16th Street Invites Friends, Family to Celebrate 85 Years of Service

Family, friends and community were the special subject during the 16th Street Seventh-day Adventist Church’s annual Friends and Family Day. This year, the event was doubly special, as church leaders invited its congregation, local leaders, community members and other friends to join them in celebrating community fellowship and the church’s 85 years of service to the area. Joining the dozens of congregation members and others were Mayor Pat Morris and Council Member Rikke Van Johnson, with representatives also present from Assemblymember Cheryl Brown’s office, shared Shelley Johnson, a church member and secretary. The church was established in the area in the late 1920s by the Weston and Lane families, who moved to the area from Los Angeles with the chief interest of spreading the Christian word to the Inland Empire. The families held Sabbath meetings to early believers from the Westons’ first home. Under the leadership of Pastor J. W. Allison, a church was built on 8th and K Streets in 1939 and adopted the name Shiloh Seventh-day Adventist Church. In 1952, after extensive enlargement and reconstruction efforts, the church adopted the name K Street Seventh-day Adventist Church. Again in the 1970s, the congregation of the church at that time purchased property on 16th Street in San Bernardino and both moved and renamed the church to 16th Street Seventh-day Adventist Church, where the congregation continues to worship today. Since its relocation, the church has raised “daughter” churches and companies throughout the local area and throughout the country, including the Kansas Avenue Church in Riverside; Blythe Company and Valley Fellowship Church in Rialto; Palmdale Company and Sharon Church in Tucson, Arizona; and other “granddaughter” churches including Mt. Rubidoux Church and Perris 5th Street Church. Each year, the church’s Friends and Family day is the time for the church to gather with other locals, congregation members or not, for fellowship. Johnson felt the tradition remains an important aspect of the church. “The way things are nowadays, and the overall atmosphere of society, it’s important for people to know that at least there are churches who care,” said Johnson. “They also know there are other avenues in life to take. Some people feel like there is no hope, but there is.” Pastor Dr. Andrea King, who has been leading the church only for a short time—since July this year—said, “I appreciated seeing the history of the church and seeing members who have come back, from places like Kentucky, Delaware, New Jersey and Florida for the day. It’s a time we can all come together as friends and family and celebrate God’s love.” Highlights included short speeches by various leaders, and the acceptance of resolutions by the Church from both the City of San Bernardino and from Assemblymember Cheryl Brown’s office, concluded King.