As we move toward implementation of The Bible Station program (formerly called The Bible Lab, but we will not be using TBL materials) for our class studies, we have worked to complete the student workstations and get the Bible timeline on the wall. If you have not been in the long hallway of the classroom wing, you need to see what the Monzon family has done with the Bible timeline.
There are two other bulletin boards in the hallway that will be used for The Bible Station Maps and Charts and for a timeline of the Mountain View church. It is this last item that requires your assistance.
Down through the years, many things have occurred that our youngest and newest members are not aware of and have not heard. The rich history of the Mountain View church goes WAY back into the 1860s, when the first church met in San Bernardino. Of course, none of us were around back then, but we do have extant records from 1908 to the present day (apparently the church ceased to meet for some period of time around the turn of the 20th century – division over instrumental music and the missionary society? – but then was reestablished in October, 1908).
We have a number of supporting documents from that time, but many of the earlier records have now been lost or discarded by those who may not have realized their worth and value. That loss is incalculable, but we are trying to reproduce as much of that information as possible.
Our newer and younger people need to know the history of this church. They need to know of the struggles, through which this church has passed and emerged triumphant. They need to know of the doctrinal discussions that have taken place, and of the decisions that have been consciously made to preserve for future generations that which we now have. That this is a scriptural endeavor should be self-evident, but it will suffice to cite 3 John 2-4, 11-12; Revelation 2:2-5. Current members need to know of sacrifices made by their ancestors in Christ who have insured that the cause of the Lord will always have an effective voice in this verdant, though arid valley.
Because of the massive space that would be required to tell the entire story of the Mountain View church, we won’t be able to make a detailed timeline, but we want to highlight several matters of specific interest and for which we may be able to receive corroborating information from you or those you may know who have formerly worshipped with us:
It is known that the Mountain View church has met in at least three locations, but we need to obtain specific dates and other information about these places. We also need photographs, if possible, with proper dates affixed. If you know of someone who has been a member here in the past, or who has family or close friends who were here at some time, we need that information. Although we won’t have a lot of room for large photographs, we need snapshots and other smaller photographs that can be used. We can have copies made of your original photographs made, if you prefer to keep your own photographs. However, please remember that we are trying to archive this information for future generations, and we need as many as we can get.
From extant records, it appears quite firm that the Mountain View church had an eldership prior to 1925 (the date of the church’s incorporation, for which we have the original, state-issued charter—it’s on the wall behind the display case at the rear of the auditorium). We have business meeting records from that time, but need to identify and obtain pictures of these men and their families. We’d also like to obtain dated photographs of all who have served since the eldership was reappointed in 1932 (there has never been a day since that time in which the Mountain View church has not had a functional eldership, a remarkable achievement, to be sure; and one that can be boasted of by very few, if any other churches).
We have a pretty good record of preachers who have worked with the Mountain View church from about the 1920s on, but we need to verify that information and obtain photographs of each of these men and their families. It is true that at least two of these men were somewhat of a disappointment to the church (one was involved in immoral conduct and the other began to teach error), but notations to that effect will be connected to their pictures.
We have a number of older church directories, but we need to be sure that we have all of them (or at least as many as we can locate and secure). Also, in the men’s dressing room (upstairs, behind the baptistery) we have an old blackboard that was apparently used by the elders of the church to track attendance. That needs to be preserved and any "empty" spaces filled with appropriate information. We need dated photographs that will help tell the story of the Mountain View church.
Many couples have met at Mountain View, and not a few have been married within these walls. We need to get names, dates and photographs of those events, as well as other events that are significant. In particular, I would like to see us put together a list of gospel meetings (and the preachers and song leaders who participated), as this information strongly tells the story of our development. Any information you may have would be greatly appreciated. We will be culling old Mountain View bulletins for this information, also.
Down through the years, many correspondences have gone out to members from the elders and/or deacons, as well as from various preachers. If you have any of this correspondence that you would allow us to copy and/or obtain for the archive record, we would very much appreciate you allowing it to come into our hands. This is extremely important information, especially as it relates to former and deceased elders, and how they performed their God-ordained duties. If you received certificates of advancement into the next level of class, or received ribbons, stars or other "prizes" for good work, we’d like to see that, too!
We realize that some information may be sensitive or private, but we will preserve your privacy if you so desire, or will seal it against prying eyes for future revealing (for example, after your death, if you so desire).
Many people do not understand the importance of historical information. It is not a matter of trying to glorify the past, nor to glorify men and women who have served the Lord. It is all about bringing this information to the attention of the church, both now and the future, so that this church will continue to have a sense of its own struggles in the faith. We hope you will be kindly disposed toward the collection of this information and that you will provide whatever documentation, photographs, memories or "whatever" so that this information can be preserved for the future.