Southside Presbyterian Church

Location and HeritageSouthside Presbyterian Church is located less than a mile from Tucson’s downtown in one of the city’s oldest barrios. The church was founded in 1906 as a mission church for the Tohono O’odham people (known at that time as Papagos), and was initially named Papago Presbyterian Church. The church also served Mexican and Chinese people who lived in the area. Since its founding, Southside’s congregation has included a diverse mix of Native Americans, Latinos, Caucasians, African Americans and others. The present-day neighborhood is mostly comprised of low-income Latino and Native American families living in modest single-family homes. Mission StatementTo serve God in Christ through worship and the sacrament. To empower one another to be ministers through pastoral care, spiritual nurture, theological and biblical study, and youth programs, as well as through congregational gatherings. To serve God in Christ in partnership with the people in the surrounding barrios and to reach out to the global community. To serve God in Christ by being an advocate for social, economic and ecological justice, both in the church and in the world at large.