The journey to the current church and the congregation owes its beginning to the founders of Carefree, who in 1946 dreamed of a community in the Upper Sonoran Desert, distinct from the surrounding communities, where residents would enjoy a unique lifestyle that would blend into the beauty and tranquility of the desert.
The plan included a special place of worship nestled in 7.5 acres of pristine Sonoran Desert surrounded by a mound of magnificent boulders, forming a natural setting. The land was donated by Carefree founder, K.T. Palmer. On April, 1967 Desert Hills Presbyterian Church came into being.
The church property became politically and jurisdictionally part of the City of Scottsdale when developers of the surrounding community (The Boulders) elected in 1980 to annex to the City of Scottsdale. Intellectually and emotionally, the church is still attached to the Town of Carefree and its surroundings.
On April 2, 1967 the Service or Worship and Organization of Desert Hills Presbyterian Church was held at the Carefree Inn at 3:00 in the afternoon. Construction of the church sanctuary began in 1971 and the first sanctuary was dedicated the following year. In 1981, the Christian Education Annex was added. The current Sanctuary was dedicated on Easter Sunday, 1989 with the first sanctuary becoming Fellowship Hall. A major addition was completed in March of 1996 which provided additional classrooms and administrative space. In 2004, plans were in process to replace the former Fellowship Center with a new, multi-purpose building which would include classrooms, offices, kitchen, stage and seating space. Our current Fellowship Center was dedicated in April 2008.
Desert Hills Presbyterian Church wishes to celebrate it’s continued journey on Sunday, April 2, 2017 at 3:00 p.m.
