One of San Diego County’s Oldest Churches Celebrates 150 Years of Community Service and Congregational Renewal
150th Anniversary Weekend: November 22–23, 2025
The congregation gathers for the opening Sunday in their new building at the corner of Freeman and Topeka, December 1928.
On November 21, 1875 thirteen pioneering souls started a small family church in a one-room schoolhouse near Mission San Luis Rey in what is now Oceanside, California. They called it simply, The Christian Church at San Luis Rey because it was one of the first congregations of The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) denomination in Southern California. As the congregation grew and evolved over the years, it has gathered in four different buildings under four different names, but has always remained the same church.
Now, 150 years later, this historic congregation – today called The Oceanside Sanctuary – is one of the oldest continuously active Protestant churches in San Diego County. This milestone will be celebrated with a community-wide family carnival on Saturday, November 22, and a sesquicentennial worship gathering on Sunday, November 23, 2025, featuring guest speaker Rev. Yvonne Gilmore, Vice President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
Click here to sign up for teams and activities at the anniversary carnival on Nov 22nd.
A Legacy of Faith in Action
The Oceanside Sanctuary isn’t just one of the oldest churches in the County. Over the past 150 years OSC has established a legacy of forward-looking community service and social impact.
In 1932 Grace MacDonald became the church’s first woman pastor and opened a weekly soup kitchen to feed hungry neighbors during the Great Depression.
In the late 1960s, Pastor Charles Elswick preached anti-war sermons and marched with activist Angela Davis and 5,000 others through Oceanside on May 16, 1970 to protest the Vietnam war.
In 2002, church member Betty Young established a computer lab and after-school homework club that served hundreds of local Oceanside students in need of tutoring.
From 2008 to 2020, when the population of unhoused persons grew rapidly in downtown Oceanside, the church provided weekly dinners and personal supplies for anyone in need.
In 2016 the church started a food pantry in partnership with Feeding San Diego that serves more than 400 food insecure neighbors every month.
In 2021 the church partnered with other local congregations to successfully advocate for an enforceable de-escalation policy at the Oceanside Police Department.
In 2023, the church rallied with other local organizations and City staff to provide shelter and aid to the 100+ asylum seekers being dropped by CBP every day at the Oceanside Transit Center.
As a result, this mid-sized church has come to have an outsized impact on the North County community. “We just really believe that healthy, growing churches exist for the sake of their community, starting with those who are most vulnerable,” said Co-Lead Pastor, Rev. Jenell Coker. “That is Jesus’ gospel.”
A Renewed Future
97 years later, the congregation gathers to re-enact the portrait from 1928, September 2025.
In a time when Christian affiliation is rapidly declining, growth has been a big part of the story at OSC in recent years. The congregation peaked at 300 members in 1960. But like many traditional Mainline churches, dwindled during the 1960s and fell to fewer than 70 active members by 1970. For the next 45 years, the church struggled to keep the doors open. Still, they remained faithful to their community. “When we came in 2015, we were amazed by the work this little church was doing,” noted Rev. Jason, the other Co-Lead Pastor. “They just needed a fresh vision for the future. That’s how the Oceanside Sanctuary was born.”
Since then, OSC has grown into a thriving church of 400 people. “So many people are longing for Christian spaces that take seriously the teachings of Jesus to love our neighbor, to welcome strangers, to show up for the least of these,” said Rev. Jenell. But even though OSC has outgrown its past, they haven’t forgotten their history. “Our history is incredibly important to us,” added Rev. Jason. “We are only here because of generations of service, advocacy, and organizing that was done long before any of us arrived. That gives us courage to stand firm in the face of rising threats to our most vulnerable neighbors. We plan to carry that courage forward for generations to come.”
The Oceanside Sanctuary will be hosting its 150th anniversary on the weekend of November 22-23rd. Everyone is welcome and there is no cost of admission, although the event will double as a food drive to benefit the Sanctuary Pantry.
150th Anniversary Events:
Community Carnival | Saturday, November 22, 2025 | 12 pm - 3 pm
Family-friendly games, chili cook-off contest, food drive to benefit the Sanctuary Pantry, and an “Amazing Race” through historic Oceanside locations, and live music.Sesquicentennial Worship Service | Sunday, November 23, 2025 | 10 am - 11:30 am
Commemorating 150 years of ministry, featuring music, special guests, and reflections on the church’s legacy of impact.