On a corner of West Grand Avenue in Porterville, a congregation that began with German-language worship in 1899 still gathers each Sunday morning. Grand Avenue United Methodist Church carries more than a century of name changes, mergers and steady ministry into a single Sunday worship service at 10:00 a.m., with space set aside for the youngest members and a community-wide outreach that sends shoeboxes around the world.
From Emanuel Church to Grand Avenue UMC
The congregation was organized on June 19, 1899 as the Emanuel Church of the Evangelical Association. That denomination had been founded in 1800 by the Rev. Jacob Albright, a German-speaking Christian native of Pennsylvania shaped by John Wesley and the Methodist movement. The original Porterville members held services in German.
In 1946, the Evangelical Church merged with the United Brethren in Christ to form the Evangelical United Brethren Church. Twelve years later, in 1968, that body joined with The Methodist Church in the United States to create the United Methodist Church, and the Porterville church took the name it still carries: Grand Avenue United Methodist Church. Through every transition the congregation has held to the conviction that Jesus Christ is the head of the church and the foundation on which it stands.
Sunday Morning at 10:00
Worship is described as casual and runs about an hour, with time for singing, prayer, the offering and teaching. Communion is served on the first Sunday of each month. Visitor-marked parking, childcare and a warm welcome are offered so that anyone walking in for the first time can settle in quickly.
Children are woven into the morning. Infants through age five are cared for at the start of the service. Kindergarten through sixth graders begin in worship with their families and are dismissed at the offering for Children's Church. Youth in seventh through twelfth grade stay with the adults for the entire service.
Children's Ministries
Melody Burkhart directs children's ministry under the banner "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young" (1 Timothy 4:12) and the call of Proverbs 22 to train a child in the way he should go. Sunday School for kindergarten through sixth grade runs at 10:00 a.m. each Sunday, dismissed during worship, and the program uses Bible-based curriculum, games and service events to help children grow as disciples and as positive role models in the community.
Operation Christmas Child for Porterville
The church serves as the Grand Avenue representatives for Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child in the Porterville area. Members and friends fill them with school supplies, toys and personal items, and anyone without a church home is invited to come pack shoeboxes alongside the congregation.
Pastoral Care and Facility Use
Pastor Dennis Hutson and Associate Pastor Lara Martin shepherd the congregation. Pastoral consultations and marital counselling are offered by appointment at no charge. The church building is also available for rental, with requests handled through the office by Melissa Sutherland and reviewed by the Trustees.
Staying in Touch
The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Online giving is available for the Sunday offering. The address is 776 W Grand Ave, Porterville, CA 93257, the phone number is 559-784-3791, and the email is grandave776@gmail.com.