History of First Congregational Church

Oldest Protestant Congregation in San Mateo County

On November 2, 1862, the Reverend and Mrs. J. S. Zelie and ten other people met in a second floor room of the Redwood City courthouse and founded our congregation. At that time, the city had a population of about 250.

The next year, the congregation purchased a lot at the corner of Jefferson and Middlefield Roads in order to erect a church building. The structure on that site would be their home for the next 90 years. The church was officially incorporated as 1st Congregational Church of Redwood City in 1891.

The congregation moved into a new yellow brick church on the old site in 1922, but with the growth of Redwood City after the Second World War, the building and the site were no longer adequate. The congregation purchased 3.7 acres of land in the hills on the west side of town where the suburbs were growing rapidly. The cost for the land was $9,700. They erected a chapel and an education wing which were completed and dedicated in 1954. The sanctuary and organ were dedicated in 1957. Also in 1957, we became a proud member congregation of the newly-formed United Church of Christ.

The church grew to become the pillar Protestant church in town in the 50s and 60s. Even the church newsletter was called The Pillar. By the 1990s, however, our numbers were decreasing. As the 21st century dawned, we took a long and prayerful look at how we might transform into a new and vital church for a new culture. We are strongly identified with the United Church of Christ, and the principles of progressive Christianity (www.tcpc.org). In 2006, after a process of study and reflection, we voted to become an Open & Affirming congregation. Our Open & Affirming statement is included on our home page.

Currently, we rent our current church office and worship space, only a short walk from the original church site at the corner of Jefferson and Middlefield. That intersection, in the heart of beautifully renewed downtown Redwood City, is flanked today by a large shopping center, the commuter rail station, a theater complex and the City Hall.

We are back “in the heart of town!” We listen for the voice of the still-speaking God, and invite you to help us plant a new, vibrant church where spirits are fed!

Our Mission Outreach

In 1893, our congregation purchased and donated the land on which the Woodside Village Church (also a UCC congregation) was built. Next to the WVC sanctuary building today is the small, white frame chapel which was that first church.

Even though our own downtown building had been shaken from its foundations, we assisted refugees from San Francisco at the time of the 1906 earthquake.

Between 1968 to 1972, in conjunction with the Fun-After-Fifty Club, our church became the local sponsor for Casa de Redwood, a low-cost, senior citizen retirement home. The church provides the majority of members of the Board of Directors to this day.

We have sponsored refugees from various parts of the world and continue to reach out on a regular basis through our denominational and interfaith offerings (One Great Hour of Sharing).

We have provided leadership for our Association and Conference in the United Church of Christ for the national setting of the denomination (www.ucc.org), now headquartered in Cleveland, OH.

Throughout the year we reach out to support others in our community and world through:

Denominational Ties

Through the historic denominations whose merger created the United Church of Christ in 1957, we connect with the beliefs and principles of the Protestant Reformation. Our congregational heritage is rooted in New England where the Pilgrims and Puritans established the freedom to worship God according to the dictates of their own consciences.

We are connected in fellowship with the Golden Gate Association, and the Northern California Nevada Conference (www.ncncucc.org) of the UCC. Our polity is democratic, and the unit of autonomy is the local church.