Who We Are

GPC is a creative intergenerational community of faith that proclaims and shares God’s love through its worship and ministries.  GPC is a place to belong, serve, celebrate, and grow through worship, education, community outreach, and more.

Everyone is welcome at Glendale Presbyterian Church. No matter what age, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, mental or physical ability, marital status, economic status, differences of thought or belief, or any other form of diversity you may exhibit, you are welcome here.

Vision Statement
Sharing God's love through our work and play in our church and community.

Mission Statement
Sharing God's Love through:

• creative intergenerational worship and outreach

• education and service that deepens our faith

• inviting and welcoming all

• expanding our family of faith

GPC Leadership

Glendale Presbyterian Church is governed by a session comprised of six ruling elders. Each serves a term of two years, requiring the congregation to elect three ruling elders each year. The ruling elders also provide leadership and oversight to the four committees charged with managing church programs. These committees (described below) are mostly supported by member volunteers.

2024 Church Officers

Peggy Mayfield (Clerk of Session), Beth Ford (Nominating), Sonia Kesselring (Connect Co-Chair), Matt Krob (Discipleship Chair), Leslie McKinstray (Care Chair), Deb Rose (Connect Co-Chair), Leslen Sanders (Administration Chair), Steve Chamberlin (Treasurer), Rev. Kathleen Henrion (Moderator)

Session Commissions

The Administration Committee oversees the areas of finances, stewardship, personnel, and buildings and grounds. Under session oversight, the commission manages the performance review process as well as financial policies, budget, reporting, and investments.

The Care Committee welcomes new members into the church, provides caring support for members in times of need, and organizes fellowship and social activities for the congregation throughout the year.

The Connect Committee is the evangelism arm of the church working to connect the congregation to the larger community. It also collaborates with the pastor and the music director to envision and plan engaging worship services.

The Discipleship Committee oversees all GPC mission outreach, including activities and financial support. It also organizes and supports the education and spiritual development of adults, youth, and children.

What We Believe

Glendale Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian Church (USA) congregation.

Presbyterians trace their history to the 16th century and the Protestant Reformation. Our heritage, and much of what we believe, is rooted in the teachings of the reformer John Calvin (1509-1564), whose writings crystallized much of the Reformed thinking that came before him.  Some of the principles articulated by John Calvin remain at the core of Presbyterian beliefs. Among these are the sovereignty of God, the authority of the scripture, justification by grace through faith, and the priesthood of all believers.

What they mean is that God is the supreme authority throughout the universe. Our knowledge of God and God's purpose for humanity comes from the Bible, particularly what is revealed in the New Testament through the life of Jesus Christ. Our salvation (justification) through Jesus is God's generous gift to us and not the result of our own accomplishments. It is everyone's job — ministers and lay people alike — to share this Good News with the whole world. That is also why the Presbyterian church is governed at all levels by a combination of clergy and laity, all genders alike.

At the meeting of the 225th General Assembly of the PC(USA), the body voted 348-38 to approve the resolution HSB-11 On Affirming Reproductive Justice. At today’s meeting, the GPC session passed a motion to affirm and concur with the action of the 225th GA. We are proud to stand with and publicly state that we trust women! 

Here is the full text of HSB-11:

1.     In appreciation of the complexity and seriousness of issues concerning abortion, we affirm that women and pregnant people are full moral agents, created in the image of God. Recognizing that God alone is Lord of the conscience, we support their moral capacity to decide whether to continue or end any given pregnancy.

2.     Denounce attempts to prevent people from receiving essential healthcare, particularly when it results in forced pregnancy and the violation of bodily autonomy.

3.     Reject attempts at all levels of government to reduce, limit, or eliminate access to contraceptive and abortion care. 

4.     Affirm the principles of the Reproductive Justice Movement to support the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy to have children, to not have children, and to parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities, in recognition that Christian moral and ethical concerns about abortion should be considered within broader conversations about human sexuality, fertility, reproduction, contraceptives, and parenting.

5.     Clearly and publicly make known the PC(USA)’s consistent support of access to contraceptive and abortion care and our commitment to respect the moral agency of all God’s people. 

6.     Direct Presbyterian Mission Agency, in connection with Advocacy Committee on Women's Concerns, to create a theological reflection to guide the church on the issue. 

7.     Urge the Board of Pensions to continue to develop the policies and practices that will ensure that plan members are able to access reproductive health care, access to contraceptives and abortion, equitably, no matter the state they live in.

For more information about what makes Presbyterians unique, click here.

Our History

Glendale Presbyterian Church has thrived for 70 years as a small suburban church focused on providing ministry and mission to families, as both members and persons of need in the community.  One trend that stands out is the church’s tradition of developing long-term relationships with its pastors.  From 1975 to 2020, our three installed pastors, who served as head of staff, each ministered to the church for 12 to 15 years.

The following provides a brief historical summary of key dates in the church’s history:

In 1948, the City of Glendale was surveyed to determine if a new protestant church should be established and, in 1950, the Presbytery of St. Louis began efforts to establish a church in the community. Glendale Presbyterian Church (GPC) was formally organized on December 16, 1951, with a membership of 66 persons. The church called its first full-time pastor in 1952 and legally incorporated in 1957.

In 1952, GPC remodeled previously acquired residential property to convert the three-car garage into a chapel and utilized the house for meeting space and pastor living quarters. Beginning in November 1953, the church began efforts to construct a new chapel, and on January 16, 1955, the cornerstone was laid with a special service commemorating the occasion. The church property continued to grow with a new Christian education building dedicated in 1960. Beginning in 1961, GPC worked to acquire adjacent property to provide room for additional parking. This was finalized in February 1964 with the purchase of Lot 3 Moreland Place. In 1966, GPC established a weekday preschool that served the Glendale community for 42 years.

Beginning in the last 1970s, GPC began staffing a youth advisor position culminating with the calling of an associate pastor with primary responsibility for youth ministries in 1996. In 1994, the church began its current support of Room at the Inn’s mission of providing homeless families with a place of rest, food, and fellowship. This work has continued to today as a priority of the congregation.

Over the years, GPC has served as a church home for many Presbyterians who were looking for a small church when their small churches closed. In 2005, Rock Hill South Webster Presbyterian Church, a church resulting from the merger of two small congregations six years earlier, closed, and many of its members, including leaders and singers, joined GPC. Then in 2009, Richmond Heights Presbyterian Church voted to assimilate into GPC bringing additional members as well as their concert piano and remaining investments to GPC’s ministry resources.

In 2010, GPC returned to a single full-time pastor model when its then associate pastor was called to serve as a chaplain at a local hospital. In December 2020, the church’s most recent installed pastor resigned to become the Associate Presbytery Leader for the Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy after 14 years of service at GPC.

In the Fall of 2022, Rev. Kathleen Henrion began her ministry with GPC as the 15th installed pastor in its 70-year history.