First Mennonite Church sits at the corner of 12th and L Streets in Reedley, California, a little more than a hundred years after it first gathered. The congregation, which also goes by the name Primera Iglesia Menonita, has grown into something distinctive on the Central Valley landscape: a single body that holds two Sunday services in two languages, two very different musical styles, and one shared commitment to the historic Anabaptist peace tradition. Members describe their faith with a line often attributed to Palmer Becker: "Jesus is the center of our faith, community is the center of our lives, and reconciliation is the center of our work."
One Building, Two Sunday Mornings
The Sunday schedule at First Mennonite is built around two worship services with a full hour of Christian Education between them. At 9:30 a.m. the English-language service begins in the Sanctuary, a wood-doored building at 12th and L. At 12:00 p.m. the Spanish-language service, called Servicio Alabanza y Adoración, fills the Fellowship Hall along L Street between 12th and 11th. Members who want both experiences can settle into the education hour between them, and visitors are welcome at either one.
The Early English Service: Hymns, Cookies, and Questions
The 9:30 service runs about an hour and follows a traditional Mennonite shape. Music is built around hymns sung in four-part harmony, accompanied by piano or organ; the congregation is "calm and reserved," with the occasional "amen" welcomed during the sermon. Coffee and cookies follow the service. Members tend to dress in business casual to casual, often jeans, and women typically wear pants.
Two entrances on 12th Street lead into the Sanctuary through a set of double wooden doors, with a handicap-accessible entrance on L Street beside the wheelchair ramp. Parking is on the street and in a small lot across from 12th.
The English-language congregation is self-described as progressive. The church does not display an American flag in its sanctuary, on the conviction that "our first allegiance is to God alone." The bulletin and the church's own materials describe it as "a safe place to ask questions" where "all are welcome," including LGBTQIA+ individuals, and where social justice is treated as a biblical concern. Tough questions and mystery are welcomed over certainty, and faith is treated as both a head and heart experience.
For those who cannot attend in person, the early service is offered on Zoom. Participants join a short breakout room at the start of worship to "pass the peace" with a few other families and can share prayer concerns and celebrations during a congregational sharing time.
The Later Spanish Service: Praise, Swaying, and Family
At noon the Fellowship Hall comes alive. Worship here is contemporary and boisterous, led by a worship band that fills the room with praise songs in Spanish. Congregants often stand, sway, and clap; sermons, in Spanish, can run half an hour, and services can last 1.5 to 2 hours "as the Spirit leads." Casual dress is appropriate, and pants or dresses are both common.
The Spanish-language congregation, Primera Iglesia Menonita, is described as more theologically conservative, with a stronger focus on family and good morals. The materials state plainly that "LGBTQ people are welcome to attend, but this congregation does not affirm your lifestyle or orientation," a posture that differs from the English service. The sermon is usually preached in Spanish and translated into English, and the singing moves fluidly between Spanish and English.
This service is livestreamed on the church's Facebook page.
Between the Services: Sunday School and Christian Education
From 11:00 a.m. to noon the church runs its Christian Education hour, called Academia de Discípulos for the Spanish-speaking gathering. Children gather for Sunday School using the Shine curriculum, an Anabaptist-focused program that centers the teaching that God loves them and they should love their neighbors. The Child Safety Policy keeps two unrelated adults in every classroom and follows mandated reporting; Children's Pastor Barbara Ewy oversees the program.
Adults choose from several classes, some in person and some on Zoom:
- Koinonia studies and discusses religious books, working through titles such as How the Bible Actually Works by Peter Enns and Discovering Identity in God's Diverse World by Dr. Theodore Hiebert.
- The Soul Journey Class is a place for members and newcomers to share their own stories, music, poetry, or a topic of interest, described as "low stress" and newcomer friendly.
- Anathoth Bible Study, led by Pastor Jonathan, dives into deep questions about sacred text, God, and the lives of biblical people, working through books of the Bible one at a time.
- Anti-Racism Study Group, a Zoom-only class, has been working through From Here to Equality by William Darity Jr. and A. Kirsten Mullen and discussing state and federal reparations bills.
- Scripture and Scholars is a book study group that takes on different religious texts.
A youth group of about ten young people meets at 1:00 p.m., a mix of quiet and energetic personalities gathered in a circle of couches for Bible study, fun, and service projects under the guidance of Pastor Caley Ortman.
A Peace Church Without an American Flag
First Mennonite is rooted in the Anabaptist tradition, a stream of the sixteenth-century Reformation that takes its name from Menno Simons, a Dutch priest who joined the movement in the mid-1500s. The church teaches pacifism as a cornerstone of faith, encourages close reading of Scripture and personal spiritual responsibility, and emphasizes peace, justice, simplicity, community, service, and mutual aid. Many in the congregation are anti-war and pro-peace, and the sanctuary contains no American flag, a visible expression of the conviction that ultimate allegiance belongs to God alone.
The congregation is part of Mennonite Church USA, which formed in 2000 from the merger of the General Conference Mennonite Church and Mennonite Church. The General Conference had split from the Mennonite Brethren in Russia in the 1860s, so the two branches share deep Anabaptist roots but are now distinct denominations. First Mennonite belongs specifically to the Pacific Southwest Conference of Mennonite Church USA, and its pastors are active in that regional body: Pastor Caley Ortman also serves as a program director at Camp Keola, the conference's summer camp in the Sierra Nevada.
