How Jesus built Christ the King Church in Quincy
In late spring of 1975 Mr. Norman Shelton asked his friend Fr. Don Royer to begin worship services in Quincy. He did so in homes on a bimonthly basis. Due to health reasons, he stopped coming in winter of that same year. But a small group continued to meet for Morning Prayer in the Plumas County Library Community Room. Frs. Anthony Traynor and Martin Maroney were "Vatican II Priests" who welcomed us at my request to use their fellowship hall and later their chapel at St. John's Catholic Church. We had Sunday school and Morning Prayer services led by Jack Swift of Portola alternating with Joseph Munoz of Quincy. We worshiped at St. John’s Catholic Church for 10 years. I know of no other such arrangement where Catholics shared their church property; this was Jesus working for us. These were difficult times, but the Lord gave us love for each other and persistence.
Margaret and I started attending Diocesan convention in 1976, although as a “Preaching Station,” we had neither voice nor vote. But we met people who could help us in Quincy. It is important to note that for the next 40 years, decisions regarding the structural, financial and spiritual health of our church community were made through prayerful consensus leading to unanimity. Moreover we have been a “broad church” who are Christians first, then Anglicans and finally Episcopalians.
Fr. Gary Sturni and his wife Cindy met the Munoz’s at the diocesan convention in 1977. We hit it off immediately, partly due to shared experiences in Campus Crusade for Christ while in college. Gary agreed to begin coming to Quincy in the late afternoons to do a Eucharist once a month; it was a revolution for us: both Holy Communion and great music were introduced, and Gary would accept no payment for his help. During the next year, this charitable ministry to us was expanded as Gary recruited other priests who agreed to assist us on a rotating schedule. Gary organized this, again without any monetary compensation. We continued on this basis, with Morning Prayer our main service and a number of other priests [including Brown, Asman, & Bettencourt] assisting us with Holy Communion services and their encouragement. These men and their families would often stay with us overnight, providing us with an education in diocesan polity. During this period Bishop Hayden approved the title "Christ the King" as the name of our “Preaching Station,” so called. This arrangement enabled us to take the baby steps that so many fledgling congregations must take to get going.
In the fall of 1978 Dean Borsch of the Church Divinity School of the Pacific sent Brooke and Jeannette Myers, recently graduated from their Seminary to us with the blessing of our newly elected Bishop John Thompson.
They provided music and teaching and were instrumental in securing official "Mission Status" for us a year later. They would be with us until late winter 1980 before leaving for a post in Gridley. Again lay leadership responded to the “clerically empty” pulpit. Fr. Stuart Anderson came to us with a wealth of experience in July of 1980. This would be the first time Christ the King would have weekly Holy Communion services.
When Fr. Anderson left in the summer of 1982 to begin a prison ministry in Susanville, we resumed a Morning Prayer format, until the spring of the next year. In March of 1983, the congregation extended a call to Fr. Christopher Seal, a newly wed young priest. He was orthodox and brilliant. The parish rolls grew as he attracted a choral group and young people. We acquired the 5/8th of an acre Pacific Telesis property on Lawrence Street for $80,000, about ¼ of its market value. Christopher provided the push needed for us to seize this opportunity. We quickly proceeded to remodel the small shop (what is now "St. Giles" Hall) and move our services from St. John's to our present location. In the fall of 1988 Christopher found a place for himself and his family in England. We did not fully realize what a prize he was until after he had left. When he returned to America to minister at Trinity Church Nevada City there were many occasions over the years when he reached out with members of his congregation to help us.
Soon after we met and called Fr. Conrad Ciesel, a friend of our new Bishop Jerry Lamb. He was a kind man and a loving pastor, who served us until his departure to the Sioux Nation to minister there in June of 1994. By 1992 the building program was largely completed under volunteer labor led by Joe Way, the superintendent of the project. It had involved dozens of men and women who joyfully participated in the work. The entire building was gutted and the present partitions, bathrooms, major plumbing and electrical work, and the very dramatic truss system installed. All the structural and finish wood was milled from a parishioners’ trees. We sought to make the building a "beautiful work for God," a quiet place for worship and public sanctuary.
From 1994 to the fall of 2002 Morning Prayer services alternated with Holy Communion led by non-resident Priests. Foremost among these was Fr. John Steinfeld whose love of Jesus, excellent voice and gentile temperament carried us through a long uncertain period. For a 6-month period (Dec. 1999-June 2000), Fr. Fred Brown was our resident priest, before he returned to Texas. Those leading Morning Prayer through this 8-year period included Mike Cassity, David Covington, Charles Cornell, Rob Gimbel, John Harris, Guy McNett, and Joseph Muñoz. Our success in such times was entirely the work of Jesus: he worked in people’s hearts.
In the fall of 2002 we offered a call to a priest from Uganda Africa. He was engaged in graduate theological work in Dallas Texas. Dignified, saintly, fastidiously dressed and very funny, he charmed all he met in a series of ‘dinner interviews,’ throughout the county. He could remain our priest for the next 8 & 1/2 years. While with us our people met the tuition and travel costs of a Master of Arts and Doctor of Ministry degree. We wished to contribute to what Ugandans would receive when he returned home to become a leader in his diocese. George was loved and trusted. When it came time for him to return home, the church provided a “purse” and shipped his belongings by rail and ship to Kampala, Uganda.
Matthew Warren and Kristy met at Occidental College. She trained as a teacher and administrator while Matt attended Seminary at Yale. His goal was to become a college professor. But they would marry and later move to Plumas County in 2009. She was hired by the local school district to be a school principal. At that time Matt said he did not wish to become a priest because of his father’s experience. Matt’s father was a retired Episcopal priest, and Matt did not wish to live with the pressure his father had experienced.
Their children, Abby and John, were born here. Matt reassessed his life and determined that he had gifts for ministry. After a 2-year discernment process and ordination, He became the Vicar of Christ the King in May of 2013. Matt’s youthful approach and pastoral gifts were a blessing to Christ the King. We were especially happy to be led by a man with a young family. They lived in a subdivision with young families and were able to welcome many of them to Church.
His leadership led to significantly increased outreach and a revival of the presence of young families and children. While ministering to our needs he was a volunteer coach for the school district and in his last four years an adjunct faculty member of Feather River College. At the end of a 10-year period as our vicar, he took a 3-month Sabbatical in the spring of 2023, and to our surprise was the successful candidate for a position as Rector at a large church in Orinda CA. This unexpected and rapid departure was disruptive but our people have, due to the love and favor of God, endured upheaval before. Since Matt’s departure we have painted the exterior of the main Chapel and replaced the Boiler.
Thanks to the constant grace of Jesus, “Christ the King Church” is thriving, with a lovely chapel in downtown Quincy that we own free and clear. In 2014 and 2015 St. Giles Hall was completely rebuilt (again by volunteer labor with Joe Way as the volunteer contractor) to become an education and fellowship center, and a site for community outreach. For the last few years we have leased St. Giles to a pre-school, because of great local need.
Since the departure of the Warrens we have Holy Communion at least once a month, and Morning Prayer with a Rota of Lay leaders. Attendance has not declined, and we have both a Men’s and Women’s Bible group.
Each day is an opportunity for a retrospective on all that our LORD has done for our church family.
Joseph J. Muñoz
Professor Emeritus of Feather River College
Warden Emeritus