Grace Community Church of Wasco est. 1907

The year is 1907…100 years ago. Farming pioneers from many parts of the country have migrated and formed a colony in the Wasco area.


The earliest church in the Wasco, California area was founded in 1894 and belonged to the Congregational Conference of Southern California. It was organized by a group of the earliest settlers of the area at that time, concentrated in a district east of Famosa. These people first held worship services in the Robertson School building situated a mile north of Famosa. After a few years the congregation transferred to the Delta-Shamrock School Building situated five miles northeast of Wasco.


In 1904 the Shamrock and Delta school district consolidated and moved to Wasco and became the Wasco School. The school building was also the meeting place for the Congregational Church, the only church between Rosedale and Delano.


When Wasco Colony was founded in 1907, the Congregational Church was given the first plot of ground designated for a church. This was situated on 9th and F Streets. The church was incorporated on June 8, 1907 and the erection of a church building began immediately. Financing was secured through a grant loan, although most of the work was done by laymen. The first service was held in the new building on September 6, 1909.


The church grew steadily and in 1920 the lot for a new building on Seventh and Broadway was purchased. On February 1, 1931, the new church at the Broadway location was dedicated. Although this was the time of the Great Depression, the church debt on the building was cleared in 1941.


The church continued to serve the Wasco community from the Broadway facility until 2002, when the Congregational Church of Wasco merged with the First Baptist Church of Wasco and became Grace Community Church of Wasco. In May, 2002, the congregation moved to the facility at Seventh and Cedar where it remains today. 

Founders Vision

  • Change Community
  • Change Hearts
  • Welcome Children
  • The Heart of Wasco
  • Make Neighbors from Strangers
  • Sense of Home

Second Century

Grace Community Church was formed in 2002 when First Baptist Church joined with First Congregational Church. Both of these congregations were Evangelical or Bible churches made up of believers from various denominations. Each had a rich history of involvement in and outreach to the community of Wasco.

The senior pastor of First Congregational Church, Mike Bradley, became the senior pastor of Grace Community Church. Jim Wheeler, the pastor of First Baptist, became the pastor of GCC Family and Care Ministry. The two churches met initially at First Congregational Church and then settled at our current location, the former First Baptist Church.

After an effective ministry as pastor for fifteen years, Mike Bradley resigned. An interim period of about a year followed before the church was ready to call a new minister. Joseph Cardamone responded to the call and became pastor in 2009. During this time, significant changes were made to the church facility. A new office was constructed out of Sunday school classrooms. Later, the original master plan of the First Baptist Church was completed with the construction of a new all-purpose room. This addition has made ministry to our congregation and the community of Wasco much more effective.

After faithfully serving GCC for five years, Joseph Cardamone stepped down as pastor. Due to the protracted illness and ultimate passing of his wife, Pastor Cardamone was unable to continue his ministry. In 2015, the Elders called Joe Bubar, a retired Evangelical Free minister, to serve as interim pastor. At the beginning of 2016 the congregation agreed and we were accepted into membership of Evangelical Free Churches of America (EFCA). In April of 2016 the church called David Bocker to come serve as pastor.