Casas Adobes Congregational Church, UCC

Reflections of a Faith Community

Casas Adobes Congregational Church

An Open and Affirming (ONA) Congregation of the United Church of Christ

1958 – 2008

50th anniversary celebrated October 25 & 26, 2008

Reflections of a Faith Community

Casas Adobes Congregational Church

An Open and Affirming (ONA) Congregation of the United Church of Christ

Origins

In May of 1958 a group of men and women from the First Congregational Church of Tucson met around the swimming pool of Joseph Nordale and Florence Nanini Nordale at the Nanini Ranch at 6775 Casas Adobes Road. The purpose of the meeting was to explore the possibility of opening a new church in the rapidly growing northwest side of Tucson. Florence’s father, real estate developer, Sam Nanini had developed what is now the Casas Adobes region of Tucson including the Casas Adobes Shopping Plaza at Ina and Oracle Roads. The ranch and the shopping center all reflected Nanini’s homeland Italian village background in their design of whitewashed arches, red brick and ceramic tile roofs.

Earl H. Brooks was elected Chairman of the Steering Committee and subsequent meetings were held in the Brooks garage at 6740 Casas Adobes Road. With a favorable decision toward the new church, the first worship service was held on Sunday, October 26th, 1958 in the “Nanini Quarters,” the guesthouse of the Nanini Ranch, then the Nordale residence. There were 28 persons in attendance. Dr. James E. Robinson, Pastor of Visitation of the First Congregational Church, led the worship service. Pastor Robinson continued with these services until November 16th when Dr. Phillip E. Gregory, retired minister of the First Congregational Church of Laguna Beach, California was called to be interim minister. Soon the guesthouse on the Nordale property was not large enough and services were moved to the Brooks garage. By Christmas 1958 the congregation had grown to 104.

As 1959 opened concern was focused on finding a permanent place for worship and the hiring of a permanent minister. As Dr. Gregory had announced that he was only available until February 1959 the latter task had to be attended to first. On January 5th, Mrs. Joseph Nordale, Chairman of the Pastoral Committee, wrote to the Rev. George C. Vance, pastor of the First Congregational Church of Tucson, inviting him to become pastor of the new church in Casas Adobes. On January 12th Rev. Vance replied in the affirmative pending his release from his current position. His release was granted and Rev. Vance came to the pastorate of the new church on February 16, 1959. The second concern was solved on February 12th when the Church Building Society of the Congregational Churches announced that it had purchased the Nanini-Nordale properties from Sam Nanini for a purchase price of $100,000 payable over five years. Sam Nanini contributed $25,000 to assist the project.

The Nanini property became both the church and the parsonage. The first worship service was held in the living room of the former Nanini ranch house on February 22, 1959. The Sunday school met for the first time that Sunday and other organizations of the church soon followed – the Women’s Fellowship, the Pilgrim Fellowship of the senior high young people and the Pioneer Fellowship of the junior high group, for example. The first official business meeting of the congregation was held on April 26, 1959 when officers were elected. Earl H. Brooks became the first Moderator of the new congregation. At that meeting the decision was made to petition the Arizona Association of Congregational Churches for membership. The properties of the church were dedicated on October 25, 1959 and in that month land was cleared on the eastern part of the property for a parking lot and an entrance to Oracle Road.

In 1960 the first sanctuary of the church was the living room and bedroom area of the ranch house. It was capable of seating 150. The first of what would be three organs to be installed in the church was dedicated in January 1960. This was a Baldwin electronic organ given by Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Randall in memory of their grandson – Don Simmons. By-laws were established and, on May 17,th the church was incorporated in the State of Arizona as the Casas Adobes Community Congregational Church, a non-profit corporation. January 8, 1961 was the first Sunday that had two worship services to accommodate the growing congregation. Late in 1961 a fund drive, Funds for the Future, was held to raise $25,000 of which $16,000 was to be used to pay off the mortgage, $7,000 was to be used to expand the sanctuary and $1,500 was to be sent to the Conference for their capital expansion fund. In 1962 a parsonage was purchased for the Vances at 1129 W. San Martin Drive.

By 1964 seven new churches had started operations in the Casas Adobes area putting pressure on the allegiance of our congregation and the opportunity for growth. Accordingly, in 1963 the Trustees voted not to spend the Funds for the Future monies to expand the sanctuary but rather to formulate a long-range plan for the development of the property. A poll of the congregation was taken and the majority of the congregation felt that new or changed facilities were required and the Long Term Planning Committee was charged with developing the plans for a new sanctuary. For its first 10 years the church operated as an independent community Congregational church. In 1968 the congregation voted to become affiliated with the United Church of Christ. The name Casas Adobes Community Congregational Church was continued until the early 1980s when it was shortened to Casas Adobes Congregational Church.