Meg Linden, church historian, shares a brief history of the church.
The first provable preaching in Marin County was in 1851. Services were held in the County Court House, an old adobe building owned by Timateo Murphy which was used for all sorts of public gatherings, secular and sacred, as well as the seat of such government as existed at the time.
A Methodist class was organized permanently in 1859, and this date is used as the founding of our church. A minister was assigned to Marin Circuit and he preached at San Rafael as well as many other points in Marin County, including San Quentin prison and village. In 1867 a parsonage was built, and then sold a few years later to raise money to build a church.
In 1871 a small church was built across from the Roman Catholic mission chapel (later replaced with the current mission church) at 5th and A Streets. A parsonage was built on 4th Street between D and E Streets in 1874.
As other Protestant denominations organized formally and built their churches in downtown San Rafael, many near 4th and E Streets, the Methodist church felt isolated. Consequently, in 1881 it moved (literally the church was put on rollers and moved) to 4th between D and E, right next door to the parsonage.
In 1893 the church was remodeled and an entry tower was created, and the bell which is now in the church garden was hung in that tower. As the congregation grew space became a major issue, and in 1913 the parsonage was raised up and a social hall was constructed underneath. Other changes and refurbishment were made during the time this church building remained in service, but nothing major.
During World War II, San Rafael and all of Marin County grew rapidly and so did the membership of the church. This, plus the difficulty of parking in the downtown area, led to a decision to sell the church on 4th street and the parsonage and move out of the downtown area. A lot on the San Rafael-San Anselmo border was purchased and the church was sold in June of 1946. However, post-war shortages made it impossible to start building right away. The church met in various hired halls during this period, and a parsonage on 5th Street near K was purchased in August of 1946.
Groundbreaking for the current church building took place in August 1948, and the church was built by a combination of paid contractor and volunteer labor, both skilled and unskilled, from the congregation. Due to financial problems the building period extended into 1950. The first church service in the new building was Easter morning of 1950. On that day the roof was temporary, there were folding chairs instead of pews and the only stained glass window was the “rose” window over the chancel, a gift of Rev. and Mrs. Tipton. Work continued for many months to put the finishing touches on the remaining parts of the church. In 1953 the pews finally were purchased and installed.
In 1959 the parsonage, which required extensive maintenance and repair, was sold and the current parsonage at 111 Tamal Vista purchased. The “temporary” roof of the church was replaced with mission-style tile as planned in the original design. The 100th anniversary of the church was celebrated with great fanfare in October 1959 and included a visit from the Bishop and many other activities.
In that same year, because of post-war growth in population and especially of young families, the church purchased a house across the street to use for Sunday School space. A few years later that house was torn down and Wesley Hall, built on the land, was dedicated in 1963. By the end of 1961, Aldersgate UMC had opened and many of the families with young children, who lived in north San Rafael or subsequently moved there, transferred their membership to the closer church. So by the end of 1960s the need for a separate Sunday School building had significantly declined and consideration was given to renting space on a permanent basis to community non-profit organizations. The first tenant came in 1971.
In 1978 the remaining set of stained glass windows were commissioned, installed and consecrated. The Wesley Building was also consecrated on the same day since the debt had finally been paid off. In 1982 the brick rampway to the entrance of the church was completed. Prior to that time there were steps up to the doorway of the church.
Major and minor maintenance projects have improved the church and parsonage in various ways since 1982, but nothing major in the physical plant had changed since then until the Head Start program leased a portion of Wesley Hall. As a part of that remodeling the Wesley Hall parking lot was eliminated, except for three spaces off Ross Valley Drive, and a playground built for use of Head Start children during school time and of the neighborhood children at other times. Following this development, discussions began on creating a more park-like landscaping linking the remaining Wesley Hall site with the church gardens across the street. This space, called Friendship Park, was developed with involvement from the neighborhood families, church families, building users, and cooperation from the City of San Rafael. It was dedicated in 2003.
