The Church of the Comforter has been in and around the Santa Barbara area since its inception in 1890. The church received its first charter in Summerland where it was the focal point of a small community developed as a Summer Camp for the newly founded Spiritualist Organization. The town was divided into small lots for the erection of tents for visitors. Even with tents as the facility for a meetinghouse there were 200-300 people attending meetings.
As Spiritualism grew and developed, so did Summerland. Time moved on and many Spiritualists left the area, but the Summerland Spiritualist Church of the Comforter carried on. In 1951 a freeway was constructed through Summerland and the Church of the Comforter had to find a new home, at 1028 Garden Street, and are still there to this day.
Spiritualists use mediums to communicate with the afterlife and believe in communication between this and the spirit world. They believe in the continuity of life - that our personality carries on when we cross over to the other side and believe that has been proven through mediumship.