Building the Church

Presbyterian Church services would continue at the Sun City Town Hall, conducted by ministers from the Presbytery until completion of a new church. At the service of October 14, 1962, twenty-eight charter member cards were received; by December there were fifty-two on whose faith the present church was developed.

A steering committee to organize the infant church was formed on December 12, 1962. A few weeks later The Rev. Charles Arthur Surber was invited to be the organizing pastor for the new United Presbyterian Church.

On Palm Sunday, April 7, 1963, the new church was formally organized. Rev. Surber was installed as Pastor, a nine-member Session and a seven-member Board of Deacons was installed. The new First Presbyterian Church of Sun City was born. Church services continued to be held at the Town Hall and all other meetings at the Pastor's or members' homes.

The need to erect a new building was realized and by April of 1964 a building committee was established with Arthur Cherry as chairman and Duncan Lowe as financial chairman. Through the rest of 1964 this committee discussed plans, interviewed architects, visited other churches and studied finances.

On September 15, 1965, a contract was awarded to the R. Holmes Construction Company in the amount of $167,575.00. Two weeks later ground was broken for the new church. Church membership had expanded to 223.

First United Presbyterian Church of Sun City is part of the family of churches which traces its heritage back to John Calvin and to John Knox, in Scotland. The connectional relationship is to the Presbytery of Grand Canyon, the Synod of the Southwest, and the General Assembly of the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A.

In its mission outreach it is related to the support of many specific projects of ministry and service, some as near as Sun Valley Lodge next door and some as far away as mission fields on the other side of the world.

In the Presbyterian form of government, members of the church live and serve together under the leadership of the officers they elect. At First Presbyterian it consists of the Teaching Elder, The Rev. Harrell Davis; the officers of the Session, composed of nine Ruling Elders, and the Board of Deacons elected to the service of the welfare work of the church.

~Donna Roth