Tehama, Assembly of God

TEHAMA ASSEMBLY OF GOD — HISTORY
The oldest Assemblies of God house of worship in the USA. In 1876, Tehama was the county seat until one night, the building where the records were kept was raided. They were then moved to Red Bluff. Tehama was the Santa Barbara resort of its day. At that time, “D” Street was Main Street. There was a circuit rider preacher, whose route extended from southern Oregon to the Sacramento area.

A little group started meeting in a house for Bible study and prayer. In time they grew and wanted to build a church. A sea captain who came up the river volunteered to help build and supervise the construction. They started in December 1876 and finished in 1878. Charles Harvey, a prominent Tehama pioneer, donated the property.

The loggers used a flume at least 17 miles long that brought logs from the mountains to the Sacramento River and floated them to Tehama. The community helped a lot. The church is made of clear redwood (no knots). The pews are rounded so everyone is facing the pulpit. In the foyer, a rope hangs down that the bell is attached to in the belfry. It still has a beautiful tone. The pews and bell were both made on the East Coast, possibly at a Boston foundry. They were shipped around the Horn to San Francisco and then floated up the Sacramento River to Tehama.

On March 3, 1878, the church was dedicated.

What a beautiful old church. The natural wood and Victorian-shaped windows are awesome. Designed like older churches from the 1800s, when there I kind of feel like I might look around and see George Washington. Ha. The church will hold 190 people.

They wrote to the Union Presbyterian College back east and asked for a minister to serve their new church. There was a big saloon across the street from the church. It was a very rowdy place in the 1870s and 80s. Story is that their new minister would go into the saloon and preach. One night, the saloon caught fire and burned to the ground.

The church went from Presbyterian to Methodist. During this time, people came to church by horse and buggy. The bell rang every Sunday—the sound would carry for miles, telling people to come to church. They had hitching posts in front of the church for the horses, and the attenders had to hang up their guns just inside the church doors. Through the years, the congregation went up and down in attendance, and finally it closed in the 1930s.

There were a few ladies who had been influenced by the Pentecostal experience that started gathering together in the early 1940s. They began to pray for the town and held home meetings to study the Bible and pray. This group began to grow.

The church had been closed for a few years. By faith, these ladies offered to buy the church, and they made the payments by selling vegetables, eggs, pies, etc. The cost was $450. That was a lot of money in 1940.

—What a marvelous story of faith.

Later in the 1950s, the church was established and recognized as an Assemblies of God church. They have had great pastors. The ones I’m going to mention were the Lindo’s, because we were pastoring a neighboring church at this time and knew them. We remember the church was very active and thriving, and many were saved during that time. They pastored for eleven years from 1996 to 2007.

Each Christmas, they decorated the sanctuary from top to bottom—eight thousand lights, wreaths on each window, a 9-foot tree with one thousand lights and 600 ornaments, etc. They had many weddings in this beautiful building, especially at Christmas.

While there, a new roof was put on, new heating and A/C, new PA system, and a new 28’ steeple with a 4’ cross as a topper. It had a grounding rod in case of lightning strikes. The pews were refurbished by the ladies of the church.

It has been closed again now for over a year. SeedOne was asked to help restore the building so it could reopen. Three older ladies have kept the utilities paid, have been praying for a pastor, and for the church to reopen. They called and wrote letters to the District asking for a pastor.

Thank the Lord for the ladies through the years who have continued to pray, give, and keep this church open. Today, March 2025, the church is open again, and they are averaging in the 30s in attendance. PTL.

We have a great new pastor and his family who are doing a great job. SeedOne plans to take one more group up there before Easter to finish the painting, etc. It has been so rewarding for the SeedOne team to see this beautiful building come to life again.

DEDICATION: “NEW BEGINNINGS” — Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025
They want to ring the bell several times to let the community know that their beautiful little church is OPEN, ALIVE, and they are all WELCOME.

Stan and Julie Wagner