Campbell Seventh-Day Adventist Church History |
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| The proclamation of the Three Angels Message (Revelation 14:6-12) by the Seventh-Day Adventist Church in the Campbell area began after the turn of the century between 1900 and 1910 by two faithful workers from Mountain View. The two men regularly rode their bicycles over the rutted dirt roads to distribute literature and five Bible studies in the cannery town of Campbell. Eventually arousing enough interest to warrant the expense, a tent meeting was held by evangelist Elder Taylor and a company of believers was raised up. This group of believers flourished for a few years but then scattered to the surrounding communities for lack of a church home of their own. A new light dawned in 1932 when Brother J. Lee Neil arrived with his band of colporteurs and health workers. A large house was rented on Winchester between Campbell and Rincon Avenues to serve as a prominent part were held in the library of the Campbell Women's Club building on the corner of Campbell Avenue and First Street in the fall of 1932. A baptism was conducted in November, adding new members to the San Jose and Los Gatos churches and providing a nucleus for the new Campbell church. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The church was officially organized on December 24, 1932 with twenty-eight charter members, including Bert, Edith and Laura Gerans and Ora Gipe (her husband, Harry, became a member in 1950). The evangelistic company remained in the area for several months, holding cooking and health classes as well as conducting a school for the children. When the company left in 1934, the church depended heavily on lay leadership for a number of years. Rudy Schaeffer was local elder from 1934 to 1936, C.C. Curry from 1936 to 1940, and Ralph Anderson from 1940 to 1948. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Between 1934 and 1941 two series of evangelistic meetings were held in the area under the direction of Elder Walter Rich and Elder Clarence Smith. During these years the congregation met in the Library in downtown Campbell which was beautifully decorated and warmed by a cheery fire in the large rock fireplace. In 1941 a building fund was started to buy property on which to build a church. In 1942, members of the Campbell church located a school property for sale on the corner of 4th and Rincon but passed it by because the buildings were not suited to their needs. The in the winter of 1943 they looked again at the school property. The school district had removed the buildings at their expense and were selling just the land. The land was purchased in March of 1944. The foundation forms of the church were started in February of 1946 and the building was completed on October 1, 1947 at the cost of $20,000. The first services were held on October 22, 1947. On July 17, 1948 the sanctuary was dedicated debt-free to the finishing of the work giving to the Seventh-Day Adventist church in Campbell area of God's great vineyard. Elder R. C. Baker, president of Central California Conference officiated and Elder Caesar Bufano was the pastor at that time. In December 1949 the church had 89 members. Ten years later it had 184 member. The congregation grew steadily through the years so that eventually a larger church was necessary. A two-and-one-half acre plot became available next to the church school in 1970. It was purchased for the sum of $70,500 and plans for a new church gradually began to take shape. The first phase of the present structure, which included the Youth Chapel and Sabbath School rooms, was a started in March of 1972 when Elder Eugene Sample was the pastor, and in October the congregation moved in. The second phase was started some five years later in April of 1977. The work was about complete when consecration weekend was observed in June 2-4, 1978. Most of the work was done by our own church members, and a partial list of those who lead out is attached to the history. In 1982 the debt was retired, making possible the Dedication Celebration on June 18-19, 1982. Elder Lee Tripp was the pastor at the time of both the Consecration and Dedication week-ends. He served from 1973-1982. Pastors that have served since include Clark McCall, Harvey Petzer, Vernon Ferguson, Eric Scott, Tom Dodge, Virgil Bello and Gary Jensen, the present pastor who bean serving on August 1, 1997. |
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 Left to right - Pastor Tripp, Pastor McCall, Pastor Furgason, Pastor Dodge, Pastor Jensen (take on 01/18/2005) |
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Pastors who have served Campbell ChurchChurch on Rincon & Fourth Street, Campbell - Dedicated July 17, 1948
1964 - Part of our members left to charter/start the San Jose Cambrian Park Church. Church on Campbell Avenue - Met in Youth Chapel during building of the present church (1st phase)
Present church dedicated June 18, 1982
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