OUR PROGRESSIVE JOURNEY
OUR HISTORY
Our parent denomination, the United Church of Christ (UCC), was formed in 1957 from four predecessor denominations: Congregational, Christian, Evangelical, and Reformed. The UCC consists of over 6,000 diverse and unique congregations across America. Though it is a relatively young denomination, it carries on the rich heritage of justice and compassion found in its ancestral denominations. The Irvine United Congregational Church (IUCC) is proud to be part of a denomination known for its commitment to extravagant welcome, social justice, interfaith partnerships, and the full embrace of all persons in the radical hospitality of God.
IUCC began as a new church start-up sponsored by the Church Development Commission of the Southern California Conference of the UCC in 1979. The Reverends Bill and Jane Moore were the co-founding pastors who guided our early growth and facilitated our Sunday worship services at the Culverdale Middle School. With a congregation numbering in the mid-20’s, Bill and Jane set the course for who we are as a congregation today.
The Reverend Fred Plumer was called as our pastor in 1984, and under his leadership IUCC constructed our first building (a geodesic dome) in October 1986. In that same year, a generous donor gifted us with a used bank building that we turned into the Early Childcare Center (ECC). Pastor Fred taught us that our congregation had a unique voice, and we should use it to promote justice. He was not afraid to take a stand on LGBTQ+ rights, and he led us to considerable heights of activism. Our notoriety drew many LGBTQ+ folks to our doors, and together we established an island of warm welcome in the middle of conservative Orange County. He was a huge proponent of progressive theology and helped develop “The 8 Points of Progressive Christianity,” which helps guide our religious views today. We continue to be a proudly progressive and fiercely non-creedal congregation that welcomes all people who want to follow Jesus but do not hold conventional Christian beliefs.
As membership continued to grow, we soon outgrew the original building which later became known as Plumer Hall. It became necessary to build a larger sanctuary (another geodesic dome) in September 1996. Rev. Plumer continued to serve our congregation until 2004. From 2004–2006, we were guided by Interim Pastor Steve Swope.
In February of 2006, IUCC called the Reverend Paul Tellström as our new pastor. Pastor Paul continued the strong progressive leadership and visionary thinking of his predecessor, helping us grow into a much larger, program-sized church. He was a wonderful teacher, delegator, and strategic thinker with a loving, calm, and generous spirit. He encouraged us to be strong and dynamic lay leaders who could make thoughtful, well-considered decisions in a cooperative manner. During his tenure, IUCC undertook a major building project to add a suite of additional staff/office space plus three large meeting rooms. That project was completed in August 2018. Pastor Paul retired in May 2019, and a Pastoral Search Committee was formed to find a new leader to replace him.
With the advent of COVID-19 in March 2020, IUCC had to to shutter our preschool and switch from in-person to online-only worship services. We learned how to be very flexible and figure out how to “do church” in the midst of a pandemic. We were blessed to have Interim Pastor David Pattee and Administrative Pastor Steve Swope guide us through these difficult times as we embraced the technology that allowed us to conduct the business of the church electronically. Through sheer determination, the Pastoral Search Committee continued their work.
We conducted our first virtual Congregational Meeting on June 28, 2020, and called the Rev. Dr. Sarah Halverson-Cano as our new settled pastor. She started work with us on September 24, 2020.
Pastor Sarah has proven to be a vibrant and enthusiastic spiritual leader who came home to the church that helped raise her. She first arrived at IUCC with her family over 34 years ago as a nine-year old and eventually served the congregation as a very capable staff member with our youth program. She was ordained in 2005 and served many of the intervening years as pastor of our sister congregation, Fairview Community Church in Costa Mesa.
Pastor Sarah is one of our own: a Progressive Christian, a believer in the causes we hold dear, an impassioned speaker, a biblical scholar, an activist, a wife, and a mother. She accepted the challenge of pastoring us during a pandemic and providing a strong online ministry. She has brought a new spirit of activism into our midst and opened us to new possibilities.
