Alvin M. Keeling 
Members of the robed choir will practice outside a building in downtown Riverside on Thursday, October 6.
Why?
This is part of the 150th anniversary commemoration of the First United Methodist Church.
At 6:15 p.m., the choir will be outside 3598 Orange St., the site where the church was chartered, a church press release said.
The original church at Sixth and Orange streets burned down in a fire in February 1947. In 1948, the new congregational church opened at 4845 Brockton Ave., where it remains.
After singing at the original site, the choir will enter the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa, a former neighbor for 75 years, to complete the anthem.
“It is part of celebrating our anniversary, singing on the ground where we began,” said Robert Nelson, church historian and tenor of the Aldersgate Chorale, in the statement. “We will remember where early members of the church worshiped and highlight a fire that was quite a tragic sight in Riverside.”
Additionally, on Sunday, October 16, First United Methodist will host a post-service anniversary luncheon. Former pastors, church members and friends will be invited.
“We are grateful to all who assisted us in our hour of need in 1947,” Nelson said in the statement.
Information: 951-683-7831.
