Sacramento Presbytery, Synod of the Pacific, PC(USA)

Sacramento Presbytery, Synod of the Pacific, PC(USA) . (916)-414-2080 . (800)-292-4700
9985 Folsom Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95827 . . . Go to the Top , Index / Links , End , or back to the Main page.

Sacramento Presbytery, Synod of the Pacific, PC(USA) - History

Contents:

Narrative Summary and Chart

Earliest Protestant Churches in California 1849-1850

Presbyterian Churches in California - 1849-1870

Synods & Presbyteries 1849-1860 - PCUSA Old School, PCUSA New School, and Cumberland

Synod & Presbytery changes in 1870 - PCUSA

Synod & Presbytery changes in 1967 - UPCUSA

Presbytery of Sacramento - List of Churches in 1967

Synod & Presbytery changes in 1973 and 1983 - PCUSA

Narrative Summary and Chart
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The history of the Presbytery of Sacramento starts with the formation of the first Presbyterian church in the area which was Marysville First (NS) in 1850 in the Gold Rush days. This was followed by Placerville First (NS) in 1853. These PCUSA-New School churches probably were first associated with the Presbytery of San Francisco (NS)(formed in 1849) and then in 1857 with the newly formed Synod of Alta California (NS) and the newly formed Presbytery of Sierra Nevada. Then came Sacramento First (now Westminster) (OS) in 1856. PCUSA-Old School churches would have been first accociated with the Presbytery of California (OS) (formed in 1849) and then in 1852 with the newly formed Synod of the Pacific (OS) and the newly formed Presbytery of Stockton. In 1870 with the merger of the PCUSA-OS and PCUSA-NS into the PCUSA these Synods and Presbyteries were merged and our churches then become associated with the new Synod of the Pacific and the newly formed Presbytery of Sacramento. In 1892 the Synod of the Pacific was renamed the Synod of California. After the merger of the PCUSA and the UPCNA in 1958 into the UPCUSA the Synod of California was restructured in 1967 into the Synod of Southern California, Synod of the Sierra, and the Synod of the Golden Gate. The Presbytery of Sacramento continued on only slightly changed within the Synod of the Sierra. In 1973 there was a reorganization and merger of Synods on the west coast and a new Synod of the Pacific was created and it included what had been the Synods of the Sierra, Golden Gate, Oregon, and Idaho. The Presbytery of Sacramento continued on unchanged. In 1983 the UPCUSA and the PCUS merged but no changes occurred on the west coast since the PCUS had no churches out here. This history may possibly be more easily seen in the following chart:

1810 split              PCUSA ----------------- Cumberland
                          |                         |
1837 split      PCUSA-OS ------ PCUSA-NS            | 	
Then in California |               |                |
1849            P.California    P.San Francisco     |
                   |               |                |
1852/6          S.Pacific       S.Alta California   |
                P.Stockton      P.Sierra Nevada     |
                   |               |                |                    \ /
1858 merger        |               |                |                   UPCNA
                   |               |                |                     |
1870 merger        ---- PCUSA ------                |                     | 
                        S.Pacific                   |                     |
                        P.Sacramento                |                     | 
                           |                        |                     |
1892                    S.California                |                     | 
                        P.Sacramento                |                     |  
                           |                        |                     | 
1906 merger                |------------------- Cumberland                | 
                           |                                              |
1958 merger                ------------ UPCUSA ----------------------------
                                           |
1967 restructuring                      S.Sierras
                                        P.Sacramento
                                           |
1973 restructuring                      S.Pacific                        
                                        P.Sacramento                      
                                           |                              
1983 merger                              PCUSA---------------------------PCUS
                                        S.Pacific
                                        P.Sacramento
                                           |

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Earliest Protestant Churches in California 1849-1850
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From: California Pioneer Decade of 1849, The Presbyterian Church,
1922, James L. Woods.
p. 21, Chapter IV, Pioneer Churches of All Denominations, 1849

