For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building. By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. - I Corinthians 3:9-13 NIV Fifty years ago, Santa Clara County was an agricultural community. Much of the land in Campbell was covered in orchards. The various cities we know were nowhere near the size they are today. Throughout the United States people were struggling to overcome the troubles of what we now refer to as the Great Depression. In Europe, World War II was underway and in the U.S. strategic materials such as gasoline were already being rationed. At this time the only Church of Christ congregation in the area was in San Jose on 8th street.

Partly because of gasoline rationing and complaints that the San Jose congregation was too far away for those who lived in Campbell, a few people began asking if there would be some interest in starting a congregation in Campbell. Mentie Brown consulted Paul Tucker, the Minister at the San Jose congregation about this possibility. With the help of Opal Noonkester and Lona Coffey, they surveyed those who lived in Campbell and found 25 to 30 people interested in a new congregation. Paul Tucker, Dee Noonkester, Bude Little, and I. D. Mobley arranged a weekly meeting in Campbell.

On January 2, 1942, less than a month after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the new Campbell congregation met for the first time in the County Women's Club building. The attendance was good. Paul Tucker preached and Herb Santerland led the singing. For the next few weeks, Roy Hyde from San Jose delivered the sermons until Bude Little agreed to be the congregation's regular minister. Dee Noonkester was the song leader and Ebb Coffey was the bookkeeper and treasurer. Some of the first members were the Littles, the Noonkesters, the Coffeys, the Browns, the Hames, the Mobleys, and Mattie French. They rented the hall for $7.50 a service. Some members would come early to set things up and clean up the mess left by the people who used the hall last. A coat room and a kitchen divided in half by sheets provided three classrooms. This was a time of great spiritual growth. The members were extremely involved with each others' lives and were generous of themselves and their time.

In December of 1945, the congregation was formally organized at a business meeting where articles of incorporation were read and bylaws were adopted. To handle the business of the congregation, A. W. Hall, S. J. Noonkester, J. E. Coffey, and R. R. Kirk became the first Board of Directors. In 1946, the congregation purchased three lots at the corner of Esther and Latimer for a new building. Attendance ranged from 130 in the summer to about 65 in the winter, varying because of the temporary summer work at the local cannery. Also in that year Bude Little resigned as minister and several others took his place including M.S. Gabbard and brother Hamilton. E.M. Borden was Campbell's minister from the summer of 1947 to March of 1948.

During 1948, the Winters family joined the congregation and Cliff Winters became part-time minister for the next three years. One of the new activities of the church was the annual Thanksgiving dinner. The new building was completed in 1949. By 1950, the congregation realized they needed more space. Between 1950 and 1951, land was purchased on Rincon Avenue. The congregation appointed its first elders; Shaver Martin, Al Weeks, and Cliff Winters. One new activity started in 1951 was the shipping of packages of clothing to the poor in the Philippines.

In 1952, Boyd Ballard preached until Robert Todd took over in June. The next year a new building was built on the Rincon property and the old building was sold. Dee Noonkester, Roy Clark, and Eldon Ice were appointed as deacons and plans were made for planting other congregations throughout the valley.

In 1954, B. U. Baldwin became the new minister. At the end of the year, Lloyd French and Floyd Little became elders, and soon after that Charles Edwards and A. G. Lippman became deacons.

A duplex next to the church building was bought in 1957 to provide a minister's home and more classrooms. Four additional deacons were selected. These men were Nelson Gabbard, Bert Little, Lee Dawson, and Tony Ontiveros. Because of the growth taking place in the congregation, the building was remodeled and a second story for classrooms was built. While on Rincon the congregation grew from approximately 160 people to about 375. It was at this time that two members, Lois Gulley and Lilli an Edwards, began transcribing books for the blind. Then, with the hope of planting a new congregation in Cupertino, land was purchased on Blaney Avenue near Homestead Road in 1959.

By 1960, the valley around the congregation was undergoing a dramatic change. The population was growing fast and businesses like IBM and Hewlett-Packard were moving in people to work in the electronics industry. Little by little the orchards started to disappear to make way for houses and businesses. The congregation was nearly 20 years old with about 400 members, and it too saw growth in its future.

Nelson Gabbard and James Howarth were added to the eldership, and Nick Mathewson, Lee Dawson, Sam Estes, Lloyd Hames, Don Collier, Jack Carpenter, and Floyd Holt were added as deacons. The congregation started to support the new Braille Ministry. In the spring the congregation started the process of planting a Blossom Hill congregation on Lone Hill Road. The property in Cupertino was paid off by summer and in the fall Charles Shelton became Campbell's new minister. The congregation also started to contribute to the Sierra Children's Home.

