An Old Wooden Church at the Heart of Santa Ana
On North Bush Street, just steps from Santa Ana's Civic Center, a small shingled church has been holding Sunday services since 1889. Church of the Messiah is the oldest church building in continuous use in Orange County, and one of the oldest public buildings of any kind still standing in the county seat. Three services are held here every Sunday in English and Spanish, a livestream carries the 10 a.m. liturgy out to worshipers on YouTube, and the congregation that fills the pews reflects the cultural, economic, and political diversity of the city around it. The parish describes itself as "an inclusive community spiritually rooted, centered in love and driven by justice," a phrase that appears in the rector's own welcome.
A Coxhead Masterpiece in the Heart of Orange County
The building is the work of Ernest Coxhead, an English-born architect credited with helping to define the building tradition of the San Francisco Bay Area. His signature was unapologetic board-and-shingle construction, plain surfaces, and a few carefully placed decorative touches that turn out, on closer look, to be quietly sophisticated. The same instincts shaped the Church of the Messiah, which was erected between 1888 and 1889 for the modest sum of $4,592. The setting then was a meadow, not a downtown, and the architect's sense of a semi-rural parish shaped the design. A serious change came in 1911, when the building was raised five feet so that a Parish Hall could be built beneath it; the entrance moved from the bell tower to the rear of the nave at that point. A two-story brick education building and a wing were added in 1955 and 1969.
The liturgical furnishings inside match the architectural pedigree. A red glass sanctuary lamp came from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The 1903 Moeller pipe organ is believed to be the oldest in Orange County. Stained glass includes at least two Tiffany windows in the apse, and a stone baptismal font was donated by the Irvine family. Along the base of the chancel arch, carved iconographic panels depict the four apostles and echo Christ's words, "I am the Alpha and the Omega."
Three Sunday Services, Two Languages
Worship at Messiah draws on the wider Anglican tradition as well as the congregation's own customs, using the 1979 Book of Common Prayer and other Episcopal liturgical sources. Three Sunday services give visitors a choice of style and language.
The 8 a.m. Eucharist is the quiet one. The sanctuary is solemn and reflective, with the eucharist and a sermon but no congregational singing. An organ prelude begins and ends the liturgy, and a soloist sings an offertory anthem.
The 10 a.m. Eucharist is the main traditional service, with the Parish Choir and organ leading music that ranges from classical to contemporary. Special services bring guest musicians playing other instruments and percussion. The rector and assisting priests use inclusive worship language, and the preaching aims at relevance for daily life. This is also the service that is livestreamed on YouTube.
At 12 p.m. the liturgy is held in Spanish as a Misa enriched by the Coro Nuevo Amanecer, a Spanish-speaking ensemble that supplies the musical leadership each Sunday and joins the English choir for seasonal bilingual services. Parishioners share a meal together after the Spanish liturgy, so visitors who stay past noon often find themselves invited to lunch.
Clergy Shaped by Three Continents
The Rev. Abel Ernesto Lopez has served as rector since December 12, 2012. A lifelong Episcopalian born in Cuba, he was educated at the Seminary in Matanzas and at the Episcopal Theological Seminary in Austin, Texas, where he earned a Master of Divinity in 2000. He moved to Pasadena in 2001 to direct Peace and Justice Ministries at All Saints Church, where he became a Senior Associate Priest over thirteen years. He has served on the boards of Equality California and the Bloy House School of Theology, among other local and national organizations.
The Rev. Dr. Jim Lee serves as an assisting priest. Born in South Korea and raised along the U.S. East Coast, he discerned a call to the Episcopal Church in the late 1990s and was ordained to the diaconate in 2012 and to the priesthood in 2013. He holds a Master of Divinity from the Claremont School of Theology, where he received the Presidential Award for Academic Excellence, and a Ph.D. in English and an M.A. in Asian American Studies from UCLA. He is Chair and Associate Professor of Asian American Studies at the University of California, Irvine, and the author of Urban Triage: Race and the Fictions of Multiculturalism.
The parish is also served by the Rev. Elizabeth I. Rechter, ordained in 1991, who previously served as the first full-time Executive Director of Stillpoint: the Center for Christian Spirituality in Southern California and now leads retreats and teaches BioSpiritual Focusing. The Rev. Brad Karelius, who was Rector of Messiah from 1981 to 2011 and during his tenure founded Hands Together - A Center for Children on the parish campus, continues to offer workshops on desert spirituality. Stewardship, building, and finance committees, along with the Vestry, support the work of the clergy.
Music as a Doorway to Worship
Music at Messiah is a ministry of its own. The Parish Choir rehearses on Thursday evenings from September through June, performs a repertoire from classical to contemporary, and presents major choral works on All Saints Sunday, Christmas Eve, and Evensongs. The Director of Music, David Sheridan, welcomes new singers throughout the season.
Coro Nuevo Amanecer leads the noon Misa, and the two choirs combine for festive seasonal liturgies and bilingual services. The Altar Guild prepares the church for Holy Week, Christmas, weddings, and funerals, and oversees the care of linens, vestments, candles, and vessels for the Eucharist. Lay people also serve in a wide range of liturgical roles at all three Sunday services, as crucifers, torches, readers, chalice bearers, masters of ceremonies, intercessory prayer leaders, thurifers, ushers, and pew crew. A short, quiet service of Morning Prayer is led by lay members on Zoom every Wednesday at 7:30 a.m.
Walking With Parishioners Through Every Season
Pastoral care at Messiah is the work of both clergy and laity. The Pastoral Care Team, organized and supervised by the rector, includes trained lay leaders who listen, accompany, and follow up with parishioners in need. Lay Eucharistic Visitors, licensed by the Diocese of Los Angeles, take previously blessed communion to those who cannot attend in person, a ministry of presence to homebound friends. Health Ministries organizes blood pressure screenings, flu shot clinics, and individual consultations on wellness and self-care.
