The Uptown Church of Christ, in San Francisco, California, was established by Evangelist James M. Butler, Sr., on the last Sunday in December of 1946, in the home of Brother and Sister Jesse Walton. There were at that time only six members present. The Church met in the Walton’s home for seven months. The Church then moved to 1331 Buchanan Street.

In 1959, the congregation purchased and moved to a property in San Francisco, located at 1641 Ellis Street. The San Francisco Redevelopment Agency’s aggressive activities in the Western Addition made it necessary for the congregation to sell the property on Ellis Street.

In 1960, the congregation initiated a mission work in Ethiopia that continues to this day. With the fundraising efforts of Figueroa and Crenshaw Churches of Christ in Los Angeles, California, a church building and elementary school were built in the late 1960’s, in Addis Ababa. These two structures are in addition to the church, medical clinic and school in Antcha, Ethiopia, where we support more than 46 preachers whom our Lord has inspired by His Holy Word to baptize thousands of souls.

In 1973, the congregation purchased a one-block-wide property at 949 Fillmore Street. The congregation -- serving as its own contractor -- constructed a 650-seat sanctuary, an education wing, and a separate multi-use hall with a large kitchen.

Today, the members of the Uptown Church of Christ are blessed with the very presence of the Spirit of God and the comfort that can only come therefrom. Our members continue to maintain the wonderful landscape and upkeep of the building. The grounds of the edifice are, again, maintained on a voluntary basis by these same faithful and dedicated members at Uptown.