1849 04/15 Benicia        First Presbyterian Church - closed ca.1869
1849 05/20 San Francisco  First Presbyterian Church
1849 06/06 San Francisco  First Baptist Church
1849 07/22 San Francisco  Trinity Episcopal Church
1849 07/27 San Francisco  First Methodist Episcopal Church
1849 07/29 San Francisco  First Congregational Church
1849 09/20 Presbytery of San Francisco (NS)
1849 09/20 Sacramento     First Church of Christ (Congregational)
1849 10/07 San Jose       Independent Presbyterian Church
   joined P.of S.F. (S.of Alta Ca-NS) 1858 chg'd name to First PC
1849 10/28 Sacramento     Sixth Street Methodist Episcopal Church
1850 01/20 San Jose       First Methodist Episcopal Church
1850 03/16 Stockton       Central Methodist Episcopal Church
1850 03/17 Stockton       First Presbyterian Church
1850 04/28 San Francisco  Grace Episcopal Church
1850 05/19 San Jose       First Baptist Church
1850 05/__ San Francisco  First Methodist Epicopal Church, South
1850 05/__ Sacramento     Ashbury Chapel, Methodist Episcopal Ch,South
1850 ca.   Napa           Cumberland Presbyterian Church
1850 09/15 San Francisco  Howard Street Presbyterian Church
1850 11/24 Marysville     First Presbyterian Church

Presbyterian Churches in California - 1849-1870
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From:
1. California Pioneer Decade of 1849, The Presbyterian Church,
1922, James L. Woods.  p.25, Chapter V, Pioneer Prebyterian Churches,
1849-1859.
2. Minutes of the 116th and Final Annual Session of the Synod of
California of the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A.
February 21 and November 20, 1967.  p.94 Appendix C, Chronological
List of Churches.  He only listed the churches in existance in 1967.

Source
|  Organized  Town           Church Name (Presbyterian Church)
1  1849 04/15 Benicia        First
12 1849 05/20 San Francisco  First
1  1849 09/20 Presbytery of San Francisco (NS)
12 1849 10/07 San Jose       Independent Presbyterian Church
     joined P.of S.F. (S.of Alta Ca-NS) 1858 chg'd name to First PC

12 1850 03/17 Stockton       First
1  1850 about Napa           Cumberland
12 1850 09/15 San Francisco  Howard Street
12 1850 11/24 Marysville     First (NS)

1  1851       none
 2 1851 07/19 Mtn. View      (Cumb) orig.called Oak Grove,
                                then Union in 1857
                           1861 merged with Cumb Ch.of Santa Clara

1  1852 01/16 Santa Clara    First (orig. called Camden)
1  1852 02/08 Grass Valley   First (orig. called Centreville)

1  1853 01/16 San Francisco  Welsh
12 1853 03/26 Oakland        First (NS)
12 1853 05/01 Placerville    First (NS)
1  1853 05/14 Sonora         First
1  1853 06/05 Centerville    PC, orig. called Alameda
 2 1853 06/05 Fremont        Centerville (NS), orig.called Alameda
                                 merged with Alvarado (org.1854)
12 1853 11/06 San Francisco  Chinese

1  1854 06/__ San Francisco  Geary Street
12 1854 07/23 San Francisco  Calvary
1  1854 10/__ Eden           reog.1860 as Alvarado Church
12 1854 12/19 Columbia       First (NS)

1  1855 01/19 Napa           First, orig. Independent PC
 2 1853 01/19 Napa           First, orig. Independent PC, to OS
12 1855 03/18 Los Angeles    First East
1  1855 __/__ Crescent City  First
1  1855 10/__ Georgetown

12 1856 03/17 Santa Rosa     First
12 1856 04/27 Sacramento     Westminster, orig. First

1  1857 __/__ Suisun         First
1  1857 __/__ Vacaville
1  1857 __/__ JamesTown
1  1857 __/__ Martinez       First (Contra Costa Co.)

12 1858 10/10 Healdsburg     First (OS)
1  1858 __/__ Mount Zion     (near Petaluma)
1  1858 __/__ Chinese Camp
1  1858 __/__ San Ramon
1  1858 __/__ Pacheco

1  1859 __/__ Healdsburg     First (NS)
12 1859 11/05 Mendicino      First (NS)

1  1860 01/__ Alameda        First
12 1860 09/16 Gilroy         First
12 1860 10/21 Two Rock       First
 2 1860 11/04 Red Bluff     (NS)

12 1861 01/01 Arcata         First
12 1861 01/13 San Francisco  St. Paul's
 2 1861 02/17 Oakland        Brooklyn (NS)
 2 1861 05/19 Carson City, Nevada (NS)

12 1862 11/22 Vallejo        First

 2 1863 late  Winters        (Cumb) org. as Pine Grove
   1864
 2 1865 11/05 Alameda        First  (NS)

