This year Shepherd of the Hills Church celebrates its 40th anniversary as the first church established in the city of Laguna Niguel. From its beginning, Shepherd of the Hills (SOTH) has been a unique institution. It has always been a do-it-yourself congregation, known by its early members as "the church of the eternal sign-up sheet". The first service was held at Crown Valley School on October 1, 1967, led by Paul Donovan, a United Church of Christ (UCC) minister. Although SOTH was initially supported by the Southern California Conference of the UCC, the Conference soon pulled the plug on the little congregation in Laguna Niguel.

The members, however, refused to allow their dream to die. They talked a Mission Viejo real estate firm into donating a small unnecessary sales office building to SOTH and moved the building onto the church site. After doing so, the members sought and received renewed support from the Conference. The congregation then called Dave Sandberg as their full-time minister and on the first Sunday in August 1970, fourteen worshipers sat in a circle on railroad ties, their feet in thick layers of sawdust from the refurbishing still in progress.  It soon became apparent that the congregation had to grow or it would wither on the vine. A "real" sanctuary, along with classrooms and office space, was required. Although the 26 members pledged an additional $16,000 over and above their normal contribution, the only practical solution to fund a building project seemed to be to sell a portion of the property. This was done, and the building currently on the site was built. On Christmas Eve, 1972, before the building had lights or heat, a most memorable candlelight service inaugurated the new Shepherd of the Hills Church.

The congregation indeed grew and the building soon required additional classroom space. In 1976, Harold Swander and volunteers from the congregation built two new classrooms. That wing of the church is still known as the Swander Wing in memory of its remarkable creator.

In 1981, a new and flourishing Niguel Children's Center was founded by SOTH members and even more classrooms were added.  For the church to continue to meets its spiritual obligation to the community, it would again have to expand, and again the do-it-yourselfers met the challenge. It sold $300,000 worth of interest-bearing bonds to its members and friends which resulted in an enlarged sanctuary, an added classroom building, a new administration unit, enlarged kitchen, remodeled Fellowship Hall, and restrooms.  Our current facility was completed in 1984.

Jointly with Temple Beth El, SOTH sponsored the Community Forum Series for many years, affording the two congregations and the public at large the opportunity to listen to and interact with an exceptional group of speakers and performers. These included the likes of former CBS White House correspondent Robert Pierpoint, novelist Ray Bradbury, L.A. Times columnists Jack Smith and Ralph Story, cartoonist Paul Conrad, newspersons Kelly Lange and Jess Marlow, two-time Olympic decathlon gold medalist Rafer Johnson, eminent University of Chicago theologian and church historian Martin Marty, writer and philosopher Norman Cousins, Tony award nominated bass Michel Bell, father of Coby Bell from TV’s Third Watch, and many others.

Throughout its history, SOTH has taken ecumenism and outreach extremely seriously. By sharing its space, it has nested numerous local congregations of various faiths, including Mission Lutheran, St.

Timothy Roman Catholic, Temple Beth El, Faith Episcopal, Evangelical Free Church of Saddleback Valley,  Iglesia de Christo, and Capela Calvario. In 1990, a dramatic step was taken under the leadership of Dave Sandberg and Ed Linberg, then pastor of Saddleback Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). A full partnership of the two congregations was created and we began the challenging journey of learning to live together as one church family.  Because of the strong views of SOTH's leadership and members regarding SOTH's responsibility to a broader ministry, it has provided leadership well out of proportion to its age and size within the UCC and DOC Conferences. In 1992, a new pastor, Dr. S. Huw Anwyl, was called to lead the congregation. Dr. Anwyl has continued to expand the church's local and global outreach. Currently we support a weekly Native American healing service, led by Rev.  Kathy Sandoval, that blends elements of various traditions into a compelling worship experience that draws people from many of the surrounding communities. And we partner with Capela Calvario to build a bridge to the local Hispanic community. And globally, Dr. Anwyl has expanded our broader ministry through his extensive travels in the cause of peace in such places as Bosnia, Zimbabwe, East Timor, Sudan, Iran, and Iraq. Through his guidance, SOTH has also expanded its beliefs and now recognizes itself as a progressive Christian church which lovingly welcomes and affirms all people within the community without regard to race, ethnicity, spiritual beliefs, gender or sexual orientation