It all began when representatives from the Presbytery of Grand Canyon and Valley Presbyterian Church formed a committee to develop a new church on McCormick Ranch, Scottsdale, AZ in February of 1979.
The new church's first regularly scheduled service was conducted on October 14, 1979 by the Reverend Mark Koehler of Valley Presbyterian's staff. The service was held at the Christian Science Church just up the street from Mountain View's present location. Over 90 people attended the service, 12 of which signed on as charter members. Dr. Koehler conducted services for the six months through February of 1980 when the permanent pastor was recruited.
Then on March 9, 1980, the Reverend Ralph M.Meredith formally assumed the leadership of Mountain View as our New Church Development Pastor. The service of organization was held at the Presbytery of Grand Canyon in Phoenix on March 30th, 1980, the officially recognized date of the birth of Mountain View. One year and two months later, on May 17, 1981, Pastor Meredith was formally installed as Pastor of Mountain View.
The original office was just one room located in Scottsdale at 6207 N. Cattle Track. As fate would have it, the office was in the same building as a designer and builder of custom furniture, Fred Kuffner, whose God given talents have provided the solid maple table, pulpit, and cross in our sanctuary.
As our numbers grew, we outgrew our rented facility at the Christian Science Church and on March 4, 1984 the Ground Breaking Ceremony for the sanctuary and office building took place, and a short nine months later, on November 11th, 1984, the sanctuary was dedicated.
Four years later, on January 24th 1988, ground was broken for the new fellowship hall, and that building was first used for Sunday School on September 11th of that year.
Associate Pastor Paula Valle joined the Staff at Mountain View in May of 1993. In addition to her Masters of Divinity Degree from Fuller Seminary, Paula holds a Masters Degree in Counseling from Boston University. Paula is the "Minister for Congregational Life" at Mountain View and also resources the Deacons and leads the "Stephen's Ministry Program".
1996 marked the 15th anniversary of Mountain View and in March, as a part of the 15th anniversary celebration festivities, the fellowship hall was officially named "Meredith Hall" in honor of our Pastor Ralph Meredith. In 1997, we continued to grow, and in the fall we extended the call to Jim Rizer to join Mountain View as Associate Pastor.
Theological Foundations at Mt. View Presbyterian Church
Affirmed November 1992
HEARING
GOD'S WORD
Although there are many ways in which we hear
the Word of God, as a Church we primarily experience it in worship, in study
and in prayer. In worship we come together to praise God and to hear the Good
News of His love for all of us. We feel worship should be a balance of our
rich traditions and an openness to that which is new, exciting, surprising,
and free. Worship is flexible but always done with dignity and thoughtfulness.
In education we study God's Word attempting to grow in Christian maturity to
become more thoughtful and compassionate Christians. In prayer we seek God's
guidance and listen for his direction.
TRUSTING GOD'S WORD
Hearing God's Word in itself is not enough.
God's Word demands commitment. Therefore, as a Church we will continually
prepare and strive for deeper commitment throughout our life together. Our
faith makes demands on our time, our abilities, and our money. We will apply
our faith in our daily lives--being transformed, we grow.
ACTING ON GOD'S WORD
As a Church family, we will care for and about
each other as an expression of God's love for us in Christ. We develop a
closeness within the Church which goes beyond differences of opinion or
ideology; a closeness which shares both the celebrations and the defeats of
our individual lives and our life together. Basic Christian faith will focus
our lives beyond the Church. We are a strong mission- oriented Church
concerned with the basic needs of people.
SHARING GOD'S WORD
Our Church will reach outward as a friendly,
warm and open blend of peoples. It is important that we share our hopes and
beliefs and grow to become a larger family. Avoiding judgments about the faith
of others, we seek to communicate the Good News not only in words but also
through our whole life as a Church.
TEACHING GOD'S WORD
We teach each other about God's word, its
history and its meaning. We learn and grow in understanding God's word and
thereby grow stronger in faith. Our growing faith helps us hear, trust, act
on, and share God's word.
