ChurchHistory

It took quite a while for the church to get off the ground. As far back as 1907, there was a mission church called the First
Presbyterian Church of Las Vegas. The church had been registered and was granted money for a building fund, having applied
for and received various loans. In short, it looked like things were moving right along. However, that was not the case. After 1907,
the Las Vegas church went without representation at Presbytery, and by 1914 the name of the church was no longer on the
records, and it was never mentioned in the minutes again until 1953.

The Reverend W. Hanne was serving as moderator of the Presbytery of Nevada when he asked why there was no Presbyterian
Church in the southern part of the state. Shortly after that, he was sent to Southern Nevada to determine if there was a need for a
Presbyterian Church.

In January of 1953, the church ran two days of spot radio announcements, telling all listeners about a meeting at Bunker
Brothers Mortuary to consider establishing a new church. Forty-seven people attend the first service, and by the first of March,
Rev. Hanne along with his wife, Ruth, became the original pastor and first lady of the First Presbyterian Church. During the first
few months there were several potluck dinners, children were baptized and a Sunday school was organized. In May the First
Presbyterian Church of Las Vegas, with 297 charter members, was recognized by the Presbytery of Nevada. In November,
two acres of land on the corner of Charleston and Desert Lane were purchased from Bud Albright, who agreed to sell the land
for only $13,000 if members promised that someone would pray for him everyday for the rest of his life.

Over the years the church grew, had many monumental moments and seeded many other Presbyterian Churches in the area.
In 1981 the congregation started to expand it's campus by building a new sanctuary. In 1987 a calamity struck on Tuesday
before Easter Sunday, April 14, when a raging fire began in the chapel and consumed the entire educational building including
the staff offices. Miraculously no one was injured. In 1988 "We Shall Rise Again," an every member campaign to raise money
over a 3 year period, began. The money raised was used to replace Hanne Chapel, Lutz Social Hall and administrative offices
that were demolished in the fire. In 1989, a Kindergarten was started, beginning the First Presbyterian Academy. The Church
and the Academy flourished until sharing of current space became impractical. In 2001 the Academy decided to venture off
campus for more space for the school to flourish.

In May of 2003, First Presbyterian Church celebrated it's 50th Anniversary and today still flourishes in the heart of Las Vegas,
Nevada, as a Christ Centered Family serving the community and all who seek our Lord.