CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) - It might be just adobe and tile. But Carmichael Presbyterian Church is among the most painted and photographed of local buildings.

Its earliest members met in a schoolhouse and soon built a sanctuary on Marconi Avenue. The schoolhouse and original church are long gone but Carmichael Presbyterians – the earliest organized congregation in Carmichael – worship on. Marking a century this year, the congregation formed soon after Daniel Carmichael’s satellite town was colonized.

“It brings me joy to be part of a ministry that has loved and served God and our neighbors for 100 years,” says Pastor Keith DeVries. “This is a vital and energetic church, much as it was when we first began. We’re all excited about our anniversary.”

A year-long program of commemoration began with a January festival that offered brunch and memorabilia displays. On May 7, mezzo-soprano Hannah Ludwig will present a concert fundraiser. The congregation will unearth a time capsule on May 21; potluck lunch will follow. Youth groups reunite over the weekend of August 4-6 and a Christian pop concert ends the gathering. On September 16, the church food closet celebrates its 50^th year with a barbecue.

A centennial quilt will be unveiled on November 12. A December 1-3 gala weekend rounds off the festive year with a concert and luncheon. Anyone may attend all celebrations.

“In June, we’ll open an art show featuring paintings of the Church by local artists,” says Centennial committee member Karen Orlando. “And our memorabilia display can be seen in the heart of the campus. Over the decades, Heritage Committee volunteers have diligently recorded and saved pieces of our history. Their work leaves us a lasting treasure.”

Relics include old photos, toddler-sized Sunday school chairs, mid-century stained glass and a funky wooden donation box. A Celtic cross has special provenance: it was fashioned by famed Carmichael builder Drew Dickson, whose oak leaf carvings adorn sanctuary pulpits.

On campus, century-old olive trees recall the colony’s pioneer orchards. Indeed, church records parallel local history. The faithful convened soon after Daniel Carmichael’s remote township began. Farmers’ wives began Sunday School classes in Carmichael Elementary. Uniting 14 denominations as Carmichael Community Church, 41 members soon organized a ministry. Formal affiliation as Presbyterians came in 1927 and a wooden church and steeple rose on donated Marconi Ave land.

Early members were a who’s-who of the vintage colony. The Beutlers, Gibbons, Deweys, Dicksons, Clarks, Engels, Guns and Donovans filled the collection plate. During the Depression, church olive trees were harvested, and the fruit sold. When the Great Freeze destroyed hundreds of orchards in 1932, frozen water pipes flooded the church basement. The original building – whose bell could be heard from Mission Ave – served the Presbyterians till the early 1940s.

Wartime shortages of material and manpower determined the mission theme of their new home. Harvesting mud from church property, parishioners and their teenage kids constructed a new chapel across the road.

Naturalist Effie Yeaw taught Sunday School and donated a plaque that bears St Francis of Assisi’s prayer. Community pillar and garage owner Glen Hughes and his wife exchanged wedding vows at the church altar. Carmichael’s first librarian, Sarah Lott, sang in the choir.

Parish numbers jumped to 800 when Carmichael expanded after WWII. A large sanctuary building was commissioned and dedicated in 1951. The current congregation is almost 500, including 100 children and teens. Worship caters to all ages by blending traditional and contemporary worship styles.

Community outreach also stays in tune. The church houses a food closet and serves monthly hot meals for the poor. A winter respite program offers day refuge, with food and showers for the homeless. Teenage parishioners have established a community garden to contribute to the food closet.

“We reap the benefits of the love and service given by those who laid our foundations,” says Pastor Keith DeVries. “We remain guided by Christ’s commandment to love God and love our neighbors.”

Learn about Carmichael Presbyterian services and centennial celebrations at www.carmichaelpres.org.