In the Beginning (1906-1910): Wilfred W. Shaw, pastor
Up the Hill (1911-1921):Norman B. Harrison, pastor
In Whatsoever State (1922-1932): Harry S. Templeton, pastor
How Firm a Foundation (1932-1947): Dr. Peter W. Erickson, pastor
The Building (1948-1961): Dr. L. David Cowie, pastor
Moving Outward (1962-1969) : Dr. Robert B. Munger, senior pastor
The Discovery of Gifts (1970-1977):Richard P. Langford, senior pastor
Free to Serve (1978-1990): Bruce Larson, senior pastor
Marching Onward (1991-Present): Dr. Earl F. Palmer, senior pastor
In the Beginning (1906-1910)

In the Beginning (1906-1910)

In the beginning was the Word. John 1:1

In 1906 Theodore Roosevelt was in the White House, Albert E. Mead was governor of the state of Washington, and Thomas B. Kane was president of the University of Washington. A number of Seattle people thought it was time to start a Presbyterian church in the University district.

On their own initiative, three district residents who were members of the First Presbyterian Church in Seattle selected three lots as the site for a future church. By the fall of 1907 the land was purchased and the title had passed to the First Presbyterian Church. With the backing of the parent church, and the assurance of lots on which to build, planning for a new congregation could begin in earnest.

In December, 1907, a group of interested persons gathered to discuss the general sentiment for establishing a church. On February 9, 1908 the first session of the Sunday school was held in a hall above a drugstore on what is now University Way. There were six classes: one for adults; one each for young men and young women; one each for boys and girls; and one for infants. On that first Sunday attendance was 29, the offering taken was $1.22.

On March 19, 1908, 51 people met to formulate the necessary petition to the Presbytery of Seattle for the formation of an independent church, to be called “University Presbyterian Church.” The petition was accepted on April 15 and the formal founding came on May 6, 1908.

Later that year, at a special meeting of the congregation, it was voted to call the Reverend Wilfred W. Shaw, of Govanstown Presbyterian Church, Baltimore, Maryland, to the pulpit. He accepted and was installed as the first pastor on April 28, 1909. The new congregation grew quickly, and by the time Shaw resigned in 1910 there were 154 members.