Vision
We aim to see a faithful, vibrant, multi-generational community of mature Christians thriving in Silicon Valley, committed to historic Reformed doctrine and displaying Christ’s love.
Mission
We proclaim the good news about Jesus from the whole Bible so that we and our neighbors in Silicon Valley may walk in the light of God’s truth.
Our Commitments
Worship
We honor God by singing psalms and hymns in praise, offering prayer, reading and preaching God’s word, and observing baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We follow biblical principles and the historic pattern of Reformed worship.
Discipleship
We promote practical godliness by applying Scripture to all of life, in relationships that provide genuine encouragement and accountability. Our pastors, elders, and deacons know people in the congregation personally. (Acts 20:28)
Outreach
We aim to “shine as lights in the world” by holding fast to God’s word, by shaping our lives according to the Gospel, by nurturing genuine spiritual community, and by showing sacrificial love. (Philippians 2:14-18)
History
In the mid-1950s, Sunnyvale and nearby communities in the Santa Clara Valley were mostly filled with orchards containing apricot, cherry, and prune trees, but engineers in nearby Palo Alto and Mountain View were busily working out how to fabricate integrated circuits that would lead to the development of computers, the Internet, and modern electronics. All this would ultimately transform the Santa Clara Valley into present-day Silicon Valley. At about the same time, a former missionary to China, Henry Coray, started a local mission work that led to the formation of First Orthodox Presbyterian Church of Sunnyvale on September 17, 1956.
Seventy years later, we are still a thriving congregation of Reformed Christians in the heart of Silicon Valley. In 2026, with our seventieth anniversary approaching, we adopted the name Christ Presbyterian Church. Our new name that expresses our love for Jesus Christ and our renewed vision for proclaiming Christ’s Gospel to our community.
Our denomination
Christ Presbyterian Church is a congregation of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC), which began in 1936. J. Gresham Machen was a Presbyterian minister and professor who objected to the rise of false teaching that went by the name of “modernism.” When Machen was put out of the Presbyterian ministry, he and others formed a new denomination based on the firm conviction that the modern world does not need a new “modern” gospel. Rather, it continues to need the same gospel that Jesus and the apostles preached. Today, the OPC has congregations throughout the USA, and missionaries in various parts of the world.
What does “Presbyterian” mean?
This is an old word, and not easy to say! It comes from the Greek term for “elder” in the New Testament. Our congregation is led by pastors and elders, with the help of deacons and the participation of the whole congregation. We are ministry partners with other OPC churches, especially in the Presbytery of Northern California and Nevada. This partnership provides accountability, opportunities for mutual support, and resources for evangelistic ministry beyond each individual church.
Presbyterian churches have a long history stretching back to Scotland in the 1600s. Sadly, many Presbyterian churches have drifted away from biblical teaching and practical godliness. We hope our ministry will show a deep appreciation for the older inheritance of Presbyterianism, especially its biblical doctrine and government.