JKPC History
In June 1963, John Knox Presbyterian Church was organized by the Presbytery of San Francisco.
Reverend Byron D. Hughes pastored this newly-formed church. The first worship services were held on the volleyball court of charter member Donna Miller’s home. The Board of National Missions provided the funding for John Knox's permanent home on a 3.6 acre site at 7421 Amarillo Road, in Dublin, California.
In November 1964, construction was completed on the first phase of a multi-purpose building. What is now the Fellowship Hall, used to be the church Sanctuary. In June 1965, Reverend John Braund began his tenure at John Knox.
With the completion of a permanent site came the desire to reach out to the community, and in November 1966, John Knox Co-op Preschool was opened and continues to serve area families.
In 1969, mothers from the community sought to help fight hunger in our area and The Children’s Emergency Food Bank was formed. It continues to serve the Tri-Valley area out of a shed on the church property. This all-volunteer operation provides food 50 weeks a year for families in emergency situations, and it continues to be supported with food drives and donations from the community throughout each year.
In May 1972, Reverend Jim Griffes was called as senior pastor. As the congregation grew, so did the need for more space. In 1974, the construction of the Christian Education classroom addition and expansion of the parking lot and lawns were completed. In February 1978, Sam Wills was commissioned as a lay minister and served for many years.
As the membership increased, additional expansion began. In April 1981, our first worship service in our new sanctuary was held. In July 1981, the solid oak pews were installed. In September 1981, Kay Frank, a member of JKPC, designed and installed the stained-glass windows that are still in our sanctuary. That same month, the Joy Preschool and Daycare Center, sponsored by the Women's Association, began operation as a mission outreach program. In June 1984, Norm Shrum joined John Knox as associate pastor, focusing his ministry on our youth groups. In that same year, our youth made their first trip to Mexico to aid in building homes. In April 1987, Reverend Richard C. Murray was called as senior pastor.
In May 1992, by remodeling and expanding part of our existing facility, our new administrative offices were completed. Pastor Murray left in 1993. Reverend Jill D. Robertson served as Interim Pastor.
In April 1995, Reverend Scott Dickson was called as our new pastor. In August 1995, Rhonda Dickson was hired as Children's Ministries Director as well as Bruce Byrne as Youth Ministries Director.
In August 1997, the church sanctuary underwent a complete refurbishing from top to bottom. A state-of-the-art sound and lighting system was installed as well as new painting and carpeting.
In the fall of 1997, we added a second worship service at 10:30 a.m. This service took on a contemporary flavor, while the 9:00 a.m. service blended
In June 2000, JKPC hired Pastor Tracy Vining as our new part-time associate pastor, overseeing adult education. Also in 2002, we installed two large projection screens in the front of the sanctuary.
In August 2003, Pastor Vining left for a senior pastor position. In September 2003, we went back to a single, blended service which we still maintain. In July 2004, Pastor Scott Dickson left for another called position.
In November 2004, Pastor Tom Waddell began his tenure as interim pastor and led the congregation for 2½ years. In December 2004, Norm and Cleo Ernst, longtime Chancel Choir director and Organist, respectively, left their positions and moved out of the area. In response to felt needs of the congregation, JKPC hired Dr. Robert Adams in August 2005 as Music Director/Organist overseeing the entire JKPC music program.
In 2005, the HVAC system over the sanctuary building failed; it was replaced with costs covered by insurance. In December 2006, pipes burst in the ceiling of the education wing, causing major damage. Most of the costs, including asbestos abatement, lighting, paint, flooring, and more, were covered by insurance. In March 2010, a water leak emerged in the Fellowship Hall foundation. This insurance claim resulted in asbestos abatement of the floor tile, new flooring, improvements to the lighting, new paint, removal of the raised chancel area and extension of the usable space in that room. God turned a number of major issues into great blessings.
In January 2006, Nancy Polcyn came on as Children's Ministry Director and continues to serve with enthusiasm and dedication as Family Ministries Director.
In June 2008, Pastor Randy McGrady-Beach was called as pastor and served until his retirement in October 2022.
For 14 years he served as an uplifting and approachable pastor, and as a leader in the Tri-Valley community as well.
In late 2008, Dean Christman was hired as Music Director over the JKPC music program. Except for a short break, Dean has continued in this position. In recent years, while Dean continues as Director, the responsibility to plan, rehearse, and provide music at services has been shared with Steve Kritzer. This arrangement of shared responsibility was enacted to help provide flexibility for the participants, both employed and volunteer.
In June 2013, JKPC celebrated its 50th Anniversary. Pastor Randy McGrady-Beach was joined by Associate Pastor Tracy Vining, and some worship service highlights were slideshows, videos with families’ reflections, choir singing, children singing, and bell ringers ringing! The fellowship hall was decorated with many poster boards displaying JKPC milestones, and a commemorative photo directory was available for all. JKPC received recognition from the city of Dublin and was presented with a 50th anniversary plaque.
In August 2015, Heavenly Grace Indian Church began holding worship services in the sanctuary and using Fellowship Hall after worship for a social hour. They continue to hold Sunday worship services here as well as special celebrations.
In March 2020, the Covid 19 Pandemic began. As with the rest of the world, this congregation felt its impact in many ways. One of our hardest losses was the closure of Joy Preschool & Daycare in August of 2021. The financial strain resulting from families keeping their preschool 11 children home as they themselves worked there and from strict licensing restrictions became insurmountable. Despite the challenges of COVID restrictions, in late 2020 a major renovation of the church kitchen was completed with cabinets, countertops and flooring all updated.
In October 2022, Pastor Randy McGrady-Beach retired. Five months later, in March 2023, Pastor Don Strongman and Pastor Garrett Yamada began to serve as Co-Interim Pastors and plan to lead this congregation until our next pastor is called. In June 2023, we held a JKPC 60th Anniversary Celebration.
In September 2023, Building Kidz, a new preschool began renovating the narthex and classrooms in the sanctuary building. They officially opened August 2024.
Click Here for pictures shown at the 50th Anniversary of JKPC in June 2013
