Quake-Damaged Church to Dedicate New Buildings

Nearly three years after Emerson Unitarian Church was destroyed in the Northridge earthquake, two new buildings will be officially dedicated Sunday, the culmination of the Canoga Park congregation’s rebuilding effort.

“We’re so proud of this new facility and proud of ourselves,” said Kathleen Challis, president of the church board of directors. “It’s something we thought we’d never be able to do.”

After the quake, the congregation of approximately 150 families did some soul-searching to decide how to proceed. Though they owned the land, they had little money to rebuild the old structure--built on the Jordan Avenue site in 1918--or to construct a new facility. At one point they even considered disbanding.

Ultimately the congregation decided to stay and rebuild in the West Valley, where church members have been meeting since the mid-1950s, Challis said.

“Our religion is very liberal, very social action oriented,” she said. “We felt that we’ve been here for so many years and we’d like to continue in the area. This is where we can do the most good.”

Rev. John Buehrens, president of the 1,000-congregation Unitarian Universalist Assn. in Boston, will be the featured speaker at the 4 p.m. dedication, expected to draw more than 200 people.

The new buildings house the Emerson Day Caringand Preschool programs, as well as the sanctuary used for Sunday services. The church was opened three weeks ago, and the day-care facility has been in operation for two weeks, Challis said.

The education services grew out of the need to generate funds to repay an $882,000 Small Business Administration loan used to build the facility, Challis said. More than $230,000 in member pledges also were used to fund the construction.

“Everyone is really excited about this,” Challis said. “Ever since the groundbreaking, everyone got excited and it’s held to this day. The newness is still wonderful. People are just happy with it.”