The “Gold Rush” of 1849, not only brought thousands of fortune seekers to
Northern California, it also attracted pastors, intent on establishing churches in
the new towns, hoping to save some of the gold miner’s souls. Rev. Isaac Owen
was a Methodist preacher who arrived in the west with a wagon train. On Sunday,
September 23, 1849, the group was camped near Grass Valley, and after the
wagons were placed in a circle, Rev. Owen pushed his cane into the soft ground,
placed his hat upon it to resemble a pulpit and delivered his morning sermon,
possibly the first Methodist worship service in the area.
By 1855, a small church building was erected, and about twenty years later,
it was replaced by a larger structure near downtown Grass Valley. The new church
became a landmark in the community and a source of pride for all Methodists.
The congregation, made up mostly of Cornish miners and their families,
flourished. The church stood proudly for sixty-three years until the afternoon of
August 19, 1936, when a fire destroyed the church, the next-door parsonage and
Epworth Chapel, located in the rear of the property. The local newspaper
headline screamed, “Towering Church Steeple Bows to Fire Fiend,” accompanied
by a photo of the blazing 125-foot steeple.
Before the ashes cooled, money was being raised and plans made for a new
building. Many of the windows in the present sanctuary were given by members
in memory of their Gold Rush ancestors who started the church. Reflecting their
heritage, the congregation has made and sold thousands of Cornish pasties over
the years to finance special projects, help pay off mortgages and for the work of
the church. The pasty bake is now a monthly event, always welcoming visitors and
new helpers. In recent years, it has even led to a new nickname. In some circles,
the Grass Valley United Methodist Church is simply known as “The Church That
Pasties Built.”