Christian love and dedication which has brought us through to today reaches back to the summer of 1947, as approximately eight families met and began planning a new church. The early meetings were held in the playhouse pottery building in Dana Point. Believe it or not, the building still stands and is now the Dana Café on Golden Lantern and Del Prado. During the early planning stages, and without a pastor, the families turned to the Methodist Conference and asked the Conference to sponsor their new proposed church.
On January 25, 1948, their dream came true as they were officially a Church, and Homer Aker became their first pastor. Under the wing of the Methodist Church they were identified as the Community Methodist Church.
As time passed, the church began to grow, creating a need and desire to purchase a building for their church. They did not have a lot of money, but with God's help and a loan from the Methodist Board of Missions they purchased the Doheny Real Estate Administration building. The building, which set on two acres of land, had been vacant since 1930 and required lots of hard work before it was ready for the first service.
Looking back now, it may have been some of the early challenges, dedication, and desire that instilled the fellowship and Christian love that makes our Church special today.
Using money the Church family had saved, and borrowing additional funds, the building of our current sanctuary began in 1966 and was dedicated on Easter Sunday, March 26, 1967. Recognizing the need for more space for classrooms and fellowship activites, Mahin Hall was built in 1979.
Our Vision:
The vision of the people of Palisades United Methodist Church calls us to experience God's will and love, through worship and service. In this worship and service, we are guided by the Holy Spirit...
- to grow in faith
- to nurture through Bible Study and prayer
- to respond to the needs of others
- to share faithful witness and mission with our community and world
- to participate in an inclusive fellowship
We commit ourselves to this vision in an environment of love, warmth, and caring, for the honor and glory of God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Our Focus:
Our Focus is on serving families with young children and older adults. We seek to create ministries that allow families, adults, children, and older adults to grow closer to God and each other: in worship, in fellowship, in study, and in service. Palisades' people live out that commitment in the new ministries we have recently started:
- "Family Ties" fellowship group for families with young children
- Can-Do Kids — special service projects just for kids
- Children's Sunday — celebrating children and families in worship
- Visiting Teams — making caring house calls to our older homebound members
- All Church Family Retreat — a weekend away open to all ages: adults, youth, and children.