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Anchor San Diego
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History of The Anchor San Diego Church ---- As one of the oldest Pentecostal church assemblies in the City of San Diego, Anchor San Diego (formerly known as Revival Pentecostal Tabernacle) is an Apostolic Pentecostal church founded on February 11, 1945 by Reverend David Franklin Gray (1918-1996) born of American missionaries Frank and Elizabeth Mae Gray in Yokohama, Japan while his parents were ministering in the country. While a missionary in Japan, Elizabeth Mae, heard and read of the establishment of the early 20th century Pentecostal church in downtown Los Angeles, California. She eventually traveled to the Azusa Street Mission (see Azusa Street Revival) and ultimately received her own Pentecostal experience and began attending a Pentecostal church. The Gray family eventually returned from Japan to live in Los Angeles, California, and David received training under the ministry and tutelage of Harry Morse of the Morse's Mission and Bible Training School in Oakland, CA. It was there he met his wife, Rev. Emily Belle Butler, born of Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Butler and raised in Oakland. Gray married Butler on November 22, 1936, and began working as an evangelistic team in 1943. Daughter Naomi recalls that she was 5 years old and the Grays were holding revival services in Dayton, Ohio that members of this congregation wanted Gray to assume the pastorate of the church because the current pastor was leaving. However, Gray felt a desire to go and establish a new work and congregation in the city of San Diego. Subsequently, Gray founded and performed the ministry of Pastor the Pentecostal churches in the cities of Pasadena and Turlock, California. In 1945, the Gray family moved to San Diego, where housing and rental building space to establish a church was difficult to find because of bad economic times at the close of World War II. Seeing it as a "divine intervention," Mrs. Eva Miller opened her home to the Gray family, and services commenced in Downtown San Diego as Revival Tabernacle on 7th Avenue between Broadway and E Streets at the storefront of the Townsend Old Age Pension meeting hall. After several relocation and moves, including church services being held on 16th and E Streets downtown, to Nile Street in the North Park area, Gray and the congregation ultimately acquired six acres of partially developed land on a hill overlooking the San Diego area on Pentecost Way near Highway 94 and Euclid area. In November 1965, services started with approximately 250 in attendance, and has since included the construction of a 600 seat auditorium, a two-story annex educational building that houses a Kindergarten through 12 parochial school, Tabernacle Christian Academy established in l974, and several buildings including parsonages, educational facilities and ranch houses. After serving as pastor for over 43 years, Gray retired on Sunday February 14, 1988 as pastor. Hundreds of friends and fellow ministers came from across the country to pay tribute to Gray. Gray was honored as a patriarch of San Diego Pentecostalism and considered a pioneer of Pentecostalism particularly as one of the first pastors in San Diego. Gray authored a series of books entitled, "Questions Pentecostals Ask." He served as Pastor Emeritus from his retirement as Pastor until his death in 1996. Gray has been honored in "Who's Who in Religion," "Community Leaders and Noteworthy Americans," "Who's Who in the West," "Dictionary of International Biographies," and "Who's Who of Intellectuals." Pastoral Change and More Recent History ---- On January 20, 1988, Reverend James Nathaniel Larson (1953- ) succeeded Gray as the Senior Pastor. Larson, born in St. Paul, Minnesota, attended Apostolic Bible Church under the leadership of Reverend S. G. Norris (1937-1990) and Christian Life College formerly known as Western Apostolic Bible College in Stockton where he met his wife, Jolene Larson. They were married in 1973 in Stockton, California and after receiving his degree in 1975 in Theology the couple began traveling as evangelists in the United States. In June-July of 1979, Larson was elected Pastor of Calvary Tabernacle of Indianapolis, Indiana. It was during this pastorate that Larson led construction of a several thousand seat auditorium and receive recognition in the Who's Who of Religion for this accomplishment. Upon the announced retirement of Gray and his urging, Larson assumed the Senior Pastoral role after being elected by an overwhelming vote by the congregation and church board. Under the leadership of Larson, the Anchor San Diego has become the venue for the acclaimed King of Kings Easter Drama which draws thousands each year and features an authentic New Testament set and Jerusalem backdrop with live animals. This yearly reenactment and drama of Jesus Christ's life, crucifixion and resurrection was written by Larson's wife. Yearly citations acclaiming the several performances of the Passion Play during Easter have been noted in the San Diego Union-Tribune Newspaper from 1990 to present. The Anchor San Diego is a sister church of the Pentecostals of Alexandria, Louisiana, a branch of United Pentecostal Church that also conducts its yearly Easter Messiah version of the King of Kings which has been attended by many dignitaries, including Former President William Jefferson Clinton and daughter Chelsea Clinton. The Anchor San Diego church has hosted many yearly conferences and services including the National Winter Camp Meeting featuring evangelist Reverend Lee Stoneking of Schenectady, New York, the Apostolic Quartet United Association AQUA featuring gospel quartet singing, and the yearly Deeper Life Conference sponsored by a local association of other affiliated San Diego Apostolic Pentecostal churches. Under the Pastoral leadership of Larson, the congregation has initiated and continued several external outreach ministries, including the city-wide Homeless drives and services, a food pantry for the hungry, fund-raising for needy and poverty-stricken both domestically and in foreign countries, and sponsorship and support of foreign missionaries financially and with funding for the work of missionaries and for the building of churches and Bible colleges abroad. The congregation is