Petaluma church opened its doors on day of ‘infamy’

It seldom happens that a single date becomes so loaded in such divergent ways.

For history buffs, Dec. 7, 1941, is “a date which will live in infamy,” in a declaration made by then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt the day after the Empire of Japan attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The event precipitated America’s involvement in World War II and reshaped global history.

For parishioners of the Petaluma United Methodist Church, it’s also the day the church opened its new location at the corner of 5th and D streets 75 years ago.

“We broke ground in 1940, worked on it aggressively through 1941, and got it all finished right in time for Pearl Harbor Day, unbeknownst to us, of course,” explained Pastor Burke Owens, who joined the congregation in 2015. “Quite extraordinary.”

The first service at the new sanctuary began with joy and excitement, which was eclipsed when news of the bombing of Pearl Harbor reached the congregation at the end of the program. Now, three-quarters of a century later, the church is celebrating its enduring presence in the community with an event featuring prayers, food, and music from the 1940s and today.

From 3-6 p.m. on Dec. 11, the community is invited to join local government officials, local church leaders, veteran’s group representatives, and historians in celebrating the past, present and future of the church.

Owens will speak about the church’s history, followed by words from local officials and ministers, with military color guards also on hand. This will be followed by a performance by the Petaluma United Methodist Church Chancel Choir and a feast set to the back drop of a picture gallery of the era, complemented by period-specific tunes.

Among the parishioners will be Pat Cameron, who was just a young girl the day the church opened.

“I was just a child, a very little girl and I always was with my parents and I sang to the top of my voice,” Cameron said.

Cameron, now in her 80s, recalled the life-changing event.

“One day we were just normal people and the next day, all the fathers of my friends were gone to the war,” she said. “My uncle was standing at the phone because he was home on leave from the army and he was reporting in so he could go. Everything changed overnight. We left the Sunday school and my father, I remember, drove us home and the whole world changed. Half the mothers went to work if they could, like Rosie the Riveter.”

The 410 D St. building, which abuts the downtown post office parking lot on its east side and is nestled into the Historic Downtown Petaluma residential neighborhood, is actually the third local iteration for the church, in a manner of speaking.

The congregation was founded in 1849, and built its first church in the late 1850s. Prior to the Civil War, there was a national split within the Methodist Episcopal church over the issue of slavery. As a consequence, there was a period when two separate Methodist churches (representing the north and south) co-existed in Petaluma. The Methodists didn’t reunite, both nationally and locally, until the 1930s. In 1940, the reunited local congregation decided to build a new sanctuary.

“At that time it was a larger congregation,” said Owens, whose current congregation is beginning to grow, having gained more than 20 new members.

Among the membership are many native Fijians, who attend a regular worship in their language on Sunday afternoons. This has resulted in a rich cultural exchange, Owens said.

“We each offer benefits, from one group to the other. I see real growth with new connections on both sides,” Owens said. “For all of us, that’s very good sign.”

In the meantime, Owens is focusing on fostering community in a broad sense.

“Community is incredibly important and I want local people to feel like there’s something of value here,” the pastor said. “My thought is that if people come to the church on a regular basis, whether they’re actually here for worship or not, the church is being used and we then serve a broader community.”

Serving in its capacity as a community center, the church currently hosts Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and a monthly open mic event that features acoustic music and poetry. Owens indicated other community-themed events are on the horizon.

“For the next 75 years, my hope is that we can find ways to bring more people into the church and make this space more user-friendly,” Owens said. “We live in a time when there’s just not as many people who think about Sunday and going to church. And that’s just the way it is. So, how can we make use of this campus so that more people do use it, and do see the value in it. I believe we need to see the church as many things; a place of worship, as a place of refuge, as a place of healing and a place of celebration.”

That’s precisely how it’s served Cameron the past 75 years.

“I always come here,” she said. “Everything that counts with me is here.”

For more details about the Dec. 11 celebration, visit petalumaumc.org.

(Contact Daedalus Howell at argus@arguscourier.com)