Our
History in Brief
Celebrating 81 years in
the South Bay
The devotion of Lewis
Coates, Paul Walker, and Robert Reinhard to the
teaching of fundamental Christian doctrine began the
long history of Redeemer Presbyterian Church. In 1929,
these three friends and others, with the aide of the
men’s Christian organization, the Fisherman’s Club,
began meeting in a small one-room hall on the Manhattan
Beach strand. The group of worshippers continued to
expand and in 1931, they received the sponsorship of
the Christian Missionary Alliance. Prayer meetings
began two years later and the following year the first
pastor, Reverend A.F. McKinney, began preaching on
Sunday mornings. With the help of Holmes Coates,
superintendent of the Sunday School department, the
church services expanded and the “Marine Chapel”
continued to expand, necessitating a building fund for
a more permanent location.
A down payment of one hundred dollars was placed on a
vacant hall located on Fourth Street in October 1935.
Members of the congregation worked quickly and
efficiently to convert the hall into a suitable, but
simple chapel. “Calvary Memorial” had its first service
held on December 15, 1935. Throughout the next couple
of years, the church continued to grow in numbers,
requiring multiple renovations to accommodate the
people. In 1937, incorporation papers were filed with
the State of California as a fundamental,
nondenominational Christian Church. That same year, Dr.
A.H. Ackley, was called as pastor and the first two
missionaries of Calvary Memorial were established.
Dr. A.H. Ackley continued as pastor until 1943 and
through his tenure many activities were developed for
children, young adults, and adults. There were annual
Sunday School picnics, volleyball games, and the young
adult Friday Night Club. The church was without a
pastor for nine months until Reverend Ray Weld was
called to the pulpit, where he served until 1945.
Following a lot of prayer for God’s leading, the
congregation voted to affiliate with the Presbyterian
denomination. With a recommendation by one of the
original church founders, Paul Walker, to affiliate
with the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, a congregational
meeting was called to discuss the origins of the
denomination. Through this time, the Reverend Clifford
Smith was called and accepted the pastorship in 1945.
In 1946 Calvary Memorial sought and was accepted into
the Presbyterian denomination, and the church was
officially named the Orthodox Presbyterian Church of
Manhattan Beach. The first elders were ordained that
same year. Reverend Smith resigned in 1947 and was
followed by Reverend Wilson Albright, called in 1948.
During his tenure, two charter members purchased new
property for the church and it was held it in a trust
until building could begin. Over a five-year span, a
new 2-unit building was erected at 500 Manhattan Beach
Boulevard. The Reverend Paul Lovik preached his first
sermon in 1957 and served for five years. More
renovation occurred during his tenure to accommodate
the growing attendance at Sunday School. Reverend Ralph
Clough began his pastorate in 1962 and served
diligently for 12 years. During his tenure, there was a
large growth of the youth in the church and an
associate pastor, Reverend Calvin Malcor began his work
in 1971. The youth program expanded under his
leadership. Following the senior pastor’s death, Mr.
Malcor became interim pastor until the Reverend Michael
Stingley became pastor in 1974 and remained until 1981.
Mr. Malcor accepted a call for missionary work in 1977.
Following Mr. Stingley’s departure, Ruling Elder John
Reynolds was called as interim pastor until 1982, at
which time the Reverend Mark House began his
pastorship. John Reynolds still serves as a ruling
elder at this time. In 1989, the church voted to change
denominations to the Presbyterian Church in America.
The Reverend Mark House served as pastor until 1991,
and the church utilized Eric Stratmeyer and Reverend
Hugh Brom until early 1993, when Reverend Rob McPherson
accepted a call to be pastor. He remained pastor until
late 1994, and was without a pastor for approximately
one year.
Reverend Jerrard Heard became pastor of the church and
served until 2006. Through his ten-year pastorship, the
Church sold its Manhattan Beach building in 2000 and
relocated to the Torrance Cultural Arts Center, where
it changed its name to Redeemer Presbyterian Church,
Torrance. After some time, the Church moved to its
present location on Hawthorne Boulevard in south
Torrance. Following Reverend Heard’s resignation, John
Rantal was pastor for two years. The Church has been
utilizing various pastors to fill the pulpit, and a
Pastor Search Committee has been formed to find the
next pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church.
