The first pastor of the Mission was Reverend C. C. Hung who came from Honolulu to minister to the small congregation in 1925. His salary was paid by the Southern California Conference of Congregational Churches. Church services were then held in both Chinese and English. At that time there were about forty Chinese living in crowded conditions in the dormitory. About twenty teachers, most of whom were Caucasian, taught the language classes and Sunday School. By that time the Mission buildings were in a sad state of repair. The roof leaked and there were never enough buckets to catch the rain.

Reverend Hung, with the aid of Mrs. Fanton and Reverend Paul B. Waterhouse of the Congregational Conference, began a fund raising campaign for a new building. W. H. Porterfield, Editor of the San Diego Sun and brother of Mrs. Fanton, opened the campaign with a showing of a motion picture about China at the First Congregational Church on December 28, 1926. George W. Marston donated the land on which the Mission was located, and other substantial donations were made by prominent San Diegans including Miss Mary Marston and M.C. Pfefferkorn. One popular means of fund raising was having the little girls of the Mission Sunday School, dressed in their Chinese costumes, sing for church and fraternal organizations. This proved to be a lucrative way of raising funds from San Diegans anxious to help in the cause.28 The Savoy Theatre, a legitimate theatre with a stock company presenting a different play each week, held a benefit performance for the Mission donating 25c from each ticket sold. These and other fund raising methods were so successful that within six months ten thousand dollars was raised by the Chinese people and their friends. The total cost of the building was about twenty thousand dollars, the balance being provided by the Congregational Conference.29

The old Mission buildings were torn down in July, 1927, and while the new buildings were being built classes were held at the Chinese Benevolent Association on Third Street.

The architect chosen for the new buildings was Louis J. Gill, nephew, protege and partner of Irving Gill, noted California architect. The new Mission consisted of a large meeting hall with a stage, two small offices at the front, and a parlor and kitchen in the rear. Screens were used to partition the meeting hall into classrooms. A two story dormitory containing 18 rooms was built on the back of the lot.

A dedication ceremony for the Mission and dormitory was held on November 22, 1927, with all the ministers of the local Congregational churches assisting. Reverend Lawrence Wilson, Pastor of the Mission Hills Congregational Church, presided. The Service of Dedication was given by Reverend Wm. W. Scudder of the La Mesa Congregational Church, the Prayer of Dedication by Dr. Roy Campbell of the First Congregational Church, and the Benediction by Reverend William Forshaw of the Plymouth Church. Music was provided by the choir of the Mission Hills Congregational Church.

Reverend Hung spoke on the subject "The Chinese Mission and Its Program of Future Work". Representatives of the Congregational Conference who also spoke were Dr. George F. Kenngott and Reverend Paul B. Waterhouse. At the close of the dedication service the young men who were the first occupants of the new dormitory rooms proudly escorted the visitors through them. Each dormitory room had been dedicated by a friend of the Mission. It was an exciting time and the culmination of months of hard work by the supporters of the Mission. For the Chinese it was a dream fulfilled.30

The dormitory rooms first rented for $6.00 a month, with kitchen privileges and the use of the parlor for reading. The rent was raised to $8.00 a month in 1945, and by 1953 it was $18.00 a month.31 Some of the teachers who taught with Mrs. Fanton during Reverend Hung's ministry were Anna Waldo, Mrs. J. B. French and her daughter, Helen, Bess Herrin, Flora Baumann, Dorothy Mann, Florence Wong and Gertrude Jair Tom.

Soon after the new building opened Mrs. Fanton wrote:

"if the walls of a house could speak what interesting stories and experiences we might have heard from the old Chinese Mission.... We would have heard of hundreds of Chinese boys and young men and girls passing in and out of its doors on their way to and from the orient, of the scores having formed their first contacts with Western civilization through the Mission, of the experiences of young men unable to speak English coming to San Diego direct from China; how they immediately found their way to the Mission to join the Americanization classes conducted nightly, and we would also have heard of the many happy parties and social activities participated in by American friends, teachers and Chinese students.... The night school, church, and social activities will continue just as they were before, only better, much better, and then to make it all secure, loving hearts and hands and minds will assist in the work. We all know the value of this type of community service for the Chinese people, and if China, as many believe, is to come into its own with other nations, largely through the influence of the Chinese educated in this country, who can say that the Congregational Mission of San Diego has not had a vital part in it.32
Reverend Hung remained in San Diego only three years, but accomplished much in that time. He endeared himself to the Chinese and to all those who worked with him. He accepted a call to a pastorate in Detroit and from there went on to establish the Chinese Community Church of Washington, D.C., retiring in 1971. By the time he left San Diego there was a busy schedule of activities at the Mission, with Sunday School at 1:30 Sunday afternoon and worship service in both English and Chinese at 8 P.M. English night school was held daily except Saturday and Sunday at 7 P.M. There was a Chinese school for teaching of Chinese to the English speaking children every day, except Sunday, at 5 P.M. Christian Endeavor for the young people met on Friday evenings. There was always at least one social gathering each month.
In a parting statement to his congregation, Reverend Hung said:

"The Mission... has taught countless young men the art of speaking and writing English correctly so that they may be able to understand the American thought and customs and hence lead a more successful life in America.... To educate the Chinese people of San Diego has always been the steadfast purpose of the Mission. In addition to service as an intellectual institution the Mission is the social center of the Chinese community.... We come now to the most important phase of the work of the Mission, that of building up character and moulding young lives into respectable manhood and womanhood.... We may mention another phase of the work of the Mission and that is to bring about a better understanding and closer friendship between the Chinese and Americans by interpreting China to America and vice versa. Such work has tremendous importance as it concerns the future peace in the Pacific area and perhaps the world."33
After Reverend Hung there were several pastors in quick succession. Reverend Lau Moon Kwong took over in 1929, followed by Reverend Hung Kwun Leong who served from 1931 to 1933. Reverend Leong was from Canton and a scholar. In addition to his regular duties he wrote and translated letters to or from China for his parishoners. His sermons in English and Cantonese were well liked and the Sunday School for the children flourished.