History:

The First Presbyterian Church of Coalinga was 100 years old on October 28, 2006. Our town celebrated its 100th year as an incorporated city the same year. The town’s name was derived from a pre-oil industry moniker of “Coaling Station A”. It was here that Shell Oil got its name, selecting it because of the shells found here from the ancient sea which once existed in the Central Valley. 

In April 1912, our church offered to host the meeting of the San Joaquin Presbytery. That same month, the liner Titanic sank. We trust there was no connection.

Our current sanctuary was completed in 1955, and our fellowship center–Wallace Hall–was completed in 1983.

Former pastors include Homer Goddard (later of Fuller Seminary in Pasadena), Dick Halverson (future Chaplain of the U.S. Senate), Tedd Lyons (for whom our manse was built), Rick Irish (current Executive Presbyter of our San Joaquin Presbytery), Peggy Cross (first female pastor in the San Joaquin Presbytery), and Lou Paradise (who arrived shortly before the 1983 earthquake) and is the longest-serving pastor in our church’s history.