Photo Elliott Burr/Town Crier

The Rev. Timothy Boyer brings a wealth of experience to First Presbyterian Church in Mountain View, one of the oldest Protestant churches in California.

The Rev. Timothy Boyer, new pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Mountain View, has a ready smile and friendly personality that will likely endear him quickly to the 200-plus-member congregation. Not to mention his strong sense of humor.

Making note of the fact that his pastoral assignments have been exclusively at First Presbyterian churches within the state, Boyer quipped, “God only calls in California.”

“There was a teacher at the Y who happened to be an ordained pastor,” Boyer recalled. “We became close friends. We sat and talked about Jesus Christ.”

Boyer joined the youth ministry while in college. Although he graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a degree in speech and communications, Boyer had already found his calling.

“God really came calling through people,” Boyer said.

Shortly after his 1979 graduation, Boyer became pastor of the First Presbyterian church in San Luis Obispo. He served there nine years. Following that was a pastorship in Petaluma in Sonoma County, followed by 14 years in Redlands. Boyer inherited a small church with a congregation of approximately 50. When he left, the congregation had grown to approximately 350.

Boyer made a strong, positive impact in Redlands, his previous parish. (The Redlands Daily ran a front-page story about his leaving.) But he felt 14 years in one place was enough.

“A church needs to have a new voice from a pastor,” he reasoned.

Now Boyer is that new voice at First Presbyterian in Mountain View, taking over for the outgoing Rev. Dick Spencer.

“We want to reach out to the community and share God’s love,” said Boyer of his mission. Having also worked as a basketball coach at a Redlands High School, Boyer believes in community involvement outside the church.

“A pastor ought to be involved in the community,” he said. “You’re inviting people to serve in the church.”

He said First Presbyterian has “a unique and different relationship” because it shares its campus with a Korean congregation and the Open Door Church of Menlo Park Presbyterian.

He said of his new congregation: “They have a great servant spirit – this is a congregation that works to make a difference in the community.”

Founded by three pioneer farmers and ministers, First Presbyterian has a rich history, with origins tracing back to 1851. Its congregation formed the first Protestant church between San Francisco and San Jose.

First Presbyterian Church of Mountain View is located at 1667 Miramonte Ave.

For more information, call 968-4473, e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit www.fpcmv.org.

The Spiritual Life section will profile the Rev. Joseph Benedict, new pastor at St. William’s Parish in Los Altos.

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