 2 1866 01/07 San Francisco  First (NA)
 2 1866 02/11 San Leandro    First (NS)
 2 1866 04/18 Woodlake       (Cumb) called Kaweah, renamed 1913
 2 1866 12/08 Glenville      Mt. Carmel (Cumb)
   1867
 2 1868 04/12 San Francisco  Olivet (NS)
 2 1868 07/26 Chico          Bidwell Memorial
 2 1868 12/__ San Francisco  Trinity, merged with Mizpah(1893)in 1942
                      (? Orig. called Howard St.,renamed to T.in 1892)
 2 1869 01/31 Ventura        (NS) orig. San Buenaventura
 2 1869 06/07 San Diego      First
 2 1869 06/21 Santa Barbara  First
 2 1869 09/26 San Rafel
 2 1869 11/14 Davis          (formerly Davisville)
 2 1869 12/07 Salinas        First (NA)

 2 1870 03/06 Anaheim        First (NS)
 2 1870 03/06 San Francisco  St. John's
 2 1870 05/26 Elko, Nevada
 2 1870 20/01 Wilmington     Calvary

Synods & Presbyteries 1849-1860 - Old School, New School, and Cumberland
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From: California Pioneer Decade of 1849, The Presbyterian Church,
1922, James L. Woods.
p.92, Chapter 10, Erection of Presbyteries and Synods
(P.=Presbytery, S.=Synod)

1851 Cumberland Presbyterian Presbytery

PCUSA-Old School (OS) General Assembly (GA) created:
1849 Presbytery of California, annexed to S. of New York
1851 Presbytery of Oregon
1852 Presbytery of Stockton
1852 Synod of the Pacific (w/3 P. above)
Later divisions of Synod of the Pacific
1856 P. Benicia (must have been from P.Calif.)
1858 P. Puget Sound, from P.Oregon

PCUSA-New School (NS) General Assembly (GA) created:
1849 P. San Francisco, annexed to S. New York & New Jersey
1857 P. San Jose
1857 P. Sierra Nevada
1857 S. of Alta California (w/3 P. above)

Synod & Presbytery changes in 1870
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From: California Pioneer Decade of 1849, The Presbyterian Church,
1922, James L. Woods.
p.92, Chapter 10, Erection of Presbyteries and Synods
(P.=Presbytery, S.=Synod)

In 1870 with the merger of PCUSA-OS and PCUSA-NS:
1870 S. Pacific formed from S. Pacific (OS) & S. Alta Calif.(NS)
  1. P. Oregon
     formerly P. Puget Sound, P. Oregon (of S. Pacific (OS))
  2. P. San Francisco
     formerly P. San Francisco (S. Alta Calif.(NS))
          and P. California (S. Pacific (OS))
  3. P. San Jose
     formerly P. San Jose (S. Alta Calif.(NS))
  4. P. Benicia
     formerly P. Benicia (S. Pacific (OS))
  5. P. Sacramento
     formerly P. Sierra Nevada (S. Alta Calif.(NS))
          and P. Stockton (S. Pacific (OS))

Later
1876 P. of Oregon became S. of Columbia (later Oregon)

1886 P. Stockton, from P. Sacramento, renamed 1906 P. San Joaquin

1892 S. Pacific renamed to S. California

Synod & Presbytery changes in 1967
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From:  Minutes of the 116th and Final Annual Session of the Synod of
California of the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A.
February 21 and November 20, 1967.

p.3
Synod of California
  Presbytery:           Organized
    Los Angeles     1873 Synod of Pacific
       includes Hawaii
    Nevada          1907 Synod of Calif.
    Redwoods        1870 Synod of Pacific, as P. of Benicia
                    1830 renamed P. of Redwoods
    Riverside       1902 Synod of Calif.
    Sacramento      1870 Synod of Pacific
    San Francisco   1870 Synod of Pacific
    San Joaquin     1886 Synod of Pacific, as P. of Stockton
                    1906 renamed P. of San Joaquin
    San Jose        1870 Synod of Pacific
    Santa Barbara   1896 Synod of Calif.
    Utah            1951 Synod of Calif.

p.16
The Synod of California on February 21, 1967 overtures the 179th
General Assembly (May 18-24, 1967) to divide into three new synods:
Synod of Southern Califonia
  Presbytery:
    Riverside
    Santa Barbara
    Los Angeles but maybe
        San Diego             (new)
        Santa Ana             (new)
        San Gabriel           (new)
        San Fernando          (new)
        Los Angeles-Southwest (new)
Synod of the Sierra
    Nevada
    Sacramento
    Utah
    San Joaquin
    Stockton                  (new)
Synod of the Golden Gate
    Redwoods
    San Jose
    San Francisco

p.94 Appendix C, Chronological List of Churches
Four Branches of Presbyterian Faith now merged into UPCUSA:
  PCUSA - Old School - merged 1869
  PCUSA - New School - merged 1869
  Cumberland - joined PCUSA 1906
  United Presbyterian Church of North America - joined 1958