In 1961, the support to the Braille Ministry increased with the purchase of new materials and establishment of a braille correspondence course. Donations of clothing were sent to the Manuelito Navajo Indian Mission as well as to the Philippines. Early in 1962, construction began on the Cupertino building, and before the year was out about 100 people formerly from Campbell began worshipping there.

Transferring off such a large portion of the congregation in planting new congregations was very hard on the core group. The leadership decided that consolidating growth in one place would probably be better. A new and larger site which was once a prune orchard was purchased on Campbell Avenue.

By 1963, the congregation's membership had dropped to about 260 people, but it was still very active. The congregation started to provide half of the support for Sid Allen who was doing mission work in Korea. The teenagers of the congregation helped raise money for Sid and for their other projects by organizing newspaper collection drives. They also made plans to go to San Felipe, Mexico, on a work trip, which would become an annual event.

In 1964, a-new church building was completed on the Campbell Avenue property, and the Rincon property was put up for sale. The new site housed an auditorium with classrooms along its sides, a courtyard, and the church offices. The Braille Ministry headed by Curt Acord was transferred to the church building.

On February 14, 1965, Campbell held its first worship services in the new building on Campbell Avenue. That same day, Lee Dawson and Tony Ontiveros were ordained as elders. More than 500 people attended and membership increased to more than 400 people. A second assembly and two Bible class sessions were initiated. The congregation began a Visitation Ministry. Support began for Artie Reed who was doing mission work in Ethiopia. The congregation also began to fully support Sid Allen and his family in Korea.

During 1966, worship services for the deaf were held on Sunday evenings. Classes were held to train men for leadership roles, and the teenagers continued their annual work trip to San Felipe. The Braille Ministry was taken over by Maurice Tanner while Curt Acord and his wife, Evelyn, went to Vietnam as missionaries. Also, the idea of starting a Christian day care center was seriously considered.

The following year, this idea became a reality as the nursery school was established with Loretta Houston, Opal Noonkester, and Anna Mae Hauger at the helm. The school used the church facilities and started out with only 7 or 8 children. It proved to be a tremendous success. Austin Ellmore, Ken Miller, and Milford Sanders were ordained as elders and Bill Kneip was added to the staff of ministers. The next year Charles Shelton and his family moved to Texas and Bill Kneip was left as the only minister. The Acords returned from Saigon with their baby daughter, and Curt once again took over the Braille Ministry.

In 1969, the Hispanic Ministry was initiated by Tony Ontiveros and brothers Dawson, Gabbard, Ellmore, Sanders, Winters, and Miller. Victor Rodriguez, the group's new preacher and his wife Charlotte worked among the large Hispanic community in the area. Some of the first members in this Spanish-speaking group were Ignacia Montano, Judy Martinez, Lucy Martinez, Rita Sanchez, Alejandro Sanchez, Juanita Rodriguez, Agustin Rodriguez, Aciana Perez plus the visiting families of the Coronados, the Vasquez', and the Robles'. Also during this year, Bill and Deanna Wilson left to work with the church in Germany. Melvin Weldon came to be an additional minister, and the congregation contributed to help an inner city group purchase the old 8th street church building as that congregation moved to south San Jose.

Various congregations got together and raised enough money to buy some property in the Santa Cruz mountains for a Christian camp. Bert Little, Carl Sorenson, and Lee Zumwalt were the men behind the camp's formation, which is better known as Daybreak. Billie Wilson started the Daybreak Boosters which is the camp's fund-raising group.

In 1971, after a major earthquake struck in San Femando, the congregation collected gifts of clothing, dishes, and money to be sent as part of "Operation Earthquake." The youth group went down one weekend to help out, and the next week PSA flew volunteers from Campbell and other congregations from northern California to help. Those who suffered from the earthquake and its aftermath were very grateful for the aid.

During the annual trip to San Felipe, the youth group prepared concrete blocks for use in building a hospital. As a result of this work, President Nixon sent a letter commending the teenagers and the adults who led them. To cap off the year, the first Youth Rally was held at Daybreak which was organized by Eric Sorenson, one of the high school students.

In 1973, several families came to Campbell from the Blaney Avenue congregation after turmoil divided those who attended there. They brought with them experience and willingness to serve their new congregation. It was also around this time that the other daughter congregation in Blossom Hill decided to disband. Mike Armour became Campbell's new minister. Jesus Cerda became minister of the Hispanic Ministry which by now included 50 members.

Between 1973 and 1975, new elders and deacons began serving for set terms. The congregation needed more classroom space and construction of the learning center began. The first floor of the building was finished and put into use in 1976.

In 1977, Jesse Martinez came to Campbell to work as a minister with the Hispanic group. The following year, Paul Lee was hired as Campbell's first full-time youth minister.

