Friendship Church was established in October 1998 by a small group of Sun City
residents and retired minister, Ed Reitz. In 2002, a second clubhouse opened and
Friendship Church moved its worship services to Speaker’s Hall, a wonderful
auditorium with seating of 250. Today we still worship there every Sunday at 8:30
and 10:00 am.
In January 2004, Reverend Denny Davis, recently retired in the area, agreed to fill in for several Sundays. That led to a twelve-year tenure as the second Senior Pastor of Friendship Church. Under his leadership the Church continued to grow in attendance and giving.
Renting space from Sun City, the Church has been able to keep operating
expenses low compared to other churches with building and property expenses.
This has allowed the church to give generously to many local, national and
international missions programs.
This has allowed the church to give generously to many local, national and
international missions programs.
In 2012 Pastor Davis invited HB London to become Associate Pastor to assist in our growing church. In the summer of 2015 Pastor Davis advised the Elder Board of his intention to retire by the end of January 2016.
HB London then became the Senior Pastor. Under his leadership the Church continued to grow and now has a permanent church office and additional staff. Pastor London was forced to discontinue his ministry for medical reasons.
After a difficult season during the pandemic of 2020, Dr Gary Gulbranson
accepted the call from Friendship Church to become Sr. Pastor. He had recently
transitioned to a role of Pastor Emeritus at Westminster Chapel in Bellevue,
Washington. Pastor Gary served there as Sr. Pastor for almost 30 years. During
that time, he hosted a radio and TV show, was a frequent conference speaker and
served on many ministry boards.
Pastor Gary is a trained counselor, in addition to being the Sr. Pastor. He has
been instrumental in bringing additional hope and healing to our Palm Desert/Sun
City community, which continues today.
Friendship Church’s motto is “To Know Christ and to Make Him Known”. We
endeavor to accomplish this through our Sunday services, Men’s and Women’s
Bible Studies and special fellowship events. Support of Missions programs and
projects is a priority of Friendship Church.
“Friendship Church’s goal is to be a warm, friendly place for fellowship and worship; instilling faith, hope, and joy through Bible teaching and preaching; encouraging those who attend to grow spiritually while serving God; and spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world.”.
Sun City Palm Desert (SCPD) is a beautiful active adult community located in sunny southern California’s Coachella Valley surrounded by breathtaking mountains, towering palm trees and gorgeously landscaped grounds. Located just fifteen miles from Palm Springs, built by Del Webb between 1992 and completed in 2003, this 55+ community has nearly 5,000 homes with 50 different models. With its immaculately maintained mature landscaping, this gated community tops the list of valley scenic residential sites.
Within a two hour drive, Sun City Palm Desert residents can reach big Bear Lake Ski Resorts, Orange County beaches, and San Diego. With the Palm Springs International Airport less than a half an hour away, getting to any destination is easy.
Minutes away residents can enjoy theater, dining, art galleries, and all the many festivals of the Coachella Valley. Nearby El Paseo Drive (Coachella Valley’s version of Beverly HIills’ Rodeo Drive) and Westfield Shopping Center has over 150 name brand and boutique stores plus dining and entertainment venues.
