Nineteen hundred and four was a long time ago: Theodore
Roosevelt was President of the United States; women could be
arrested for smoking in public; there were more lynchings than
automobile accident deaths; an average worker earned $13 for a
59-hour week.
Nineteen hundred and four was a long time ago: Theodore Roosevelt was President of the United States; women could be arrested for smoking in public; there were more lynchings than automobile accident deaths; an average worker earned $13 for a 59-hour week.
Also that year, a small church was built in the farming community of San Martin. The Presbyterian Church of San Martin joyfully celebrated its centennial anniversary on Saturday, Nov. 6, with a public ceremony of thanksgiving.
In 1898, the congregation was formed, meeting in a long-gone school on Depot Street. In 1904, the church was built with volunteer labor at its present site, 13200 Lincoln Ave., on a parcel of land donated by the wife of its first pastor, the Rev. William Hersman. The pews, still in use today, were acquired from a church in San Luis Obispo. (It has been said that they seem to be cleverly constructed to discourage dozing.)
Although the church building has been modernized, refurbished and enlarged many times, its classic structure has remained unchanged. Nestled under an enormous oak tree which predates it by at least a century, its redwood steeple and huge round window are landmarks in San Martin. Many people have commented that the sanctuary’s architecture reminds them of churches they grew up in located in small towns across America.
The Presbyterian Church of San Martin has had many ups and downs through the century, the congregation growing and dwindling in recurrent cycles. Jack Lococo, a denominational leader from the San Jose Presbytery, told the audience that his first visit to the church several years ago was to announce that it must be closed.
Today it seems to be experiencing a rebirth of sorts, with the congregation nearly doubling in numbers since the Rev. Edd Breeden, the current pastor, arrived two years ago.
The church has played an important part in its rural community, serving as a polling place for elections, a meeting room for 4-H, a worship space for Jewish and Korean congregations. And its Women’s Christian Aid Society has engaged in worthy causes like sponsoring orphans, donating scholarships to graduating Live Oak High School seniors, holding Red Cross blood drives, and contributing money to local charities.
Many loving memories were shared at the centennial celebration. The Rev. Asa Collins, a former pastor of the church, mentioned how the “historic building survived the 1989 earthquake intact while part of the San Francisco Bay Bridge dropped into the Bay.” A parishioner who attended in the 1970’s remembered when two members arrived at the church in horse and buggy, tying up at the historic hitching post in front. Another former pastor, the Rev. Al Solomon, said, “I heard the pealing of the bell in the steeple and knew that for a century it witnessed to that faith as it called others to say, ‘Come, you’re welcome here too.'”
Others spoke of the loving volunteers who have served through the decades: “sweeping walks, cleaning toilets, making repairs, doing things that needed to be done with no fanfare.”
The message conveyed to the community at this gathering is that the Presbyterian Church of San Martin is not resting on its laurels, but remains true to its mission of welcoming all with a warm, friendly spirit to worship God. Sunday services are at 10:30am, Sunday School at 11am, and fellowship time with light lunch at 11:45am. Call (408) 683-2908 for more information.
