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.