On the corner of Cajon and Vine in downtown Redlands, California, a white sanctuary built by Presbyterians a century and a quarter ago is home to one of the most linguistically layered congregations in Southern California's Inland Empire. First Presbyterian Church of Redlands, organized in 1887 and known locally as FPC Redlands, is an "intentionally multicultural community of faith" that gathers each Sunday in three languages: English at ten in the morning, Indonesian at five in the evening, and Urdu on the third Sunday of the month through Facebook Live. Members and ministry partners come from Pakistan, Indonesia, Malawi, Cameroon, and across the United States, and the church's motto, "living the heart and mind of Christ at the heart of the city," reflects both its downtown geography and its conviction that ministry extends beyond the building's walls.
Worship in Three Languages from One Sanctuary
The Sunday rhythm at FPC Redlands is built around two in-person services and a monthly online broadcast, all from the same sanctuary at 100 Cajon Street. At 10:00 a.m., Lead Pastor Rev. Cheryl Raine leads English-language worship, with communion celebrated on the first Sunday of the month when all ages remain in the sanctuary together. Music is provided by Director of Music Dr. Joe Modica and Organist Douglas Newton, both of whom also serve the wider Inland Empire choral community.
At 5:00 p.m., the sanctuary fills again for Indonesian-language worship, led by Rev. Rastol Hasibuan, the church's new Director of Indonesian Ministries. Rev. Hasibuan was ordained in the Batak Christian Protestant Church in Indonesia in 1995, holds a Master of Theology from Senate Jakarta Theological Seminary, and served Indonesian Evangelical Lutheran congregations in the United States for fifteen years before joining FPC Redlands in November 2025. He is accompanied by pianist Rina Aritonang, who has served Indonesian congregations in music ministry since 2006. The service is broadcast on Facebook Live, and Pastor Hart Tan (retired commissioned pastor) and his wife Lina continue to support translation when Pastor Cheryl preaches.
A third stream of worship reaches Urdu speakers through Facebook Live on the third Sunday of each month, led by Rev. Hameed Barkat, who was honorably retired from the Presbytery of Riverside in 2016 after beginning ministry with the Pakistani/Indian Urdu Ministry of the Inland Empire in 1995. His congregation eventually became part of First Presbyterian Church of Redlands, where it continues to worship in Urdu and English side by side. All three services are open to visitors, and the Facebook Live feeds can be replayed through the church's past services archive.
From Sheep Herders to a Sanctuary on Cajon Street
The story of FPC Redlands is intertwined with the story of Redlands itself. The first settler on the site of present-day Redlands was a sheep herder who in 1865 built a hut at what is now Cajon Street and Cypress Avenue. The arrival of the Southern Pacific and Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroads in 1880 sparked a land boom, and by 1882 there were fifteen houses and 400 acres of fruit trees in the area. Redlands was incorporated in 1888.
Presbyterians were meeting together for worship as early as March 1887. On September 17 of that year, a group of local residents gathered at the home of Rev. Hamilton and elected the congregation's first trustees. On October 29, the Citrograph newspaper reported that the certificate of incorporation of the First Presbyterian Church had arrived from the California Secretary of State. Two downtown lots at Fourth and Vine were donated in December 1888 by E. G. Judson and Frank E. Brown; those lots were later exchanged for lots at Cajon and Vine, the church's present site.
Ground was broken in April 1889. By September, the first building was complete, and a formal dedication by Rev. William Donald took place on February 2, 1890. Membership grew from six charter members in 1887 to 484 by 1905. A larger sanctuary was begun in 1898 and dedicated on March 26, 1905. That sanctuary was destroyed by a catastrophic fire in 1967, along with the United Methodist Church across Cajon Street, but Rev. Mark Andrews and Elder Douglas Pew carried the pulpit Bible out of the burning building. The present sanctuary was rebuilt and dedicated in 1970, paid off by 1987. In 2009, heavy rainfall damaged the sanctuary's roof and the congregation worshiped in John Knox Hall while repairs were completed; a Service of Celebration followed in October 2010.
Up to the year 2000, most members of FPC Redlands were of European ancestry with a small minority of Asian and Latin American background. Around the new millennium, Indonesian and Pakistani members began joining the congregation, along with families from Malawi and Cameroon, transforming the church into the multicultural body it is today.
Vine Street Community Park
During the pandemic, the congregation transformed a vacant lot on the corner of Fourth and Vine into the Vine Street Community Park, a public space with a play area, benches, and open green lawns that sits next to the A.K. Smiley Public Library and Smiley Park. "A space for peace, and sanctuary for all," the park welcomes visitors to stop by for lunch, find calm, or meet with neighbors. The park is part of the church's commitment to extending its hospitality beyond the sanctuary walls.
Music That Spans Centuries and Cultures
Music has been a thread running through FPC Redlands since its earliest years: in 1892, Miss Nellie Fowler was hired to lead singing at three dollars a Sunday service. Today's music ministry pairs Dr. Joe Modica, who returned to FPC Redlands as Director of Music in September 2019 after first serving from 1997 to 2003, with organist Douglas Newton, who holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees in music from the University of Redlands and serves as general manager of the Inland Master Chorale. Rina Aritonang brings Indonesian and Javanese musical sensibilities to the Sunday evening service. The church is in the process of upgrading the sanctuary's sound, lighting, and organ console with new technology, and the Redlands Symphony has held a concert in the renovated chancel, with more performances planned.
