History:

The July 21, 1879 edition of the San Diego Union notes that Reverend Hough had established the Poway Methodist Church. The church was ecumenical and met in the lodge building of the International Order of God Templars. This building was relocated to Old Poway Park on Midland Avenue.

This Sanctuary was constructed in 1887 using donated labor. The congregation made plans for a building to be used exclusively as a church. The minister in charge decreed it was to be a Methodist Episcopal church; however, the Congregationalist and Presbyterian members withdrew their support.

Samuel Bowron (for whom Bowron Road and Bowron Canyon were named) supervised the construction of this Sanctuary. The structural frame of the Sanctuary is rough hewn redwood.

In 1889, the Congregational Church in Poway was established and two long term supporters of the church arrived in Poway - Mrs. Effie Kent and Mrs. Cylina Kear. They were adult Sunday School teacher and organist respectively. Their dedication to the church for over fifty years are commemorated on plaques in the rear of the Sanctuary.

In 1899, The Poway Methodist Church exchanged property with the Oceanside Congregationalists. Rev. Henry G. Abernethy, who earlier led the ecumenical body, continued to lead the Congregationalist in this Sanctuary. Services were held using chairs (pews were added in 1949). Kerosene lamps were suspended in the center of the Sanctuary for lighting. They could be lowered for cleaning and refilling. One of the original lamps is posted on a swivel arm in the back of the Sanctuary. The larger Kerosene lamps that were added later have since been converted to electricity.

In 1945, the name was changed to the Community Church of Poway. In 1957, the Congregational Christian Churches merged with the Evangelical and Reformed Churches to form a new denomination - the United Church of Christ.

The Native Daughters of the Golden West designated the Sanctuary of the Community Church of Poway as a historical site on September 26, 1976, recognizing our Sanctuary as the oldest wooden structure in continuous use for religious services in San Diego county.