First Reformed Church

Holy Covenant is located in the fast-growing University area, but started its life of outreach in 1916 in uptown Charlotte, then a city of 50,000 or so.

Reformed denomination leaders in Newton sent The Rev. Shuford Peeler and his wife from Greensboro to Charlotte to start a mission. They arrived Jan. 1, 1916, and by Jan. 16 had organized the First Reformed Church of Charlotte with 18 charter members.

The fledgling congregation bought land at East Trade and Myers streets, and met at the YWCA for two years while it constructed a church building. First Reformed Church welcomed 15 new members May 1, 1918, the day it held its first service in its new building. The congregation dedicated the church July 14, 1918, and later built built a parsonage and an education building, for a total construction cost of $38,000.

First Evangelical and Reformed Church Parsonage (left) and Sanctuary

The congregation met at Trade and Myers until 1953, when it sold its buildings to Ebenezer Baptist Church and moved to the Plaza area of Charlotte, then considered the suburbs. Members worshiped at Plaza Road School until their new building was finished at Anderson and Byrnes streets. First Evangelical and Reformed Church held its inaugural service in the new education building on June 27, 1954.

In 1957, the United Church of Christ (UCC) was formed by the union of two denominations - the Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches - and the local church renamed itself First United Church of Christ.

Holy Covenant United Church of Christ

On May 17, 1992, in an effort to reach Charlotte’s expanding population, the congregation made yet another move. Buying 16.6 wooded acres on Harris Boulevard, we built a place of worship in a natural setting with gardens and walking paths that serves as a respite in the heart of one of the fasted-growing parts of Mecklenburg County. Once again we chose to rename ourselves, this time identifying our character and spirit by choosing Holy Covenant United Church of Christ.

The United Church of Christ (UCC) came into being as a denomination in 1957 with the joining of the Evangelical and Reformed Church with the Congregational Christian Church. Each of these churches was, in turn, the product of a union of two earlier protestant denominations, so that the UCC is in fact the outgrowth of four denominations historically. Through the years, members of diverse groups such as Native Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans and others joined with the four original denominations, so that the UCC has inherited a rich history of traditions. Today, over 1.5 million people are members of the UCC.