When Congregationalist missionaries first reached the San Francisco Bay Area during the Gold Rush (from Hawaii because it was closer), they established First Congregational Church in San Francisco in 1850. They also founded the College of California, which became U.C. Berkeley; the Young Ladies Seminary which became Mills College and Pacific School of Religion.
Mira Vista Congregational Church was founded on Easter Sunday, April 9, 1950 by seventy charter members, meeting initially in member’s homes and then at 7075 Cutting Boulevard in El Cerrito, CA.
In 1957, The Congregational Christian and Evangelical and Reformed denominations merged to become the United Church of Christ, a protestant denomination deeply committed to ecumenism and social justice, and then in 1961 Mira Vista Congregational became Mira Vista United Church of Christ.
With other like-minded congregations, Mira Vista founded the Greater Richmond Interfaith Program (GRIP) in 1967, an organization dedicated to addressing racial and economic injustice in Contra Costa County that now serves as West County’s only family shelter for the unhoused.
In 1974, Mira Vista United Church of Christ founded the West Contra Costa County Rape Crisis Center, now part of the Contra Costa County Family Justice Center and as early supporters of women’s rights, Mira Vista United Church of Christ has called many women pastors including: the Rev. Nancy McKay, the Rev. Shirlee Bromley, the Rev. Dr. Christina Hutchins, the Rev. Diane Phillips, and the Rev. Susan A. Meeter.
In partnership with Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, CA, Mira Vista United Church of Christ has provided internships and field education opportunities for at least fifty seminarians who have gone on to productive ministries including our current Conference Minister for the Northern California Nevada Conference of the United Church of Christ, the Rev. Dr. Davena L. Creer-Jones,
In 1994, Mira Vista United Church of Christ, voted to become Open and Affirming, welcoming all LGBTQ+ persons as beloved children of God and as pastors, teachers, and leaders including our current pastor the Rev. Dr. Melinda V. McLain and current Moderator, Brian Campbell-Miller. The church also serves as fiscal sponsor for El Sobrante Pride.
Mira Vistans accepted an offer of purchase for the Cutting Blvd. campus in 2006 from East Bay Montessori School and then moved their ministry to the campus of Christ Lutheran, El Cerrito freeing up time and assets for mission including traveling five times to New Orleans to help rebuild after Hurricane Katrina, participating in Rebuilding Together East Bay and supporting numerous local, state, and national organizations with 15% of yearly giving going to organizations admired by the congregation.
After calling Pastor McLain in 2014, Mira Vista actively explored various models of ministry that would integrate spiritual practice with ministries of justice and mercy with particular interest in food, justice, and the arts.
In 2018, Mira Vista United Church of Christ formed a partnership with Planting Justice, a large secular non profit for the purpose of purchasing and renovating the historic Adachi Nursery & Florist property in El Sobrante to become a new spiritual home for the church, a pay-what-you-can community café, local food and craft marketplace, gathering space for arts, education, and wellness programs, and an organic tree and plant nursery, weekly Farmer’s Market and farm store operated by Planting Justice.
Mira Vista United Church of Christ and Planting Justice, operating together as the non profit entity, The Good Table LLC, purchased 5166 Sobrante Avenue in El Sobrante on April 25th, 2019 and began extensive renovations in 2021. And in April 2020, Mira Vista became The Good Table United Church of Christ.
With great joy and delight, we will celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the congregation at 2 PM on Saturday April 26, 2025 by consecrating our new spiritual home at 5166 Sobrante Avenue in El Sobrante, CA with gratitude for the great legacy and generosity of our forebears in faith who made it possible for the current congregation to create this unique partnership and new ministry in El Sobrante that will no doubt endure for many decades. Clergy are invited to wear robes and/or white stoles to help consecrate our new sanctuary space. The event will be followed by dessert reception.