In 1979, the elementary school next to the church closed. This was seen as a tremendous opportunity to serve the community's children and their parents just as the nursery school had been doing for more than a decade. Mike Armour enlisted the congregation's help and the church leased part of the school property. They hired experienced teachers and others to staff the school, and Bob Shaner was selected to be the principal. Ron Tate was the actual principal when classes started in September because Bob Shaner resigned for health reasons. The school enrolled 105 students in kindergarten through 6th grade. The school grew through the years and several families have come to Christ and become active members of the church because of the school's influence.

In 1981, the school added classes for 7th and 8th grades. Frank Nitto became Campbell's new minister. Frank brought Gary Luallin to work as an evangelist with the college-age group and the young professionals. Eventually he was hired on as one of the full-time ministers. Frank Nitto left in 1983 and Jerry Campbell gave most of the sermons for about a year until a replacement was found.

During the summer of 1984, Tom Sibley and his family joined us as he became our new Pulpit Minister. The same year, Jesse Martinez left his work with the Hispanic Ministry. For the next two years, the Hispanic group carried on the work without a preacher sustaining itself with the men's leadership.

During the early to mid '80s, Campbell Christian School was expanded to two campuses, and Campbell started supporting the small Winters congregation. The Winters work was seen as a mission field and at first various members from Campbell took turns preaching there on Sundays. Then Gary Luallin was sent to be their full-time minister. When he resigned, Jim Spivey became their minister. Campbell also started supporting Woody and Judy Square in their mission work in Papua New Guinea.

It was also about this time that Cliff Winters retired from the eldership and became a deacon working specifically with the older members of the congregation also known as the Hilltoppers or Senior Saints. He continued in this work until he and Lena moved out of the area a few years later.

In 1985, Steve Ink became the congregation's first education minister, and Campbell Christian School returned to one campus next to the church building. The school's principals during this time were Lou Wills, Ken Taylor, Herm Hughes, and Dwight Mowrer.

In the fall of 1986, some of the women of the congregation formed a women's ministry known as WINGS (Women in God's Service). They wanted to provide an outlet for working women and others in the congregation to participate in less traditional roles. Laura Bcall, Gwen Campbell, Lisa Kruger, Susie Schultz, Sandy Sibley, Melissa Sisson, and Lavancha Wilson were the first leaders in the group. They are involved in organizing classes for women, Evangelistic women's dinners, women's retreats, training and helping with showers, weddings, and maintaining the church's kitchens as well as helping out at the local Children's Shelter.

In 1987, Gilberto Torres became the new Minister for the Hispanic ministry and Ed Todd was hired as the new youth minister. Later that year, the Hispanic Ministry moved to San Jose Christian College, so that they would be closer to the community to which they were ministering.

Other events in the mid to late ' 80s included the annual Friendship Day and Evangelism Seminar. Two clubs for youngsters were started that were the well-known scout programs, except with a Christian emphasis. Also in the late '80s, Lewis Robinson joined the congregation as an associate minister for about three years.

On October 17, 1989, the bay area was shaken by a major earthquake. Many from Campbell helped the hardest hit communities and provided a collection point for donations sent from congregations all across the country. Food, money, and supplies were taken to the communities in need.

In November 1990, Ron Crawford and his wife Lisa joined Campbell to work with the youth group. Since his arrival, the growing focus of the middle school program has been the incorporation of a higher level of spirituality into their events. Other new things for the middle school have been a special Wednesday night program, a monthly Sunday Night Live, and several service projects. The High School group has also gone through changes since Ron's arrival. There is now a new student leadership core for the group, a summer camp, a High School Sunday Night Live, small groups, and a number of service projects.

By 1991, a new addition was completed on the church property. The Family Fellowship Center is used for gatherings too small for the auditorium and also for the needs of the Youth group. In the spring of 1991, Ray Esquivel, Steve Houglum, Al Mercado, and Andy Walls formed a new Men's Ministry to encourage men in their fellowship with each other, with their families, and with God. So far their activities include a men's retreat, small group Bible study, social events, and get-togethers with speakers.

That summer, Garry Bortz and his family joined us as he became our new Children's Minister. It is his hope that the church will develop more activities for the children beyond the traditional Bible classes. On the academic front Carter Lambert and his family joined Campbell as he became the new Superintendent for Campbell Christian School. Woody and Judy Square returned from their work in Papua New Guinea this year, and Campbell is already considering other mission opportunities.

There is much more that could be said about what has happened at Campbell for the past 50 years, and many more people who could be mentioned. We started out as a small church in a small agricultural community. Now we find ourselves challenged with living for Christ in the high-tech Silicon Valley. But really, our goal isn't all that much different. We are still building on the foundation of Jesus Christ and bringing many others to His service on a daily basis. We've only just begun............. Written by Tonya Persall