Association was formally launched with Janet Jones as its first President. 
 
During this same period, youth activities began with healthy enthusiasm. Harry and Marge Sommers organized the first junior high group, while Kay and Mark Valory did the same for the high school students. There was even a church sponsored Boy Scout Troop 233 started by Robert Moog, continued for many years by Ken Weaver, and still going strong.

Neighborhood Pot Lucks

Now that the initial excitement had worn off, it was time for the next phase of growing the church. The idea that captured everyone's imagination was one of bringing people together around neighborhood potlucks. The community was divided into thirteen neighborhoods, each with its own leader. Under the guidance of Evelyn and Earl Glenk, those leaders invited neighbors to a weekend potluck where Carl would be the featured speaker. All were forewarned that religion would be the topic of conversation. But this was where Carl Thomas really shone. He was bright, articulate, informal and down-to-earth, with an appeal that particularly captivated those young upwardly mobile men. The question of "What can the church do for me and my family?" was uppermost in most minds. Carl apparently had the answer, for seven out of ten who came to the potlucks showed up at church the next Sunday. Soon the question changed to "What can I do for the church?" and "How do I join?" This technique was so successful that Presbyterian Life magazine ran a feature article in 1959 describing this whole process under the heading "The Potluck Church."

To become a member, Carl required attendance at five informal meetings. Many came just to learn, but the spirit also captured them. In those early days, all but one percent of those who took the classes joined the church. Another of the miracles surrounding the beginnings of LOPC was that only one-third came by transferring their letter from another church. Two-thirds of the members came by confession of faith or by renewal of vows made for them by their parents. In other words, these were new Christians.

Early Mission Emphasis

One of the unique attributes of this young church was the major emphasis on mission and particularly foreign mission. Under the leadership of Vern Frederickson, one third of the total church budget was allocated to benevolence and forty percent of that went to mission activities. Strong connections were made with specific mission workers in the Yucatan, India and Korea. This emphasis carried through all age groups. This activity was enhanced even more whenever missionaries on leave came to report specifically about their work. In 1955, the church budget listed $18,666 for the church at home and $9,334 for the work of the church away from home. This is strong evidence of the caring concern of this early church community.

Finding the Church Site

During all of this growing and becoming, a Site Committee under Mark Valory was busy exploring and then rejecting potential pieces of  property. One of its criteria illustrates well the future vision these pioneers shared. The site had to be visible from the soon-to-be constructed freeway. In the fall of 1955, a forty-five acre site above Hidden Valley was located and deemed perfect for the dream of building a church on a hill that would be a beacon throughout the area. But the problems that came with it seemed impossible. The owner, Harvey Lyon of Lyon Van and Storage, would only entertain an offer for the entire site. The issues of financing, selling off of parcels of land, clearing and leveling, were indeed a stretch for this neophyte church community. The price was $90,000, which seems very cheap now, but not so cheap when you consider that the average house sold for $10,000. The connectional nature of the Presbyterian Church helped here when the Board of National Missions came forward with an interest-free $50,000 loan.

Building Plans

With great foresight, a Building Committee under Bill Edmonds had begun work as early as November, 1954. They hired the architectural firm of Donald Powers Smith to begin renderings and approve the site. The Session's decision had already been made to build simultaneously a Christian Education wing to accommodate 500 and a Fellowship Hall to serve as office and temporary sanctuary to seat 500 people. Some of the people to whom we are indebted for this early work were: Jim DeKorne, treasurer of the Building Fund; Ted Ockels, Project Chairman; and Hal Dornsife, who handled all financial negotiations.

The next problem was a demand from the owner for full payment before construction could begin. Another $20,000 in cash was needed, all of which was underwritten by loans from those intrepid pioneers. All but eleven acres were then sold off to a developer, and the campus we now know was graded and leveled under the watchful eyes of Ted May and Hap Price.

May 19, 1957, was the glorious day for the ground breaking, held under that great spreading live oak tree near the south end of the current Education Wing. That tree was later to become famous as the Grand Tree of Lafayette.

Those first two units were completed and dedicated less than seven months later on January 5, 1958. That great friend of LOPC, the Rev. John Turpin was the guest speaker. Although the planners had thought they were optimistic, they found that membership had already passed 500, and it was immediately necessary to have two services on Sunday morning. In four short years they had left behind the darkened Lafayette Park Theatre, the leaky Town Hall and those chaotic Sunday morning trips all over town to drop off and pick up small children.

Concurrent with all of this building activity, the staff was expanding. Carl needed help with all of the activities produced by this growing church. From Melrose Baptist Church in Oakland came Leonard Wecks to serve as our first Minister of Christian Education and Music. Leonard had not yet received his Bachelor of Divinity degree, but he brought a spirit-filled heart, a huge operatic tenor voice, and a God given unique gift for directing choirs. (A few years later, Leonard did leave to obtain that treasured degree and to serve as Minister of Music at Colorado Springs Presbyterian Church for the rest of his career.) The adult choir and the children's choirs made a huge impact under Leonard's leadership, and Leonard was also able to lend much additional assistance to Carl in handling administrative matters.

Part 2