Sometime during the 1930's, a
hurricane demolished the three churches
(Methodist, Baptist, and Catholic) in
Santa Rosa Beach. People started
meeting for worship in homes and public
buildings. In the late 1940's,
groups were congealing, and the
congregation which was to become The
Community Church was meeting in a small
building on what is now County Road 393
and Morrell Road. Visiting clergy
ministered to the people.
On May 31, 1948, the deed was
signed to a parcel on land donated to
The Community Church by Gamble and
Letitia Williams and construction on a
church building was begun. All the
work was done by volunteers, with no
blueprints. They made their own
cement blocks. The first worship
service was held on October 8, 1950.
Additions to the building were
made in 1956, 1984 and 1987. The
first addition expanded eastward to
allow space for Sunday School rooms and
a rest room. The second expansion extended
westward to enlarge the nave. The
third expansion again extended eastward
and added offices and a fellowship hall.
The original plot of land was
extended southward early in the life of
the church by purchase of land from the
Williams family. Other land
acquisitions were made in 1990, 1991,
and 1992.
Pastor Thorvald Johnson, a Swedish Baptist,
was the first full-time pastor of The Community
Church. He served from 1958 until his
death in 1982. Dr. Bob Edgar, a United
Church of Christ minister, began his pastorate
in the spring of 1982. His wife, Nancy
Drake, had inherited the family house here from
her parents who were early members of The
Community Church. |
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Because of failing health, Dr.
Edgar resigned at the end of 1985.
Chaplain Robert Hendricks began
preaching at The Community Church at the
beginning of 1986. Because of the
need for a pastor here, he retired from
the Air Force a few months ahead of
schedule, and answered the call from The
Community Church in April. Pastor Hendricks is a United
Methodist minister whose home was Jay,
Florida, in Santa Rosa County. His
wife, Barbara Ann Rodgers, was from
Montgomery County in Alabama.
In the spring of 1991, Don
Ullrich, another retired Air Force
Chaplain, was hired as Associate Pastor.
Pastor Ullrich was from New Jersey and
his wife, Beverly McFadden, was from
Wisconsin. He is a United Church
of Christ minister.
Groundbreaking for the present
church building and expanded facilities was on June 28th, 1998,
and the church was consecrated on
October 3, 1999. The original
church has been retained as a chapel for
use in weddings, funerals, and small
worship services.In
late 2002, Pastor Hendricks retired for
health reasons. Pastor Ullrich,
although also ready to retire, stayed on
to minister to our church family while
we sought a new pastor for our flock.
On October 5, 2003, we welcomed J.
Pete
Hyde as our new pastor and shepherd.
Pete is a United Methodist minister from
Oklahoma. His wife, Kay Standefer,
is also from Oklahoma. Pete and
Kay have two children, Matt, a graduate
of
Northeastern University in Oklahoma, and
Kelli--a student at Okaloosa-Walton
College. Under Pastor Pete's
guidance and the leadership of our Board
of Deacons, we continue to reach out to
our community and God's children as our
Mission Statement indicates.
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