The Christian Church of Woodland
509 College Street
Open 9am - 1pm
In the spring of 1854, a small crowd gathered under an oak tree to hear Joshua Lawson deliver a fiery sermon. By Fall 1854 the Christian Church of Woodland was organized, meeting in a schoolhouse. A union meeting house was built in 1856 on land which is now part of the Woodland Cemetery. J.N. Pendegast was the first minister.
Education was very important to the church, and church members founded Hesperian College in 1861. It was dedicated at the exact hour of Lincoln’s inauguration. Eventually, the Hesperian College charter was transferred to Chapman University in Orange, Calif.
In 1889 a large brick church was built on the corner of College and Lincoln at a cost of $20,000. The education building was built in 1927. During construction a wall of the church was cracked. The church building was declared unsafe and had to be torn down in 1927. On October 16, 1949 the present mission style sanctuary was dedicated. This building, built by Goodenough Construction Company, cost $108,275.
The stained-glass windows in the main sanctuary are the result of extensive planning by a committee of parishioners. The windows were designed and created by a San Francisco company, installed between 1965 and 1975.
Individual windows are in memory of one or more parishioners. Heritage Oak Room is a small museum located on lowest floor of the Education building. The museum tells the story of the congregation and also of Hesperian College. Antique furnishings including the pulpit, the communion table, a collection box and chair are from the 1889 building. Pictures and other artifacts tell the story of the congregation’s development.
A small organ that belonged to Minna Cross is on display. The legs of the organ fold up and the top folds down to create a compact box. The organ is similar to ones carried by circuit riding preachers. Minna Cross played the organ for Sunday School in the 1889 building.
Hesperian College pictures portray the college as it looked originally. A pencil drawing shows the college as it appeared following a remodeling in 1890. (The drawing was executed by Imelda Rooney, long time teacher in Woodland.) A diploma earned by a graduate of the college is on display.
Hesperian united with Pierce Christian College to move and become Berkeley Bible Seminary in 1896. In 1934 other colleges united and the college became known as Chapman College.
Hesperian’s last building in Woodland was bequeathed to Woodland High School. The bell, which once rang to summon Hesperian students, now serves as the Victory Bell to celebrate football victories at Woodland High School.
