Costa Mesa church celebrates its 50th year

Fifty years ago, a group of Costa Mesa churchgoers met at a

resident’s home and decided to form a new congregation. They had no

building at first, so members held services at Vanguard University

and then at the Orange County Fairgrounds.

“It was a close-knit group that started out here,” said Gordon

Sutterfield, whose eldest brother was a founding member. “They were

like a family.”

Many of the 84 charter members of Harbor Trinity Church aren’t

alive to tell stories of the early days of the Costa Mesa

congregation.

Current members will rely on the memories of a select few,

including original pastor William Acton, and the written words of

others, when they celebrate the church’s 50th anniversary Sunday.

The event will include a 10 a.m. prayer service and a banquet that

begins at 5:30 p.m. Local dignitaries, founding members and former

pastors are scheduled to be in attendance.

Acton was named the church’s first pastor in 1956 and was ordained

later that year. Records show the church paid $31,000 for 4.5 acres

of land on the corner of Baker Street and Fairview Road.

Congregants planned volleyball tournaments and game nights in the

early years to build camaraderie, Sutterfield remembers.

“Everyone was involved in the church. It was very active,”

Sutterfield said. “Almost everyone had a job or leadership position.”

Harbor Trinity Senior Pastor Rod Randall said the church still

prides itself on having active members. To keep an intimate feel,

members are divided into subgroups referred to as “life groups.”

Some of the groups are age-specific; others are based on member’s

interests. The groups meet regularly at congregants’ homes and are

designed to be the first line of support for members.

When Sutterfield suffered a leg infection last year and was

hospitalized, he said he was amazed by the support from members of

his life group.

“We’re about being a family,” Senior Associate Pastor Ric Olsen

said. “If there’s a crisis, you know people will walk you through

it.”

The groups also meet to discuss spiritual material given to them

by pastors. The question this month posed to groups: “What’s the

church you’ve always longed for?”

Randall said his answer is one that puts an emphasis on welcoming

members and encouraging community service.

Harbor Trinity has put that to action in recent years, sponsoring

overseas trips such as one to Uganda to set up a vocational training

school for those affected by HIV/AIDS.

“One of our goals is to build bridges,” Randall said. “We want to

be known as the giving church. Whatever we can do to get people

involved, we will try.”

Randall said he tries to keep the church atmosphere low-key. It’s

normal for congregants to call pastors by their first names.

“We want to be a genuine, informal family church,” Randall said.

“The goal is to be relevant to what people are doing in life.”

The church has six pastors -- and one who heads the Hispanic

ministries -- and about 250 active members. It recently completed

more than $300,000 worth of renovations, including a sanctuary

renovation and the addition of a new logo.

Bill Waddell, the church’s visitation pastor and a member for more

than 40 years, said seeing sons and grandsons of charter members

still active has been rewarding.

“There are new faces, but you still see the same values,” he said.