Our Story

In the Spring of 1921, several young ladies from the Methodist church went to the San Jose Upper Room Mission and were filled with the Holy Spirit. The great joy they experienced generated a hunger in the hearts of many others. A number of people from the Baptist church were also filled with the Holy Spirit. That same summer Aimee Semple McPherson came to San Jose for a tent revival and many people throughout the valley were saved and physically healed including Adrian Heetebry who was elected the church’s first pastor in September, 1923.

Revival spread to the youth of the Methodist church and many of them were saved and filled with the Holy Spirit. Not long after that, the Methodist and Baptist churches made it clear that Pentecostal practices were not welcome. So several families started holding cottage prayer meetings at the home of Mr. & Mrs. C. J. Olson. The fledgling church was named The Highway Pentecostal Tabernacle, which later became Sunnyvale First Assembly of God. In 1922 the group started meeting in a cherry packing shed located at the corner of Mathilda and El Camino Real because they outgrew the Olson’s home. The shed was later converted into a worship hall. The next year the church moved into a store building on South Murphy Avenue in the 100 block.

In 1924 the church purchased a lot at Carroll and Washington Streets where they built their first permanent place of worship.

The church incorporated in the State of California in May, 1924.

In 1956, the church purchased six acres at Iowa and Mary Streets, and construction began in March 1957. The first unit — a fellowship hall and an educational unit — was completed by November 1957. Five years later the second Sunday School unit was completed in 1962.

In September 1963, under the direction of Rev. Paul Seaberg the church opened a Nursery School. The following year the church opened Sunnyvale Christian School with Kindergarten and First Grade enrollment. Each year additional grades were added until sixth grade was reached in 1971. A Jr. High was added in 1972 and a High School program was started in the fall of 1977.

In 1979, a seven-acre school campus was purchased on Miramonte Avenue in Mountain View and the school was relocated to the new location. Three years later the church sold the Mary Avenue property and moved to the Mtn View property as well. At that time the church was renamed Southbay Christian Center.

After 39 years of operating, the church closed Southbay Christian School in June 2002.

In the fall of 2004 after negotiating the sale of our Mountain View property in conjunction with the purchase of our two properties here on Weddell Drive, the board unanimously decided to present the proposal to the congregation. In April 2005, the congregation voted overwhelmingly to accept the proposal and the process began.

In September 2006 the name was changed once again to New Hope International Church.

We started renovating the 539 building in January 2007 and held our first service there in June 2007. That same month we started the demolition on 521 building and began construction the following month. During this process the church has seen God do many miracles and He has given us strength to accomplish what we needed to do.

Then in October 2014 the name was changed once again to Sunnyvale International Church to closer identify with our home city we Love and Serve