God used an unlikely man to start Pleasanton Presbyterian Church. William Wallace Brier was driven by wanderlust and often stepped on other people’s toes. But his Scottish descent and godly heritage were driving forces behind his enormous energy and sanctified stubbornness that God used to plant churches in Ohio, California and Nevada.

About the time that Pleasanton was beginning to develop upon the completion of the Central Pacific Railroad, Brier was serving as the Alameda School Superintendent. The new town must have caught Brier’s eye in 1872 as he passed through on his walk home after an official trip to Livermore. By 1876, God’s timing was right.  In a meeting hall on Main Street on August 11th, a small group of Pleasanton citizens met as a result of Brier’s invitation to start a church. That group of people met in Centennial Hall on Main Street and decided to start a Protestant Church. Just a few days later, 35 of the 47 people in attendance voted to organize a Presbyterian Church, the first church in the Tri Valley.

By October, the First Presbyterian Church of Pleasanton was founded. Two lots on the corner of Neal and Second were purchased from J. A. Neal for the site of the new church. Before construction of the church, the congregation met at times in a grammar school located on First and Abbie Streets.  The original church structure was “a general type patterned after the School House.” Completely remodeled in 1923, the clapboard building resembled a quaint New England village church. Today this structure houses the Amador Valley Baptist Church.  In 1979, Pleasanton Presbyterian Church moved en masse to its present site on Mirador Avenue in what is known as the walk up the hill with the desire to become a beacon to the town. The emotional transition was described as the “grief of leaving and the joy of arriving.”

Now 25 years later, Pleasanton Presbyterian is on the move again. This time the vision will take the congregation back down the hill to our newly purchased site on Busch and Valley. The collective hope is to be a church clearly visible and accessible to the community in order to reach out and touch the lives of the people in Pleasanton and beyond.

The true heritage of a church is not in its buildings but in the faithful work of its members. At the very service on October 15, 1876, Rev. W.W. Brier used John 1:1 as the text:  In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. On that day 15 people committed to serve God and devote themselves to His Word through charter membership in the newly formed church.  Pleasanton Presbyterian owes its heritage to God calling a small group of people who trusted that He wanted not only to grow them spiritually but also to invest in the spiritual well-being of the community. Those men and women boldly took the very first step of our corporate spiritual journey.

Through the years, there have been exciting periods when God has manifested His Presence through fruitful evangelism, life-changing social action and service, awakenings within the church that have strengthened body life, and miracles of spiritual, emotional and physical healing. As the church continues its march into the 21st century, men, women and children continue to walk by faith, trusting God for His gracious intervention within them and through them. During the 125th anniversary of the church, Pastor Mike Barris reflected, “…this church’s life and ministry have been under-girded through consistent, heartfelt prayer by a wonderful group of saints.  These faithful ones have prayed quietly but effectively for God’s guidance, blessing and spiritual power.  This ministry of intercession has been extraordinary and its impact is beyond measure.  One of my prayers for our congregations is that we would continue growing in being a people who pray with Kingdom intensity and vision.”