Our congregation was founded in Philadelphia in 1853. The original church was located near 39th and Powellton. The land it was built on was donated by Mrs. Samuel Miller, who had close connections with Princeton Theological Seminary, so the church was named Princeton Presbyterian Church in her honor. Following WWII many of the church members were moving to the suburbs, so the church decided to move as well and create a new church in the rapidly developing community of Springfield. The current church building was built in 1953.
For many years, the church was active and lively. It began to dwindle in the 1990’s. It was a small congregation, but actively engaged in local mission. It has hosted several AA meetings since the 1980’s. In 2008, the church began a shared ministry with Chambers Memorial Presbyterian Church in Rutledge. As a result of a conversation with a neighbor who had an adult daughter with autism, Our Community Cup Coffeehouse was launched at Chambers in 2015 as a safe and fun community for people with disabilities and their families to relax, eat and enjoy great music. The two congregations had a serious conversation about the future of their ministry. The shared ministry ended in 2016, but as a result of that conversation the current vision and mission of Tree of Life Church came into being.
In 2017, the congregation began to live into its new identity. To signal its fresh start, it took on a new name: Tree of Life Church, a name that reflects God’s life-giving power, rooted in God’s love, with a variety of different fruit representing the diversity of the family of God.
