July 4 Today in OPC History

On July 4, 1943, the Reverend Henry Coray, pastor of First OPC, Long Beach, California, saw a "For Sale" sign on a building at 4120 Long Beach Boulevard for the price of $10,000. He informed Ruling Elder, Richard Aldcroftt, who determined with his wife to mortgage their home for $5,000. That money was then used for the congregation to purchase the property. For the next two years, Pastor Coray would preach a 9:30 A.M. sermon at First OPC in a rental property, and then drive to the building at 4120 Long Beach Boulevard to preach at 11:00 A.M. for the church's mission work, Grace Community Chapel.

In 1945, First Church and Grace Chapel combined and the need for a larger meeting place became acute. First OPC sold its building for $20,000 to the Oil Workers Union, but negotiated the continued use of the building on the Lord's Day until the completion of their new sanctuary at the corner of St. Antonio Drive and Linden Avenue. New construction would continue to take place in the decade of the 1950s as First Church would build and immediately outgrow its space as the congregation numbered over 400 members. Finally, on September 17, 1961, the new sanctuary was dedicated.

Picture: The sanctuary of First OPC (now Faith OPC) in Long Beach in 1961.