For the next several years the church served as a private residence for the spiritual and unconventional White family. The White’s were very generous to those in need of shelter, and their open-door policy regarding their home led to rumors of a hippie commune living there. By the time the Baptists purchased the church in 1971 it was sorely in need of repair. Leaking roof, crumbling plaster, sinking steeple and broken stained glass were all attended to by the energetic Rev. Caldwell.


But age continues to take its toll— threatening the sparkling stained glass jewels of this Victorian treasure. Buckling under their own weight, the sagging windows’ leaden seams give way to the stress, cracking the original glass panes and occasionally popping them out to shatter on the ground below.


THAT ONE COULD NOT DISCERN HIS UPON THE CLOSEST EXAMINATION.


Current pastor Stephen Button shepherds a small flock of about 50 parishioners. As the church expands its youth ministry and plans for new classrooms and perhaps a visiting ministry living quarters, it recognizes that once again this aging Victorian lady needs major restoration—including a new roof, paint, and an estimated $80,000 in repair and conservation of her irreplaceable stained glass. The community may have to come to her aid if this beloved building is to endure.


Whatever lies ahead for this local landmark, it must be remembered that a church is not just


the building, but the people who worship there. The beauty of the Carpinteria Valley Baptist Church is a reflection of the spirit of love and caring by the many generations of Carpinterians who have made this sanctuary their spiritual home.


PHOTOS COURTESY OF CARPINTERIA VALLEY MUSEUM OF HISTORY SPRINGSUMMER2007 95


BLACKBURN


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