Sunday School for Children and Adults
Children of all ages are part of the Sunday morning service from the start. After the first part of worship, Pastor Cheryl or another leader shares a "Young Disciples" message with the children, often to the delight of older listeners. The young people then move to their Sunday School classrooms while the adults continue with the sermon. The 5:00 p.m. Indonesian service also has concurrent Sunday School classes, except on the first Sunday of the month when all ages stay in worship for Communion Sunday. Adult Sunday School is offered after worship in two- to four-week blocks on a rotating variety of topics.
Presbyterian Women
Two women's circles sustain Bible study, fellowship, and service at FPC Redlands. Sarah Circle meets on the second Wednesday of each month from September through May at 10:30 a.m. in Room One at the church. Eve Circle meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month from September through May at 7:00 p.m. in members' homes. The group is affiliated with Presbyterian Women of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), supporting the church's mission worldwide and working for justice and peace.
Walking for Hunger, Cancer, and Veterans
The church organizes teams for three community walks each year. Team Presbytery forms for the Hunger Walk on the first Saturday in June, raising funds for the Family Service Association of Redlands to address food insecurity. Team Presbyterian walks the first Sunday in October in support of the Believe Walk, benefiting Inland Women Fighting Cancer and Stater Bros charities and local cancer centers. Members have also walked in support of veterans. The walks are one of several ways the church partners with organizations across Redlands to extend care beyond its walls.
Community Connections
FPC Redlands partners with a network of local organizations to serve Redlands and the surrounding Inland Empire. Members prepare and serve a hot community meal six times a year through Share Ministry, joining other local churches so that a free Saturday afternoon meal is offered every week of the year. The Deacons distribute bus passes to assist veterans with transportation to wellness appointments at the Veterans Administration. The congregation also supports Family Service Association of Redlands (a hub for volunteer placements), the Redlands Area Interfaith Council (which meets the second Thursday of each month at 8:00 a.m.), YouthHope (a foundation serving homeless, runaway, trafficked, and at-risk youth ages 14-24), and the Citrus Counseling Center, a faith-based counseling organization more than forty years old.
Two other programs call the church home. The Well Special Day Program, for intellectually and developmentally delayed adults, meets on the church campus Monday through Wednesday. Boy Scout Troop 4 and Cub Scout Pack 24 are part of the church family and are building out a basement room for their use.
Global Outreach in Pakistan, Indonesia, Malawi, and Egypt
The church's global mission work reflects the countries its members come from. FPC Redlands supports two university students annually at Forman Christian College in Lahore, Pakistan, a liberal arts institution founded in 1864 by Presbyterian missionary Dr. Charles W. Forman. Members also support elementary students through the Friends of the Presbyterian Education Board in Pakistan and fund missionaries Esther Shin and Noah Park, who serve as Associates for Ecumenical Partnerships with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Egypt, Synod of the Nile. In Indonesia, the church supports missionary Farsijani Adeney-Risakotta, who teaches in the Master of Management in Social Entrepreneurship program at Duta Wacana Christian University in Yogyakarta. Through a congregational member from Malawi, the church provides funds for critical food needs there each December.
Pastors, Parish Associates, and Parishioners
Lead Pastor Rev. Cheryl Raine came to FPC Redlands in January 2017 after fourteen and a half years at First Presbyterian Church of Garden Grove. A graduate of San Francisco Theological Seminary (M.Div.) and California State University (B.S. in chemical engineering), she was ordained within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in June 2002. Her ministry focus is helping people "connect head to heart," the same phrase she repeats as the core of her preaching and teaching. Rev. Ron Duvall, Parish Associate, joined FPC Redlands in 2000 after sixteen years in the pastorate and a second career as a pediatric intensive care and transplantation nurse at Loma Linda University Health. He is a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary (M.Div.), Stanford University (B.A.), and Loma Linda University School of Nursing (B.S.N.). The church is governed by a Session of twelve elders and a Board of Deacons whose ministry is one of compassion, witness, and service.
Facilities for the Church and the Community
The church campus includes the sanctuary, John Knox Hall (the fellowship hall used for worship during the 2009-2010 sanctuary renovation), and a number of classrooms of varying sizes. The sanctuary features state-of-the-art audio, sound, and lighting suitable for concerts and large gatherings. The hall and adjacent kitchen can host banquets and receptions. Classrooms are available for smaller meetings, and the entire facility can be rented for weddings, conferences, and parties on a non-profit basis. Giving is available online, and prayer requests can be submitted confidentially at any time.
A Foretaste in Redlands
The congregation gathers under the vision of John of Patmos: "There was a great multitude from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, worshiping together." In a downtown block that has known Presbyterian worship since 1887, the members of FPC Redlands continue to seek that vision each Sunday, in three languages, around one communion table, in service to their city and their world.