In 1905, retired missionary Mendel Israel and his family settled in Oakdale, Calif., and shared the Advent hope. Soon they had a group meeting in their home each Sabbath. Just two years later, on Jan. 14, 1907, 14 charter members formally organized the Oakdale Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Since then, the close-knit Oakdale church family has grown, established a church school (in 1949) and has shared God with the community. On Oct. 27, more than 250 former and current members commemorated God’s leading with a special 100-year anniversary celebration.

“Oakdale has been not a huge church over the years, and people have been really close,” says church secretary Judy Rowe. “It was like a family reunion for us.” The full day of celebration included a sermon by Jerry Page, conference president, a fellowship luncheon, an afternoon of reminiscing, vespers and a fall festival at the church school.

Many reminisced about how the church family worked together to build the current church structure in the 1960s, then remodeled the church and built the fellowship hall and community services room in the 1980s.

Young and old reflected on the lasting impact the church's elementary school made in their lives. The Foster-Moore Christian School continues to provide Adventist education to twenty students, many of whom are not Adventists.

“The beautiful thing to me is realizing all that God has done through the years,” says Page. “There were so many stories of how God has worked through the school and church to touch people’s lives in a deep way.”

Actively seeking new ways to impact its community, the Oakdale and nearby Waterford churches partnered to host a six-week Decoding Prophecy seminar with evangelist Mike Sady last fall. The church also has a growing Spanish group reaching out to the large and growing Hispanic population.

“We have a rich heritage from those who have gone before us in Oakdale,” adds John Bell, pastor of the Oakdale and Waterford district. “Now it is up to us to forge ahead in God’s mighty power. We are confident that God still has new things for us and the community we serve.”