The Big Red Church, was historically formed in October of 1883. The original church site was located in downtown Fresno. By 1912, the growth of the congregation led to the building of a new facility, also in the downtown Fresno, at Divisidero and M Streets.
In 1949, The Big Red Church relocated to its present location on Van Ness Boulevard and Yale near Fresno High School and has become a familiar and landmark, known as “The Big Red Church.”
In 1957, First Congregational Church of Fresno took part in the historic merging of Congregational-Christian churches, with the Evangelical and Reformed churches, resulting in the United Church of Christ.
Today, we are covenant partners of the Sequoia Association of the United Church of Christ, one of seven Associations that comprise the Northern California-Nevada Conference. As a denomination, we share a Common Board for Global Ministries with the Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, and are ecumenical partners through Articles of Agreement with the Presbyterian Church USA, the Reformed Church of America, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. To see more about the United Church of Christ visit this link: www.ucc.org.
Among the Big Red Church’s many physical assets we are extremely proud of the Casavant Pipe Organ, one of the finest pipe organs in California. The acoustic resonance of the church sanctuary makes it a prize performance venue for outside groups such as Fresno Pacific University Chorus, the Fresno Grand Opera Chorus, the Fresno Gay Men’s Chorus, and the American Guild of Organists.
Our church campus houses Sequoia Head Start, which operates a week day program for children of the region and we also provide space throughout the year for Fresno High School and its student testing program.