The church was the very first Assyrian church in town, with its roots starting in the early 1920s. Articles of incorporation was officially filed for the church in 1924. Five directors were named in the articles of incorporation: Issac Adams, K.H. Shimmon, Sam Arsanis, Elisha Khamis and Joseph Adams.
In the early 1900s, Assyrians started settling in the San Joaquin Valley and Turlock specifically, attracted to the region's Mediterranean climate. In 1915, while the total population of Turlock was reported at 1,500, there were ten Assyrian families living in town. By 1930, 20% of the Turlock population was Assyrian, according to an article by Fred Aprim published in "Zinda Magazine" in January 2004.
A small group of Assyrians in Turlock began meeting for church services in the home of Rev. David Joseph on the corner of N. Palm and Wolfe streets and in 1924 the first Assyrian church in Turlock was founded.
"All the denominations, they were united back then to come together and go under the umbrella of this church," said Evangelical Church 100th anniversary organizer Ashour Yadegar.
Two years later, the Assyrian Presbyterians built their own church, then in 1946 the Church of the East built their own church, followed by the Assyrian Catholics in 1960, according to Yadegar.
A piece of property was purchased on the corner of Rose and Cahill streets for the Assyrian Evangelical Church and a temporary chapel was built -- the land was eventually sold to the Turlock School District and Crane School was built at the site. In 1948, the church moved to the corner of N. Palm and Washington streets (renamed to Monroe Avenue). In 1950, the church was dedicated and several of the local pastors participated in the ceremony, according to a Turlock Journal report.
At today's event, anthropologist Dr. Arianne Ishaya will share some history of the Assyrian community and the church, and Mayor Amy Bublak will be presenting an award. A host of Assyrian clergy will be share a word, as well as former Turlock Mayor John Lazar, whose family has a long history with the Assyrian Evangelical Church of Turlock.
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