Our church was established before Downey was incorporated as a city. It was in the Gallatin settlement of the Los Nietos Valley on Sept. 19, 1868 that seven people, John Newton, his wife, and son Willis; Olive Payett; Melvina Cole and her two daughters, Ann Baker and Margaret Cole, gathered to start the valley's first Baptist church, called Los Nietos Baptist Church. Rev. Isham Fuqua, a farmer from Rincon, a community near present-day Chino, served as the church's first pastor. Fuqua is numbered among the most influential pioneer clergyman of the Baptist church in California history. One weekend every month, Fuqua rode 50 miles to Downey to conduct church services. Due to the danger of bandits and outlaws, a group of men from Rincon usually rode with Fuqua half way through his journey until met by a group from the church who rode with him the remainder of the way. The church never paid Fuqua despite the fact he often braved violent storms and flooded rivers to conduct services. Our church is the oldest active Baptist church in California.