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• Statement of Mission
• History

Statement of Mission

• To the Glory of God,
  we unite as a people of diverse cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds,
  loving and serving as God's willing disciples to live out the confession,
  'Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior'
  
• With our unique gifts and diverse membership,
  we provide Christian worship, education, fellowship and service,
  as we celebrate both the variety of people and the unity of the Holy Spirit
  
• It shall be our aim to share the Gospel
  and the love of Christ, bringing:
      Joy to little children
      High ideals to youth
      Direction to young adults
      Inspiration and fellowship to men and women in the midst of life
      Comfort and support to those in life's latter years,
      Healing and grace to all.
  
• Our fellowship welcomes all persons seeking to follow Jesus Christ
  and willing to grow, guided by the Word of God, and united in the common purpose:   'to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God' (Micah 6:8)
  
• Our ideal is a Church
  of open minds, warm hearts, a hopeful spirit, and social witness, providing sustenance which expresses, in all walks of life, the mind and will of Jesus Christ our Lord.

History

The roots of Second Union Church can be traced to the year 1917 when Methodist, Episcopal and Presbyterian English speaking congregations in Miramar merged to form the Union Church of San Juan.  Union Church continued its services in Miramar until 1959 when they moved to their current facilities in Punta Las Marias.  Due to the rapid expansion of San Juan in the 1950's, the evangelical council and The National Council of Churches conducted a study that indicated there were about 2,000 English speaking people in the Parkville-Guaynabo area, a suburb of San Juan, and recommended that Union Church organize services for these people.

On February 7, 1965, the first worship service was conducted in the patio of George Washington School in Rio Piedras and subsequently at the Puerto Rico Junior College in Cupey.  On June 20, 1965, The Second Union Church was officially incorporated with 142 charter members.  In November of that year, the church's first minister, the Reverend Schoonmaker arrived and on November 9, 1969 the church moved to its own building on the current site in Guaynabo.   Initially, services were conducted in an "all purpose room" (sanctuary, fellowship hall, community center).  During the next 20 years, the church was served by five pastors.  In April 1985, Reverends Bill and L'Anni Alto were called as our co-pastors and served until July, 1991. 

A period of sustained growth in membership and activities began.  On June 7, 1987 the official ground-breaking ceremony for the new sanctuary was conducted.  The new structure was dedicated on January 29, 1989.  The new facilities cost $770,000 and were raised by member's contributions, pledges and a generous gift of $275,000 from Mr. Lewis J. Ort, a member of our church.  Since then, debt has been reduced to less than $50,000.

Pastor Randy Johnson served from July, 1992 to July 1996.  Pastor Timothy Stewart served from June 1997 to January 2000.  Pastor Heath accepted the call and joined Second Union in July 2000 and departed in June 2002. Reverend Vernon Elgin served as our interim pastor until January 2004, when Pastor Robert Zoba arrived.

We are proud of our past and look to the future with renewed faith to meet the challenges ahead of us.

Apolo Avenida and Mileto Street, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico  00969   (787) 720-4423

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Copyright © 1998-2005  Second Union Church of San Juan
Last modified: April 21, 2008

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