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editor2024-11-07T00:00:00-08:00

Event Series: Chapel Anniversary

Chapel Anniversary

May 13, 2025

May 13th, 1951 the Chapel was dedicated and the first worship service was held, officiated by Rev. Leonard Tafel

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Thank you @saintfrancisepiscopal Congregation for

Thank you @saintfrancisepiscopal Congregation for welcoming us to be with you this year during our time of crisis. You all have demonstrated what the heart of the Christian faith is all about as a beloved community filled with grace. On September 29th, we held our second combined service including Ben Gunter, Rev. Celeste, Rev. Jason, and Rev. David. The turnout and the energy filling St. Francis was palpable as the Holy Spirit filled the sanctuary. Around 155 people turned out to celebrate in worship together in this historic gathering, which makes this the largest regular Sunday Worship in the history of Wayfarers Chapel since the Chapel could only hold 100 people!

Photo 3: Prayer before Service with Rev. Jason, Rev. Celeste, Rev. David, and Seminarian Ben Gunter

#thankyou #wayfarerschapel #stfrancispv

The Congregation of Wayfarers Chapel is collaborat

The Congregation of Wayfarers Chapel is collaborating with the Congregation of St. Francis Episcopal Church this Sunday, September 29th inside the St. Francis Chapel at 10:15am. Rector Rev. Jason Shelby and his Parishioners have demonstrated what it means to walk the Christian walk in being gracious hosts in the midst of the crisis of the landslide that devastated Wayfarers Chapel and so many houses of Rancho Palos Verdes this year.

There is an interesting historic connection between these two structures on the Peninsula where both opened their doors in 1951. Architect Walter Swindell Davis completed the St. Francis Episcopal Church in December of 1951, shortly after Lloyd Wright had completed Wayfarers Chapel which opened doors to the public on Mother's Day that same year. In 1940, Walter Davis worked with Lloyd Wright in designing Ramona Gardens, and Aliso Village, the first low-cost housing developments in Los Angeles. Come see us this Sunday for another historic moment as the Swedenborgian Congregation of Wayfarers Chapel joins together in worship with the Episcopal Congregation of St. Francis. There will be more history shared on Sunday in person. Come and join us!

Location: 2200 Via Rosa, Palos Verdes Estates, CA 90274

📸: Groundbreaking of St. Francis Episcopal Church in December, 1951
@saintfrancisepiscopal Archives

#wayfarerschapel #stfrancispalosverdes

On Sunday, May 19th, Rev. Dr. David Brown and Rev.

On Sunday, May 19th, Rev. Dr. David Brown and Rev. Robert McCluskey led a group of Wayfarers Chapel parishioners to participate in a "memorial service" for the chapel. Dr. Brown began the ceremony in recognition of the millions of lives that had been spiritually transformed over the 73 years of Wayfarers Chapel. The chapel will always be remembered as sacred grounds and an iconic mid-century modern masterpiece of architecture. Participants included someone from the Waring family, where Wendy Waring recalled attending the chapel cornerstone unveiling in 1949, two years before the chapel opened in 1951. Rev. Dr. Amanda Riley, lead pastor at the Garden Church in San Pedro, was in attendance as well. The Wayfarers community is committed to preserving the historic chapel and giving it a resilient future.

https://www.wayfarerschapel.org/wayfarers-chapel-restoration/

#wayfarerschapel #savewayfarerschapel

July 16th, 1949 ~ Celebrating the 75th Anniversary

July 16th, 1949 ~ Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the Dedication of the Cornerstone & Consecration of the Building Site to Wayfarers Chapel.

While we are saddened by the recent developments of the Chapel, we look forward to rebuilding and serving the community for another 75+ years.

The Chapel’s cornerstone has not been cut or shaped in any way except by nature. Just as the builders were about to give up finding a stone of natural triangular shape to fit in with the Chapel design, a worker from a nearby estate provided a rock he had found and saved years earlier. The actor Charles Laughton read from the 107th Psalm during the dedication service, ending with verse 30: “Then they were glad because they had quiet and God brought them to their desired haven.” The biblical imagery of the first and last, the Greek letters alpha and omega (A Ω), are carved into the cornerstone.

#wayfarerschapel #savewayfarerschapel

The first phase of the Wayfarers Chapel disassembl

The first phase of the Wayfarers Chapel disassembly is now complete and the team has successfully salvaged the most vulnerable elements of the landmark chapel: redwood, steel, glass, and roof tiles. Wayfarers Chapel and the surrounding grounds are now closed due to the momentum of local land movement, non-historic buildings on site have been removed, and the last remaining historic elements to be salvaged are the Palos Verdes stone walls of the chapel, other historic site elements such as the stone fountain, and the bell tower.

As the Portuguese Bend landslide accelerates at an unprecedented rate it is important to safely remove the bell tower as soon as possible. At roughly 80 feet high, and with the dangerous site conditions, it is not possible to carefully salvage the materials of the bell tower in the same way as the other chapel materials. Scaffolding and large cranes cannot safely be used on site. Easily removable objects on the bell tower such as the cross, roof tiles, bells, interior spiral stair, and Palos Verdes stone that is reachable from grade will be salvaged and stored for reuse, and the tower itself will be removed.

According to Katie Horak, Principal at Architectural Resources Group @arg.create , “All possible options for salvaging the bell tower have been explored by the design team. Safety continues to be our number one priority, and given the circumstances of the land movement we continue to see on site, it is imperative that the bell tower is removed as soon as possible.”

Read More: Link in Bio

#wayfarerschapel #savewayfarerschapel

A major first phase of the disassembly of Wayfarer

A major first phase of the disassembly of Wayfarers Chapel has been completed. We all are grieving the sudden loss of our beloved Chapel as it once was. The significant elements including the cornerstone and baptismal font are being preserved. All component parts will be stored at a safe location until they can be reassembled.

Additional work to dismantle other structures on campus, including Hallelujah Tower, will continue in coming weeks. Even since our last post a few weeks ago, there has been more land movement around campus that continues to damage the property.

The Wayfarers community is committed to preserving the historic chapel and giving it a resilient future.

Please visit our donation pages to help save Wayfarers Chapel (LINKS IN BIO)

#wayfarerschapel #savewayfarerschapel

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