Our History

In November 1989, the Presbytery of Nevada for new church development, purchased our existing property from the Del Webb Corporation.

On February 25, 1990, twenty-three enthusiastic men and women met at Mountain Shadows Community Center to discuss formation of a church. Beginning March 11, pastoral care and assistance was provided by the Rev. Dr. Paul Messineo of First Presbyterian Church of Las Vegas and worship services were led by a variety of available pastors and lay leaders.

In May the following year (1991), the first Task Force was formed and a Board of Trustees elected. At that time, the church was called "Community Church at Summerlin". In September, during the fall meeting of Presbytery at Lake Tahoe, the church was represented for the first time. In October, the Rev. Ralph Lemme became the organizing pastor.

In 1992, the chruch was renamed "Mountain View Presbyterian Church"; a Building Committee was formed and architects were hired to formulate plans for the first unit, which would include a sanctuary and narthex, a large multi-purpose room, and church offices.

The Chancel choir was also formed that year beginning with six members! John Smith was hired as Choir Director who served in that capacity until 2004.

In January 1993, a working model was presented to the congregation for approval, and a Capital Fund Drive began.

A children's Sunday School was started in march of 1993, and has now grown to over seventy-five youngsters.

Construction approval was granted in 1993 and a special groundbreaking service was held on June 4, 1995. It took less than a year to complete the new facility.

Construction was completed in May 1996, and the first worship service in our new sanctuary was held on may 12, Mother's Day. What a glorious occasion! The dedication service was held on Sunday afternoon, June 23, 1996.

Pastor Lemme retired in August 1996, and Rev. Tom Tomlinson was hired as Interim Pastor in December.

The church continued to grow in numbers and a second Sunday morning worship service was added in 1997. A nursery was added for both services. John Smith started a youth choir.

A Pastor's Nominating Committee was elected by the congregation in 1998 to begin the search for a permanent Pastor. An adult Bell Choir "Bells of Mountain View" and a beginning Bell Choir "Genesis Bells" were formed under the direction of our church organist Tim Harvey. A church Drama Group was started under the direction of Pegi Kinne and a Gospel Choir began in September 2000 under the direction of John Smith. A second building committee was also appointed to investigate the possibility of a second construction phase, to include an enlarged sanctuary, a Christian Education and Fellowship building, and attached Chapel and Multi-use room, as well as expanded offices for our growing staff.

The congregation approved the new phase of construction at a special Congegational Meeting on February 7, 1999, with groundbreaking scheduled for June. A new Capital Fund Drive was also implemented.

On September 1, 1999 the Reverend Vernon W. Towne began his ministry as our new pastor. On August 1, 2000, Willivere (Willie) Hinton began her work as Director of Christian Education.

Since those early days of 1990, the church has grown from the original twenty-three who gathered together to well over 600 members. Praise the Lord!

In 2001, our dream of an expanded facility was realized. A two-story Education and Fellowship Wing was constructed to accommodate our Sunday School and Adult Education programs. We also built a small chapel and enlarged our sanctuary to seat over 300 worshippers.

In 2003 the growth of our congregation blessed us with the need for an associate pastor. The Reverend Linda Kelly joined the staff at Mountain View in July of that year.

Mountain View Presbyterian Church invites you to come worship with us and participate in any programs or events in which you might be interested. We are blessed with dedicated and enthusiastic members and friends witnessing to Jesus Christ and serving him in the community.      Back to top