Several smaller groups meet regularly. A group of seniors gathers on the first and third Sunday of each month at 9 a.m. in the Upper Room to talk through the medical, legal, physical, emotional, and spiritual sides of aging. A Caregiver Support Group offers a confidential place to share the work of caring for parents or others. A Centering Prayer group meets in the Upper Room on Tuesday evenings for an extended period of silent meditation. Wednesday's Women has met on the first Wednesday of each month since the 1990s, gathering at 6:30 p.m. for conversation on topics of spiritual interest. Mujeres de Fe y Esperanza, a women's Bible study conducted in Spanish, meets on the third Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to noon in the Upper Room, with members taking turns leading the monthly gathering.
Formation for Every Age
Christian formation at Messiah is centered in Baptism and shaped by the Holy Eucharist, with themes of gathering, story, prayer, sharing, and going out. Education for Ministry, the four-year mentored program of the School of Theology at the University of the South, is offered as small-group independent study with group reflection, inviting adults into a deeper relationship with God. A separate Adult Education Ministry brings four outside speakers each year and teaches two courses, particularly during Lent and Advent.
Children and youth are formed through a combination of programs, including Journey to Adulthood, Rite 14, and the Confirm, not Conform curriculum, designed to support young people, families, and leaders in building relationships and ongoing faith growth. A Women's Book Group meets every other month in the home of a member, and a published guide is available for individuals discerning a call to lay or ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church.
Justice, Hospitality, and a Partnership in Nicaragua
The Peace and Justice ministries at Messiah call members to the work of embodying the baptismal promise to strive for justice and peace and to respect the dignity of every human being. The parish partners with AMOS Health and Hope, a Christian non-profit serving vulnerable communities in that country through community-based programs in health and education; Messiah members have traveled to the small rural village of Cumaica Norte since January 2012. The parish also partners with OCCCO, an organization that develops transformational leaders within diverse, multicultural, and interfaith communities across Orange County and equips them for civic and community engagement.
A monthly Social Justice Film series invites participants to watch a film individually and gather on Zoom to discuss the themes and issues raised. Bilingual Know Your Rights presentations and Step-by-Step Family Preparedness Plans, available in English and Spanish, are offered as practical resources for immigrant families and neighbors. Messiah is also openly LGBTQ+ affirming; a separate set of resources links to materials from the Diocese of Los Angeles, the national church, and the LGBTQ Center OC, and the parish joins other affirming Episcopal churches in Orange County in celebrating Pride.
Baptisms, Quinceañeras, Weddings, and Farewells
Messiah walks with people through the central sacraments of Christian life. Holy Baptism is understood as full initiation by water and the Holy Spirit into Christ's Body, the Church, a public statement of the decision to follow the way of Jesus. While infant baptism is the most common practice, baptism is available at any age and is celebrated only once.
First Communion and Confirmation are offered with their own preparation booklets in English and Spanish. Quinceañeras, the celebration of a girl's fifteenth birthday marking the passage from childhood to adolescence, begin with a Thanksgiving Eucharist in the church and continue with a blessing ceremony rooted in the Catechism of the Episcopal Church. Weddings take place in what the parish calls one of Orange County's most precious historical settings, steeped in prayer and tradition. The funeral liturgy is described as an Easter liturgy; the clergy, staff, and congregation support families through the first difficult days after a death. Forms for each of these milestones are available online and as printable PDFs.
A Bilingual Community at the Table
Parish life at Messiah is marked by the rhythm of three Sunday services that meet over food and conversation as well as liturgy. Coffee Hour hosts provide snacks and beverages after the 8 a.m., 10 a.m., and noon services, helping visitors feel welcome. The Fiesta, Fun and Fellowship team plans the old-fashioned Christmas party, Halloween fun, and potluck get-togethers. An annual auction, a parish favorite, raises around $30,000 for the work of the church and includes a silent auction boutique. Recurring observances shape the year: a Black History Month service in February with a noted guest preacher from the local African American community, a Hispanic Heritage celebration at an 11 a.m. bilingual liturgy, a Homecoming gathering with games and a cakewalk, a Fourth of July American Hot Dog Feast on the patio, a bilingual Juneteenth service and celebration, and a Shrove Tuesday pancake meal before Lent.
Giving in Many Forms
Every autumn, members are invited to make an annual financial pledge, the foundation of the church's operating budget. Emily Pankau in the finance office supports those who pledge by phone and adjusts pledges when circumstances change. Online donations can be made any time, and members and friends nationwide can give through a vehicle donation program with CARS, donate real estate through GivingProperty.org, contribute jewelry and precious metals, or bring books, VHS tapes, and CDs to the Sunday Book Sale, with proceeds currently going toward mechanical lifts for the church.
Visiting Church of the Messiah
Worship is held on Sundays at 8 a.m. in English (quiet, no congregational singing), 10 a.m. in English (traditional, with choir, livestreamed on YouTube), and 12 p.m. in Spanish (with the Coro Nuevo Amanecer, followed by a shared meal). The closest parking structure is at 300 E. Fifth Street, with metered street parking along North Bush Street and Civic Center Drive. Parking is not permitted at the neighboring Jack in the Box or Burger King, and cars parked there are towed. The parish office is open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and a Welcome Table is set up in the Parish Hall on Sunday mornings for newcomers picking up a Welcome Packet. The church is located at 614 N Bush Street, just east of the 5 Freeway's Santa Ana Boulevard exit.