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Calvary Presbyterian Church was first organized by a small group of 27 people meeting in a barn used for citrus fairs in Riverside, CA. On June 19, 1887, the Presbytery of Los Angeles chartered Calvary Presbyterian Church. Four years later the sanctuary was dedicated at 9th and Lime streets. Having outgrown its space, the congregation moved about a mile away to its present location at Magnolia Avenue and 15th Street. The sanctuary in the new location was completed in 1936, a large Hall (Copeland Hall) was opened in 1948, and the current sanctuary built on top of Copeland Hall was dedicated in 1956. At that time the former sanctuary became the Fellowship Hall and is currently undergoing restoration.
The 29 beautiful stained glass windows in the sanctuary were completed in 1956 by Judson Art Studios. The Mohler pipe organ is one of the finest in Southern California.
In 1967 the congregation dedicated its new Christian Education building which currently houses classrooms for all ages, a resource room, and a large meeting room with small kitchen upstairs. In the lower level are two youth lounges, a youth kitchen, and a meeting room for our Korean language congregation.
Though this is a bit of the story of Calvary in terms of buildings, the real story of our church is one of years of work and witness in the name of Jesus Christ. As most "old downtown" churches do, Calvary has many challenges in meeting the future. The hungry and the homeless are literally on our doorsteps nightly. But the people of Calvary accept the challenges God has offered to us, and eagerly move on as a witness to Christ in the center of Riverside.
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