The 1932 building that has housed the Bodega Bay Union Church for 74 years has met its end. Here Bob Mann watches as his brother, operates the digger clawing its way through the office addition at the rear of the church Wednesday. The church is now known as the Bodega Bay Church. They built a new building at the rear of the old structure over the past several years. Volunteers did much of the work in creating the new building.

On April 19, 1932, Despard William Taylor, single, a local property owner, deeded a small piece of land to First Methodist Episcopal Church of Petaluma. The property was located in the community of Bay. Then the name of Bodega Bay. Within the next year, a church was erected. The church property was 50 feet wide by 100 feet long. Materials were donated by individuals and by the Methodist churches of Santa Rosa, Petaluma and Sebastopol. Jean Robertson, a local builder, constructed the church.

Present for the dedication of the new church were Mrs. Mary May, her daughter, Dolores (now Calvi), Mae Wilson, Rose Linebaugh, Mrs. Harmon, Ivy Thomas, and possibly Ruby Mann.

At the time the church was first built, the only two members were Mrs. Harmon and Mrs. May. Other people attended occasionally, but many times, these two ladies would be the only ones present on Sunday mornings. Mrs. Harmon was the grandmother to the VanVicel children (Don & Beverly).

In the beginning, the Methodist residents of Bay arranged the church services, but before long,

In early 1937, Carl Jungkeit wrote, “”I found a little brown church sitting up above the town, but quiet and empty. Upon inquiring, I found that it was closed, even tho’ it had been built in 1932... just five years before. I also inquired around about the ownership and got permission to open the doors and start a Sunday School.”

His interest started active and wide-spread activities around the church that lasted until the 1950s. The name had changed to the Bodega Bay Union Church when the town’s name changed in 1943 from Bay to Bodega Bay.

On November 29, 1953, the deed for the church was presented to the members of the church and the Board of Trustees of the Bodega Bay Union Church by Dr. Clifford M. Kline, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Methodist Church of Petaluma. The church was presented to the people of Bodega Bay for the grand sum of one dollar.

Over the years the Jungkeit’s, the Hurst’s, David Hundrichs, the Willems, John Lemke, Earl Lackey, the Nevins and most recently, Jerry Lites and Pat Parks have served the congregations as pastors at the small church on the hill.

Jerry Lites said he had recently met Jeannie Ballatore (her name now) at a function and was pleased to learn she was first bride married at the old church in 1934.

The new church has been under construction for over 10 years. The new church has been in use for the pas year.

Information compiled from a church history assembed by Jerry Lites in 1990.