On May 23, 2021, IUCC members celebrated Pentecost Sunday inside our sanctuary for the first time in over a year. Our talented staff and volunteers were able to live-stream it on Facebook while also recording it to play again at 11 a.m. and all week long on demand. That quickly blossomed into hybrid services – part live, part taped – and eventually a return to two in-person services on September 12, 2021. We continue to provide our services online as well.
Relying on God’s grace and the support of our members, IUCC continues its commitment to being open and affirming, welcoming everyone. We encourage a personal spiritual pilgrimage built on a foundation of an affirmative and supportive Christian family. Concerned and progressive, we are committed to improving the human condition both locally and throughout the world.
Reverend Fred Plummer
1984 - 2004 (20 years)
Rev. Dr. Paul G. Tellström
2006 - 2019 (13 years)
Rev. Dr. Sarah Halverson-Cano
2020 - Present
LGBTQIA+ Rights
Over 32 years ago, IUCC stepped up to open our hearts and doors to welcome our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters. In 1991, IUCC became the first Open and Affirming Church in Orange County. We continue to proudly and warmly welcome the LGBTQ+ community!
Our church embraced those suffering with HIV/AIDS when family and friends rejected them. We served as a real sanctuary, providing comfort and pastoral care through illness and all-too-often death. Our members have participated in AIDS Walk since its inception in the 80s.
We are proud that our UCC denomination was the first to ordain an openly gay person back in 1972. We performed commitment ceremonies and blessed same gender couples for decades. Both our Pastor Emeritus, the Rev. Dr. Paul Tellström, an openly gay man, and our current pastor, the Rev. Dr. Sarah Halverson-Cano, performed dozens of “limited edition marriages” in 2008 and fought both Prop 22 and Prop 8 until same-gender marriage became legal in California in 2013 and in the US in 2015. Pastor Sarah performed the first legal same-gender wedding in OC in 2013 when California reinstated such unions.
We believe in addressing transgender rights and normalizing use of pronouns to affirm non-binary children of God. Most recently, we have stood in solidarity with the community by hosting events like Drag Queen Story Time and Drag Queen Bingo.
Early Childhood Center
IUCC’s Early Childhood Center (ECC) has been around since 1986. The building was a used temporary bank building that was moved to its present location on our campus. The ECC was intended to symbolize IUCC’s commitment to provide area children with a loving and consistent environment while they were away from their parents. The center became known for outstanding care for children, hot lunches, milk, and potty-training.
The ECC is located inside the Atwood building, which was named for Alice Atwood, a retired teacher who donated the 3,800 square foot building to IUCC. The building includes four large classrooms, two bathrooms, and a kitchen with stove, refrigerators, and storage cabinets. The kitchen made it possible to provide nourishing hot lunches for the children. The original playground equipment was purchased for $4000, and church members donated dozens of hours to assemble it.
The Rev. Fred Plumer was our pastor when the preschool opened. Longtime IUCC member Ruby Fulton was the first ECC Director. She came with 17 years of experience in child care. At the time, Ruby headed a team of 10 employees trained in early childhood education.
In the 1990s, we redid the Bylaws of IUCC and established a Child Care Committee. Per our iucc.org website, “The Child Care Committee creates a dynamic connection between the IUCC Early Childhood Center and the church community, provides oversight to the center’s operations, and assists the Early Childhood Center with special projects and quality improvement efforts.”
Doreen Smith and Jim Aynes became the first members of the Child Care Committee (CCC). Doreen was a Clinical Laboratory Scientist at Huntington Beach Hospital. Doreen’s daughter was one of the children at the ECC (she later worked at the ECC). Jim was an attorney with the OC Department of Education. Subsequent Child Care Committee Chairs included Laura Long, Keith Boyum, and now Linda Heath. All have done a great job of helping nurture and guide the ECC.
We have been fortunate to have great supervisors and hard-working staff at the ECC. We thank our preschool and the teachers for their dedicated work.
We are pleased that the recent Preschool Refresh Project has allowed us to update the facility with new paint, new sinks, new cabinets, new floors, and more. We thank everyone who pitched in to help with the renovation, especially Mark Willcox, Paul Feick, and Tom Mason.