On June 17-18, 2022, the Dallas First Church (DFC) will celebrate its 70th anniversary at the current location, on North Central Expressway, with a special event. Many assume that DFC has always been on this spot, but actually the church has a much longer history.
In fact, DFC has its roots on Gano Street, just three-and-a-half miles away, and was established in 1876 with a congregation of 18 members. There they started what is now known as Dallas Christian Academy and later, on the lot next door, they built a two-room school for 12 children.
As its membership grew, the congregation of approximately 125 moved to a new property at 2900 Live Oak Street.
“I remember going to Sabbath School in an upstairs room of that church,” says resident church historian Tomasia Leatherwood, who has been part of DFC for her entire life. The church school met in those same classrooms during the week.
The Dallas First Church in 1950 relocated to its current location, which spanned five lots, and later that same year it erected a church school building. Leatherwood was baptized there at age 10 in 1953.
As the decades passed, DFC watched the city expand around them. From a population of 866,000 in 1950, the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex has grown to a thriving urban area of just over 7.6 million in 2022.
“It is astonishing to me that a church has stayed in the same place for 70 years, let alone in an urban location,” says André Gonçalves, senior pastor. “Most churches would sell and move to the suburbs, where it’s more comfortable and economically viable.” As property values skyrocket in this highly gentrified area, this is a valid option for DFC, but one they won’t consider. “We don’t want to leave,” Gonçalves says, “because we would lose the immense ministry opportunity we have here.”
DFC has long used its central location in downtown to God’s advantage. Although its primary ministry has always been Dallas Christian Academy, the church has regularly fundraised for projects that serve their local community. In recent years it has established standing ministries that maintain specific budget lines, including God’s Closet, God’s Table (a food pantry), a homeless ministry and a budding community basketball night.
“We are in an incredible location, and I call that providential,” states Gonçalves. “I also think God has given us the right DNA as a church body to be truly open to all kinds of people who come to church. We’re a strong blend of all different worldviews, backgrounds and ethnicities. Anyone who comes into our church will find a place there.”
It wasn’t always this way. Until the 1960s, DFC was a nearly all-white congregation, but today nearly two dozen ethnic groups are represented.
“If we’re all planning to go to heaven, we have to be able to love and serve one another regardless of any perceived differences,” Leatherwood points out. “We intentionally celebrate the various cultural backgrounds of our church community, and we’re all learning so much about ourselves and each other.”
Since DFC’s inception in 1876, the church has helped install nine other churches in the DFW metroplex and has been home to dozens of pastors and their families, many of whom have grown into leadership roles at conference and union offices across the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists. Some will return for this summer’s anniversary celebration.
To kick off the event, current and former pastors will serve communion together on Friday evening, June 17, as elders and deacons. Former DFC pastoral team Costin and Leah Jordache will lead the general Sabbath School the following morning, and former DFC pastor Jim Gilley will speak for the worship service. The afternoon will include potluck, a video history of the church and perhaps a themed art competition. The celebration will conclude with the inauguration and dedication of the new school building.
“Throughout our 146-year history, we have tried to be good stewards of what God has given us,” Gonçalves says. “We’re not large, we’re not wealthy and we’re certainly not perfect, but we want to be an inspiration to other churches so they will know that if we’re doing something, they can absolutely do it, too. We want to set an example of how to do things well, collaboratively, on a small scale that doesn’t frighten or overwhelm.”
Since moving to North Central Expressway, DFC has survived the widening of the road directly in front of the building in the late 1980s, which created accessibility issues; a structure fire, which caused $200,000 worth of damage in 1994; and most recently, of course, a global pandemic. Regardless of what the future holds for DFC, Leatherwood expects to see members expanding their community outreach.
“That should be the pulse of the church,” she says. “I want to see us sharing the gospel with more individuals through outreach, prayer and relationships. I can’t imagine us going backward; we must only move forward.”
Gonçalves admits to slightly different, yet related, aspirations.
“I truly hope there will not be a ‘next 70 years,’” he says hopefully. “But my vision for whatever years are left is that we desire Jesus’ return more and more, not because of our own suffering, but because we’re steeped in relieving the suffering of the people around us. Whatever time is left, we will stay put and stay involved.”
For up-to-date information about the 70th anniversary celebration of Dallas First Church in June, bookmark dallasfirstchurch.org or find DFC on social media @dfcuptown.
Becky St. Clair is a freelance writer from northern California who enjoys writing about church events.
A version of this article appeared in the May/June 2022 issue of the Southwestern Union Record. You can view the latest issue here.
Dallas First Church Pastors | 1951 to Present
C.J. Dornburg
Leighton B. Holley
Ben E. Leach (twice)
Charles Betz
Dale Hannah
John Loor
John Hayward
Charles Lickey
C. Lee Huff
Jere Webb
Roy Thurmon
John Griswell
Maurice Ratcliffe
Murrell Tull
Valeri Chunkovski
Dab Gleason
Jim Gilley
Costin Jordache
Ed Petreaca
André R.S. Gonçalves
