In late summer 1907, a group of Volga German immigrants who had settled in and around Sanger gathered for a prayer meeting and decided to form a congregation affiliated with the German Congregational Church. Articles of incorporation were officially filed with the State of California on 21 April 1908.
Under the leadership of Pastor Franz Englund, a corner stone for a new church building was laid in March of 1908 at the corner of North and Thompson. In 1917, the church was moved to its present location at the corner of McCall and Annadale. The land there had been donated by the William Schwabenland family.
In 1969, the congregation became Salem Free Evangelical Free Church.
First location:
North & Thompson
Fresno, California
Second location:
2518 S. McCall Ave.
Fresno, CA 93657-9720
559.495.1345
Salem Congregational Church has been served by the following pastors:
Rev. Carl Legler (1908-1909)
Rev. John Koch (1909-1912)
Rev. John George Eckhardt (1912-1920)
Rev. W. Aumann (1920-1925)
Rev. Heinrich Phillip Reiter (1926-1929)
Rev. J. J. Ballensky (1930-1934)
Rev. Heinrich Phillip Reiter (1934-1936)
Rev. A. Claus (1936-?)
Rev. Franz Englund
Rev. Greg Crocker
- 100th Anniversary Resolution by the Fresno Board of Supervisors (Resolution No. 08-458)
- Eisenach, George John. A History of the German Congregational Churches in the United States (Yankton, SD: Pioneer Press, 1938): 245.
- Haugland, Scott, Ken Marcantonio, and Hal Shaw. Sanger (Sanger, CA: Sanger Historical Society, 2013): 92.