A Week of Activities for Every Age
Sunday opens quietly with meditation time at 8:45 a.m. and choir practice at 8:55 a.m. (except in summer). After the two services and Christian Education, the youth group meets at 1:00 p.m. Monday is set aside as the pastors' sabbatical day, with calls reserved for emergencies. The rest of the week has its own rhythm:
- Tuesday 9:30 a.m. - Needles and Notions, the church's long-running sewing and crafts group, meets in education rooms 7 and 8 to make prayer comforters for the sick, new babies, and those who have lost loved ones. Fabric donations are welcomed.
- Tuesday evening - Deacons meet on the first Tuesday of the month; Council meets on the third.
- Wednesday 6:30 a.m. - A long-standing circle prayer group gathers in a member's home to share their weeks and pray for the community.
- Wednesday 6:00 p.m. - Dinner at Church, on the first Wednesday of every month, brings the congregation into the Fellowship Hall for a themed meal. January is a Borsht Supper that raises money for local ministry; in summer the proceeds go toward a retreat at Camp Keola.
- Wednesday 7:00 p.m. - Kids Club with Pastor Barb Ewy, Youth Group with Pastor Caley Ortman, and Alabanza y Oración (a Spanish-language prayer gathering) run in parallel.
- Wednesday 8:30 p.m. - Basketball in the parking lot.
- Thursday 6:00 p.m. - Aroma de Café with Pastor Juan for Spanish-speakers.
- Thursday 7:00 p.m. - Grupo de Alabanza practice for the Spanish-language worship band.
A Walking Group meets Sunday afternoons along the Kings River, gathering at the Reedley park-and-ride across from Jack-in-the-Box and walking between 3 and 7 p.m. depending on the season.
The Pastors Who Lead the Church
Three pastors shape the day-to-day life of First Mennonite. Caley Ortman, Lead Pastor, grew up in a farming family in Freeman, South Dakota, attended Bethel College in Newton, Kansas, and earned his MDiV from Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary before moving to California to join the pastoral team in 2017. In addition to preaching in the English service and sharing leadership of the Spanish worship team, he serves as Chaplain at Sierra View Retirement Community, a home for older adults that was itself founded by First Mennonite Church. Juan Montes is Lead Pastor of Primera Iglesia Menonita and oversees the Spanish-language ministry. Barbara Ewy, the Children's Pastor, was raised in the Texas Panhandle in a family of farmers and teachers, graduated from Bethel College in North Newton, Kansas, with a degree in Elementary Education, and holds a Master of Arts in Christian Education from Goshen Biblical Seminary (now Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary). Her career has spanned special education, tutoring, summer day camps, and camp pastoring at Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp, Camp Mennoscah, and Camp Keola.
The Supportive Fellowship and the Wider Community
Among the small groups that meet at the church, the Supportive Fellowship of First Mennonite Church stands out. It is a community of LGBTQ allies working to make the church more inclusive; the group officially began in 2015, though its members had been advocating for inclusion since the 1980s. The fellowship has issued a welcoming statement and carries the support of about 95 percent of the early-service congregation.
On the broader community side, the church hosts the Reedley Peace Center, a separate organization that gathers on church property to introduce open-space and consensus-based models of nonviolent community organizing to the Central Valley. The Peace Center meets on Tuesdays and welcomes snacks to share.
The Building, Accessibility, and First-Time Visitors
First Mennonite takes accessibility seriously. The Sanctuary is wheelchair accessible through an ADA-compliant ramp on L Street, an automatic door, and a recently remodeled indoor ramp. Shortened pews allow wheelchair users to park beside the seating. The church lends hearing-assistance headphones that play audio directly from the sound system, and printed sermons plus large-text bulletins are available. The Fellowship Hall used by the Spanish service is on the ground level with a parking lot on the same level.
For families, children are welcome in the worship services; the FAQ page notes that "we love to have children involved in the service," that there is a play area in the sanctuary, and that a nursery sits in the rear. Every staff member who works with children and youth has completed a background check and been trained in healthy boundaries, and no staff or volunteer is alone with a child.
Visitors looking for the address will find it at 1208 L Street, Reedley, CA 93654. The mailing address is PO Box 111, Reedley, CA 93654. The general church number is (559) 638-2917 and the email is fmcreedley@gmail.com. Giving is accepted through Tithe.ly, and the English service is offered on Zoom.
A Little Free Pantry and a Stretch of Trail
On the corner of 12th and L, beside the church sign, the congregation hosts a Little Free Pantry that is never locked and never empty. The rule is simple: take what you need, leave what you can. The pantry is registered on the Little Free Pantry mapping network as a way for neighbors to find it.
The church also cares for a section of the Reedley Rail-Trail, a walking and biking path that runs through town. The work is described in the congregation's own materials as "an extension of our hospitality and service mindset" and a quiet witness to the neighborhood. Sierra View Retirement Community, the older-adult home founded by First Mennonite, remains another long-standing expression of that same calling.
The Family of Mennonite Church USA
First Mennonite belongs to Mennonite Church USA, one of two major Mennonite denominations in North America (the other being the Mennonite Brethren Church). Together with its sister denominations and the wider Mennonite World Conference, the church family numbers close to one million members worldwide, with communities in North and South America, Africa, Europe, and Asia. Mennonite Mission Network and Mennonite Central Committee are the most visible expressions of the church's commitment to service and mutual aid, both domestically and abroad. At First Mennonite in Reedley, that Anabaptist inheritance shows up in the hymn singing and the prayer comforters, in the little pantry on the corner, in the rail-trail the church sweeps, and in two services on a Sunday morning that welcome anyone willing to walk through the door.