About GPC
We have a long-standing tradition of mutual respect for and by people all across the conservative/progressive spectrum, meeting one another wherever we are on our faith journeys and seeking to grow in communion together. In our Sunday worship, small groups and personal relationships we challenge and support one another as we seek to become mature Christians.
Our congregation includes a number of teachers, engineers, musicians, craftspeople, entrepreneurs, tradespeople and professionals, along with members with rich life experience in community service, charitable work, and raising families.
We cherish the hospitality our members display toward one another & toward visitors. We support one another both in times of challenges & celebration. We take seriously our mission of doing Christ’s work in the world.
Our Sunday worship is built on Presbyterian traditions and liturgy, with diverse & blended features. Preaching, scripture reading and music are vital parts. Our choir, our praise band and various musicians bring energy and inspiration to worship. In addition to our Christian Education programs, small groups participate in Bible study, life-story sharing book discussion and other activities.
We are a mission-oriented church and seek to maintain a critical awareness of how well the church and the wider society serve “the least of these.”
Locally we are active with Transition House, Community Kitchen, Casa Esperanza (a low-cost housing HUD project), Blood Bank, Mothers of Pre-Schoolers (MOPS), Isla Vista Youth Project, Habitat for Humanity, Alzheimer’s Walk, and Walk for Life. We have participated in Amor Ministries’ house-building projects in Mexico. For over 20 years we have offered a semi-annual “Love of God” retreat for youth from our church and wider community.
| We have a sister relationship with a Presbyterian church in Patriensa, Ghana. GPC donations helped build a bakery there (photo below), providing jobs and serving the local community and the wider region. |  |
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We acknowledge that we are created in God’s world and that we are to be stewards of creation, for ourselves and for generations to come. |
We come from a wide array of theological backgrounds, life experiences and perspectives. Our common thread is that we have chosen to worship the Triune God together; to call each other family regardless of differences; to live and pray together and seek a common path forward as one body under Christ.