Ventura County Landmark No. 55: Methodist Church (aka Baptist, Epworth and/or Somis Churches)

A group of retired Methodist ministers established the colony of Epworth and in 1894 constructed a small church in what is now called the Fairview District. The church was moved in 1907 to the corner of Charles and Walnut Streets in Moorpark. It was joined in 1930 by the Methodist Church of Somis, which was constructed in 1892 on the site now occupied by Somis Elementary School (Landmark No. 133). The combined church buildings became the Moorpark First Baptist Southern Church in 1950-51 after a new Methodist Church was built. The church celebrated its 100th anniversary January 12, 1992. Norma Gunter’s book, “The Moorpark Story” says, “The social life of the town revolved around the church to a large extent; there were recitals, dramatizations…and other cultural events. It was not uncommon to go to church to see a movie, for Moorpark did not have a theater for many years. In the early days, the church was interested in saving people from fire, both earthly and eternal. Evangelistic services took care of one aspect–and the church bell took care of the other. Two ropes of unequal length were attached to the church bell. The long one was pulled to call people to worship; the short one was used to inform the townspeople of a fire. The shorter the rope, the faster the bell would ring. When the men in town heard the church bell ring rapidly, they all hastened to the fire truck house in Tanner’s Garage.”