History – Faith United Church of Christ

Faith United Church of Christ formed in 1964, as the result of a merger of two previously existing congregations – Berea Congregational Church and Sunnymead Evangelical and Reformed Church.

Berea Congregational Church was itself formed from a merger in 1909 of two Congregational Churches.  These congregations had roots in Davenport reaching back to 1854 and 1894.  The building once occupied by Berea Congregational Church still stands at the corner of West Fourth and North Pine Streets, in the area of Davenport known as the West End.

The Iowa Synod of Evangelical and Reformed Churches desired to plant a church in Davenport in the middle of the 20th century.  They chose a location in a developing neighborhood called Sunnymead on the northwest corner of the city.  In 1954, Sunnymead E&R Church was chartered. With financial assistance from a number of rural congregations, the building which currently serves as a fellowship hall was erected.

In 1957, the Evangelical and Reformed Churches merged with many Congregational Christian churches to form a new denomination, the United Church of Christ.  Following that national union, the Berea and Sunnymead congregations began discussing ways in which they could work more closely.  By January of 1964, they were worshiping together in the Sunnymead building.  They chose the name Faith United Church of Christ, expressing their trust in God’s ability to build a unified community of faith from their different roots.  In 1967, they built a new sanctuary and Sunday School area, which we continue to use.