Sanctuary Updates
The construction work is completed, the building has passed the latest city inspections, and we have been issued our temporary occupancy permit. The space has been fully cleaned, the furniture has arrived, and we are ready to start the move in process!
Come join us as we celebrate with our first service in the newly remodeled, fully accessible, brighter, and more flexible space on Sunday November 13th at 10am. Thank you to the entire congregation for all the support.
Our new Sanctuary offers:
- Accessibility
It will be fully accessible to people of all ages, abilities and (dis)abilities - Flexibility
It will allow many new and different uses by our congregation and the community, such as
Concerts ˖ Drama Groups ˖ Discussions ˖ Community Meetings and more
Our Story
First Congregational Church of San Jose was founded in 1875, in downtown San Jose, and moved to its current location at Hamilton and Leigh in 1955. The congregation first built the classroom wings and Fellowship Hall, and broke ground on the Sanctuary on October 17, 1965. The first services were held in the new sanctuary on December 4, 1966; and the building, with its ten-story-high spire, was dedicated on January 15, 1967.
At FCCSJ, our welcome is central to who we are as a faith community. In the last few years, with broad support from our congregation, we’ve embarked on a plan to extend and enhance our welcome through the redesign, renovation and renewal of our church’s Sanctuary. The new Sanctuary will preserve the current space while respecting the legacy of the original architect.
The planning of this project began in 2014 when a ministry team started working on the future of our worship space. In 2015 an architect was engaged, and from 2016 to 2019 the project was priced and redesigned a few times. In 2020 the current version was selected, designs finalized, and more detailed estimates received. The capital campaign began in 2021. The actual renovation began in June 2022 and completion is expected in November 2022.
Why Renovate our Sanctuary?
This investment in renewing our Sanctuary will enable us to:
- Extend the broadest welcome possible to all who enter
- Realize important improvements to safety while making the entire space easily accessible to people of any age and with any mobility challenges
- Upgrade the lighting, sound, and flexibility of the space. This will offer our congregation and our community countless opportunities to use the space in new and different ways.
The renewed Sanctuary space will reflect our congregation’s theological leanings and have the flexibility to meet the challenges of future theological movements.
We’ll be able to fling our Doors Wide Open, with a welcoming, affirming spirit. In turn, all who come here will experience opportunities for greater spirituality, learning, growth, and service. Our new sanctuary will affirm our commitment to an inclusive, extravagant welcome for generations to come.
