That was shortly before the church underwent the first of its add-ons, and there was a large, grassy area where vacation Bible school kids could play and special events took place.
“It was where you went,” Jeglum said. “You had a dinner every month and entertainment. We used to sing. There was always something going on, and everybody came. The whole family came.”
Having such a long relationship with the place of worship, Jeglum was an ideal member of the congregation to help assemble memory books that document the church’s history— a project she has been working on the last few months and which has been completed just in time for the establishment’s 70th anniversary this weekend. She has seen first-hand how the demographics of the congregation have evolved.
“We’re more diverse [now] for sure,” she said. “Even by the time I was in high school, kids were coming from other areas… We have everything right now. Everybody’s included.”
She mentioned, in particular, the growing number of young people who attend church service there.
The observation was seconded by Danny Bradfield, who has served as the church’s pastor since 2008.
[aesop_image imgwidth=”200px” img=”http://www.signaltribunenewspaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Screen-Shot-2016-01-29-at-12.40.01-PM.png” credit=”Cory Bilicko | Signal Tribune ” align=”right” lightbox=”on” caption=”Danny Bradfield, current pastor at the Bixby Knolls Christian Church, displays some of the historic photos and memorabilia from the church’s 70-year history, including the top-right photo showing Bobbie Smith, the first African-American elected to the Long Beach School Board.” captionposition=”right”] “We have a number of teenagers who just started coming on their own— not with their families— which I find pretty remarkable,” Bradfield said. “I don’t know what teenagers today do that.”
Bradfield recounts what one teen recently said during worship: “This is the one place where I feel welcome for who I am.” The pastor said her declaration seems to be representative of the majority of teenagers who have been attracted to the church.
Bradfield said that during worship, a portion of time is set aside for children to share their thoughts.
“Because we don’t have a whole lot of young children, sometimes the older teenagers come up during worship, and it was during that that she said that, in front of the whole congregation,” Bradfield said. “As pastor, that made me feel really good because it’s what we aim for, but you always wonder if there are things holding you back from that.”
[aesop_image imgwidth=”200px” img=”http://www.signaltribunenewspaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Screen-Shot-2016-01-29-at-12.39.33-PM.png” credit=”Courtesy Bixby Knolls Christian Church ” align=”left” lightbox=”on” caption=”Photos from 1949 show the groundbreaking of the Bixby Knolls Christian Church’s first addition.” captionposition=”left”] He said that young woman is among those teens who attend on their own, without their families.
Attracting a younger group of independent individuals is a newer trait of BKCC. What began as a church that served the mostly white, middle-class families of the neighborhood has expanded into an organization that has welcomed a more racially diverse following, including, among others, Bobbie Smith, the first African-American elected to the Long Beach School Board.
The church’s website indeed describes the congregation as “open and affirming” and states, “Bixby Knolls Christian Church welcomes and affirms all God’s children, regardless of race, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, nationality, ethnicity, marital status, physical or mental ability, political stance or theological perspective.”
Bradfield described the church’s approach to this vision of acceptance as one that is not set in stone— that it’s a constantly evolving process that needs to work as it is being developed.
“If we wait till we have everything figured out, we’re never going to do anything because we’re never going to have everything all figured out,” he said. “So, it’s always a little bit of a challenge for us to figure out how we’re going to maintain that inclusive identity that is affirming of all kinds of diversity. And, for that reason, it’s important for us to always remind ourselves— and for me, as pastor— to always be putting that forward to the congregation [to] remember: How are we doing that now, and how can we do that better in the future, as far as welcoming all forms of diversity.”
[aesop_image imgwidth=”300px” img=”http://www.signaltribunenewspaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Screen-Shot-2016-01-29-at-12.40.04-PM.png” credit=”Courtesy Bixby Knolls Christian Church ” align=”left” lightbox=”on” caption=”A vacation Bible school class at Bixby Knolls Christian Church, with teacher Alice Flaig, in 1959″ captionposition=”left”] A celebration of that diversity and BKCC’s 70-year history will take place on Sunday, Jan. 31 at the church, located at 1240 E. Carson St. Worship will take place at 10:15am, and a free taco lunch will follow. The date honors the fact that the congregation’s first worship service took place the last Sunday of January in 1946. Members of the community are invited to join current and former church members for the event.
