Making themselves at home
For the five years since Smith founded the congregation on April 8, 2004, services have been held at the Castaic Regional Sports Complex.

One day Smith and her husband, Jose, discovered the abandoned building when driving from Val Verde Park after a memorial service held for a local resident.

Leasing negotiations began, and on March 1 the church moved its services into the historic Salem Baptist Church.

"The place had been abandoned for four years," Smith said. "They (the local residents) were so happy that we came there."

Smith said church members are "helping to make it home."

They bought the lace curtains and they made the altar and banner.

"We are overjoyed to finally have our own place for worship services and community events," said church member Ann Calloway.

New ministry opportunities
With a building to call their own comes the chance to try new ministry opportunities.

Smith said she'd like to implement a grief recovery program. As someone who is involved in the Castaic community - also serving as president of the Castaic Chamber of Commerce - Smith said she's been able to comfort several grieving families.

Another one of her passions is talking to people about preventing high-risk sexual activity, which could be used in another program in the future, Smith said.

"Young people are unsure on how to get involved in that kind of life and when," she said.

"So those are two burning needs I've seen in the people I run into."

Old roots, new direction
According to Smith, the African Methodist church has been around since 1787.

"It started because a group of free slaves were not allowed to worship at the altar of the Methodist Church," she said. "They were asked to worship in the balcony."

But instead, they chose to leave and started their own church in an anvil shop. This explains their symbol of an anvil overlaying a cross.

"Over the years the church has always been a symbol for serving underserved people," Smith said.

But there is one significant difference.

"We've started to move away from the Afro-centric tradition because our country's moved away from that segregation as well," Smith said.

This movement towards diversity is evident in the church's mission statement:

"To develop and establish a multi-cultural ministry in the Castaic Lake region that will inspire whosoever will come to seek a soul-saving fellowship with God through Jesus Christ, and a life of humble service."

Smith said another goal would be to implement a bilingual service at some point.

"One of the gifts God has given me is speaking Spanish," she said.

Responding to the call
Smith, a resident of Pasadena, founded the church in Castaic on a calling to do mission work.

"We're a mission church. I came out to see how well we can do as a ministry," she said. "Then if we grow, we would ask our bishop at the seat of the annual conference, and tell him we're ready to be a full-fledged church."

Smith said becoming a full-fledged church is based on factors such as how the congregation as a whole feels and whether they're able to meet financial requirements.

"I think it's attainable but we don't put a time on it," she said.

Smith believes that church is a calling.

"Some people decide they want a bigger church; some people may not like the idea of a female minister," she said. "It really depends on what that call is."

In the meantime, their call is to serve as a church.

"Our plan has always been to come out and work and see what God will do," she said. "In the meanwhile, those of us that are here, we're having the faith to serve."

Castaic Community Church, an African Methodist Episcopal Church, hosts service at 10 a.m. on Sundays at 29818 Lincoln Avenue in Val Verde. Sunday School is at 9 a.m. The church's e-mail is castaicchurch@aol.com.