comprised of many parishioners actively serving in the military branches of the armed forces, whether in Iraq, Afghanistan or elsewhere. Anchor San Diego conducts periodic "God and Country" services honoring those who have served, or are currently serving, to protect our country, liberty and freedom. Ministries and Outreaches of Anchor San Diego ---- Local ministries of the Anchor San Diego include Tabernacle Christian Academy with grades Kindergarten through 12, Revival In Our Time (RIOT) Youth Ministries, Alcohol and Chemical Treatment Series (ACTS), New Life ministries, Homeless outreach / Happy Hour, Food Pantry for needy families, home Bible studies, prison outreach, Azusa Street Riders, Anchor Christian Bookstore, LIFE Christian Education (Sunday School), Nursery, S.H.I.N.E. and "Little Lights" Children's Church ministry, adult and youth Choir, Compassion Ministry, Deaf Ministry, Home Fellowship Groups, Hospitality, Ladies Auxiliary Department, Daughters of Zion, Media Productions and Sound Room Ministry, Men’s Outreach minsitries, military ministry, Senior Golden Years, Singles Ministry, Praise Singing and Music Ministry. The most notable and high profile outreaches are those the feed and clothe the homeless, with the Anchor Church Giveaways, Block Parties, Tent Revivals, Gas Card Giveaways and Homeless Outreaches that impacts the homeless, as covered by the local April 30, 2006 Channel 10 News at 5 p.m. (News 10 KGTV). Basic Tenets and Beliefs ---- Anchor San Diego is affiliated with the United Pentecostal Church International of Hazelwood, Missouri whose fundamental doctrine is the Bible standard of full salvation, which is repentance, water baptism by immersion in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and the baptism of the Holy Ghost with the initial sign of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives the utterance (Saint John chapter 3 and verse 5, Acts of the Apostles, chapter 2 and verse 38). The local Anchor San Diego, then as Revival Tabernacle, recently celebrated with hundreds of thousands of other worldwide Pentecostals and Pentecostal faiths from around the world, the 100th year anniversary of the early 20th Century birth of the many of the Pentecostal denominations and sects that were "born out" of the Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles in 1906. Services are typically lively, replete with inspirational preaching, choir and chorale singing, musical instruments, i.e. keyboards, guitars and drums, and congregational singing. Human Rights and Siberian Seven International ---- Anchor San Diego, under the leadership of the United Pentecostal Church International, is active in support and fighting for those persecuted for their Pentecostal beliefs. Such was the case of former General Superintendent of the United Pentecostal Church International and uncle of Larson, Nathaniel Andrew Urshan, fighting for the right of emigration of the internationally- known Russian Pentecostals, or commonly referred to as the Siberian Seven. Held in the American Embassy in Moscow, Urshan was one of those spearheading and securing the release of the Chmykhalov and Vaschenko families from a small basement room of the Embassy after five years of isolation and captivity. Ultimately, assuring the release of these Pentecostals into the care of Urshan, the Russian government allowed the seven Pentecostals the right to emigrate in 1981. The Anchor also supports missionary endeavors in war ravaged areas or countries involved in civil wars. Often UPC missionaries bring the message of salvation to parts of the world that have not heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ. One such case occurred when 75 United Pentecostal Church members were slaughtered by rebels guerrillas in March of 1982 The Anchor San Diego Vision ---- "The Anchor exists to lift souls from the deep, chart the course, unite all hands on deck, and engage in devotion to the King as we navigate this ship to safe harbor." Schedule of Services ---- Orders and Times of Service are as follows: Sunday 9:00am - Christian L.I.F.E.Hour (Sunday School) 10:00am - Morning Church Service 1:30 p.m. Spanish Services 5:00pm - Evening Church Service Monday 5:00 p.m. Happy Hour Tuesday 7:00 p.m. Word Alive Mid-week Service) SHINE and Little Lights Children's Church--runs concurrently with Word Alive Thursday 7:30 p.m. Spanish Services Saturday 10:00 a.m. Men’s Outreach Spanish Services ---- Spanish Services are a full-time Spanish ministry that meets on Sunday at 1:30 p.m., and Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m. Location and Directions ---- Street Address: Anchor San Diego 1765 Pentecost Way San Diego, CA 92105 Vicinity of the Anchor San Diego Church: Freeway close to all areas of the metropolitan area of San Diego. Anchor San Diego is located approximately 6 miles east, and a 5-minutes drive from downtown San Diego. Located near the intersection of the 94 and Interstate 805 freeways in San Diego near the San Diego communities of Oak Park and Encanto. The Anchor San Diego sanctuary sits approximately one-eight of a mile north and east of the intersection of Euclid Avenue and Federal Boulevard. From the north, south, or west parts of San Diego County: Take the either Interstates 805 or 5 to the Highway 94 east freeway and travel east to Euclid Avenue North exit. Turn right (or go east) on Federal Boulevard to the first intersection (approximately 300 feet) and make left (north) on Pentecost Way to the top of the hill. From the eastern parts of San Diego County: Take Interstate I-8 to the SR-125 connector to Highway 94 west freeway and travel west to the Kelton Avenue /Federal Boulevard exit and make a right at the end of the exit's stop sign. Travel 50 feet to stop sign: turn left on Federal Boulevard and travel to the first intersection (approximately one-quarter of a mile) to Pentecost Way and make right (or go north) on Pentecost Way to the top of the hill. Map ---- Map to Anchor San Diego File:Map to Anchor San Diego.jpg Contact Information ---- Contact Phone Numbers Anchor San Diego Church Phone: 619-264-1166 Tabernacle Christian Academy School Phone: 619-264-1721 Address of Anchor San Diego Church Tabernacle Christian Academy 1765 Pentecost Way San Diego, CA 92105 Other Citations == References and Footnotes ---- See Also
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