El Cajon church of Christ

“Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction” I Corinthians 10:11

1953	2000

The following is the history of the El Cajon Church of Christ, recorded as accurately as possible. If you have any information or corrections, please let us know. For more detailed information, click on one of the links at the top of this page.

• The El Cajon Church of Christ began meeting in the Huddleston’s small, one-bedroom home on the southwest corner of Johnson Avenue and Chamberlain in the mid 1940s.
• The first known members were the Huddlestons, Hunters, and Richardsons.
• The property at 523 S. Johnson Avenue was purchased in 1946, by Brother Huddleston and Brother Hunter for the purpose of constructing a building for the congregation.
• The church officially started on May 19, 1947.
• The first weekly contribution ever recorded was a whopping $5.53!
• The first trustees were J.Bruce Rawls, Albert E. Botts, G.S. Huddleston, L.L.L. Lucas and J.W. Durbin.
• The first preacher was Robert Bell in 1949.
• In 1949, the congregation was meeting in the El Cajon Women’s Club building.
• In April 1951, the congregation began meeting at the Library Building.
• It appears that between 1951 and 1952 there were at least two groups, one meeting in the Carpenter’s Hall on Lexington Avenue and one meeting in the Library Building. During this time, it seems, the groups were divided on where to meet, among other issues. However, according to business meeting notes dated September 14, 1952, unity became an overwhelming priority. Brother Middleton proposed, “to settle matters of division or offenses which prevail between members of the body of Christ, and to forgive one another where there exists cause for grievance.” Unity and forgiveness became top priorities, as they are today. The groups united and grew into the El Cajon Church of Christ as we now know it.
• In 1952, thirteen men pledged $7,500 to provide a place for the congregation to meet. The original building at 523 S. Johnson Avenue was completed in May 1953, under the direction of Glenn Farris. Brother Al Hendrick made arrangements with the Lakeside Bank to borrow $15,000. Each member gave a personal guarantee for the repayment of the loan. The total cost of the building, including pews, was approximately $22,000.
• Elders were first appointed in 1953.
• In 1954, some lots were purchased in Lakeside on Julian Avenue. In 1956, Wallace Thompson and others began the Lakeside Church of Christ. They met in the Kiwanis building until the church building was completed in 1962 or 1963.
• In 1956, the lower classroom wing was added to the Northeast of the auditorium.
• In the 1950s, a new congregation began in Imperial Beach, in the South Bay area of San Diego. They first met in the Women’s Club building and in various homes until its end in 1999.
• In 1965, the second story classrooms were added.
• In 1970, a preacher training program was begun. Clyde Goff worked with Wayne Timmons until 1972.
• In the early 1970s, three acres were purchased at the corner of Dehesa Road and Granite Hills in East El Cajon for $30,000. After five years, the property was paid off and a meeting was held to determine its use. Everyone liked the current location at Johnson Avenue and did not want to move. One acre was sold for $55,000. In the early 1980s, it was deemed too expensive to build on the property. The El Cajon City Council required us to upgrade the road in front of the property in order to build a church building there. So the remaining two acres were sold for $67,000.
• By 1987, the congregation had grown to approximately 240-280 people. To accommodate the growing numbers, it was decided to remodel the building. The walls separating the two classrooms and baptistry at the east end of the auditorium were removed to allow room for another 100 people in the auditorium. A new baptistry, two offices, a library, and copy room were added on to the east end of the auditorium and a large classroom was added on the second floor. The front of the building was enclosed, and a new restroom was added. The work was overseen by Glenn Farris and Dillard Harwell and was completed in May 1988. This remodel gave the building its current floor plan.
• By 1998, the congregation had grown to over 300 members and continued to increase. Sunday mornings had become standing room only. On January 11, 1998, we began having two services, one at 8:15 AM, Bible Classes for all in between, then another service at 10:15 AM.
• By the year 2000, the congregation had grown to 350 people. On March 1, 2000, approximately 180 members left to begin a congregation in Santee. They began meeting at the Carlton Oaks Elementary School on Sundays and in smaller groups at members homes on Wednesday nights. The El Cajon congregation had approximately 150 members.
• In April of 2001, the congregation’s first web site was launched.
• By 2003, the congregation had grown to approximately 180 members.
• The Spanish Service began on August 29, 2004. Oscar Velazquez was hired as the preacher for this work. The Spanish group began with just a few Spanish-speaking members meeting at 3:00 PM every Sunday. Oscar’s wife, Jessica, taught the children’s class.
• At the beginning of 2006, the congregation had around 230 members.
• By the middle of 2006, the Spanish group had grown to over 40.

As with any group of people, there have been good times and difficult times at the El Cajon Church of Christ. Temptations have presented themselves, some have been overcome and some have been yielded to. However, some things have remained consistent throughout the years.

Love of God, the Bible, each other, and forgiveness has always been present. The members of the El Cajon Church of Christ still meet at the same location as the members did back in May 1953. The congregation has been completely self-supporting since its inception, requiring no outside financial support. The focus has been, and always will be, worship of God and the spread of the Gospel of Jesus in our community based solely on the teachings outlined in the Bible.