History of Peninsula Covenant Church

In 1951, 31 charter members began Peninsula Covenant Church as an outreach mission to unchurched people on the San Francisco Peninsula. This small but energetic group initially met at a home in Burlingame where the members committed themselves to impact lives for Christ through building relationships, imparting the Gospel, and meeting the spiritual, emotional and physical needs of the individuals and families that joined the fellowship. God blessed this dedication to outreach, and there followed a rapid expansion of the fellowship in the years immediately following its establishment.

In 1959, the church launched out in faith and purchased a large estate in Redwood City where the congregation built a worship center (now our Fellowship Hall). Our present worship center was built in 1975 to accommodate the increased size of the congregation. In that same year the vision to serve as an outreach mission to the Peninsula led to the acquisition of a swim and tennis club, which was adjacent to the church property. The Peninsula Covenant Church Community Center (as it is now called) was physically and spiritually linked to the church through construction of a bridge, which spans the canyon between the two campuses. The vision of the church and the opportunities afforded it by the outreach of the Community Center, a pre-school program was initiated and an afterschool care program to meet the needs of community families. These three community focused programs have gained excellent reputations and have waiting lists for their services.

Although the demographics and migratory patterns of our community have changed drastically over the past 40 years, the commitment of PCC to outreach remains strong. Today Peninsula Covenant Church has approximately 800 members, with hundreds more calling it their church home. PCC is a truly multigenerational and diverse congregation. This is most conspicuous in worship as the church provides three distinct styles done in a spirit of unity with every worshipper being a viable part of the PCC community. A specific outreach to the skateboard culture has resulted in “Skatechurch” for many young people not yet ready to worship together in a building.

The commitment of PCC to offer unique programming and caring fellowship in a Christ centered environment positions this congregation to make an even greater impact upon this community in the future.