Synod of the Pacific (PCUSA-OS) 1852-1869, merged 1869
Synod of Alta California (PCUSA-NS) 1857-1869, merged 1869
Synod of the Pacific (PCUSA) 1870-1891
   changed name to Synod of California (PCUSA) 1892
Synod of California (PCUSA) 1892-1958

Synod of the Pacific (Cumberland) 1860-1906
   united with Synod of California (PCUSA) 1906

Synod of the Pacific (UPCNA) 1877-1891
   Changed name to Synod of California (UPCNA) 1892
Synod of California (UPCNA) 1892-1958

Synod of California (UPCUSA) 1959-1967

Synod of the Sierra, Presbytery of Sacramento - List of Churches in 1967
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From:  Minutes of the 116th and Final Annual Session of the Synod of
California of the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A.
February 21 and November 20, 1967.

p.123 Synod of the Sierra (1967-    )
Presbytery of Sacramento
1948 Burney
1925 Carmichael
1868 Chico, Bidwell Memorial       (?S)
1962 Citrus Heights, Celtic Cross
1874 Colusa, First
1900 Corning, First
1869 Davis, Community (orig. Davisville) (OS)
1923 Esparto, Countryside
1902 Fair Oaks
1935 Folsom
1881 Gridley, First
1931 Live Oak, Community - closed ???????
1850 Marysville, First (NS)
1943 McCloud, Community
1953 North Highlands, St. Stephen (orig. Community)
1909 Orland, Federated
1959 Oroville, Trinity
1853 Placerville, Federated (orig. First) (NS)
     (GA 1870 & 1871 Minutes/Statistics
     In 1870 Pacerville, Westminster (OS) (smaller), shown 1871)
1963 Rancho Cordova, Cordova
1860 Red Bluff                         (?S)
1878 Redding, First
1873 Roseville, First
1914 Sacramento, Bethany
1882 Sacramento, Fremont
1948 Sacramento, Fruitridge - closed ???????
1962 Sacramento, Grace
1955 Sacramento, Northminster
1920 Sacramento, Parkview
1856 Sacramento, Westminster (orig. First)(OS)
     South Lake Tahoe, Lake Tahoe (? 1948 Tahoe Valley, Community)
1873 Vacaville, Community
1951 Walnut Grove, Community
1906 Weed, Grace
1943 West Sacramento, Trinity
1863 Winters, Pioneer (orig. Pine Grove) (Cumb)
1961 Yuba City, St. Andrew

Synod & Presbytery changes in 1973 and 1983
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From:  Presbyterian Church (USA) General Assembly Minutes and Statistics 
for 1972, 1973, 1980, 1981, 1982, and 1983..

In Janary 1973 on the west coast there was a re-alignment for more
effective mission thrust.  The following were merged together into the 
Synod of the Pacific.

Synod of the Sierra
  Presbyteries of:
  Nevada
  Sacramento
  San Joaquin
  Stockton
Synod of the Golden Gate
  The Redwoods
  San Francisco
  San Jose
Synod of Oregon
  Eastern Oregon
  Portland          /
  Southwest Oregon  / These 3 merged as P.of the Cascades in 1973
  Willamette        /
Synod of Idaho
  Boise
  Kendall

Presbytery of Northern Idaho (previously in the S. of Idaho) went to
the S. of Alaska and the Northwest.


In 1980-1982 the UPCUSA and the PCUS published common General
Assembly minutes and statistics books.  Their statistics were still
separate but both reported in the same volumes.


In 1983 the UPCUSA and the PCUS had merged their Synods and
Presbyteries and they were reported together under the title the
Presbyterian Church (USA) (PCUSA).  Since there were no PCUS churches
in California there was no effect on the Synod and Presbytery
structure in northern California due to this merger.

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Sacramento Presbytery, Synod of the Pacific, PC(USA) . (916)-414-2080 . (800)-292-4700
9985 Folsom Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95827 . . . Go to the Top , Index / Links , End , or back to the Main page.

Created on 6/21/99, last updated on 9/04/04.
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