Church breaks ground on sanctuary preservation

Bagpiper Richard Cook led Laguna Beach Presbyterian Church Sunday School children and members of the congregation to the church’s Rose Garden Sunday to break ground on a long-planned renovation project for the church’s historic sanctuary.

The sanctuary will be retrofitted for earthquake safety, waterproofed with a triple redundant system surrounding the basement, made accessible for handicapped people in all levels, re-roofed, and renovated inside to restore the interior to its authentic Spanish Colonial style architecture.

Rick Hume, co-chairman of the “Open Door/Restore the Sanctuary” program, highlighted the church’s history, which began with a few people who gathered to worship and study the Bible in a small wooden chapel on the corner of Forest Avenue and Second Street at the turn of the last century.

The present sanctuary building was completed in 1928.

Wearing hard hats, three church pastors, members of the Laguna Beach City Council and parishioners officiated at the ceremony.

For more information on the project, or to contribute financially to the project contact the Open Door Committee or call Pastor Tankersley at (949) 494-7555.