HISTORY

Where We Find Our Roots

The history of The United Church begins with the history of Los Alamos, New Mexico. Those same pioneers who carved a town out of mud and timber, strayed to the edges of science and technology, worked fervently to end the war, and maintained the post-war peace . . . those same men and women are the ones who sought the living God on an ancient plateau, taught children the truth of a higher authority, cared and gave for others, shared in laughter and tears, and created a family of God.

In 1943, in the middle of World War II, a military post was established on the Pajarito Plateau in a place soon to be called Los Alamos. The purpose of the military post was highly secretive, but after the war it was revealed that it housed a portion of “The Manhattan Project.” Led by Dr. Robert Oppenheimer, the Manhattan Project was the greatest collection of scientists in history. Their purpose was singular: to win the race with Germany to build an Atomic Bomb and end the war.

Unlike most military posts this one had no chapel. Those who wanted a church were told to go to Santa Fe for services. When permission was given to have a Sunday school and nursery, 100 people came the first week. With that a formal request was made to allow ministers to conduct services. Permission was received and in the spring of 1944 the Ministerial Association of Santa Fe began to schedule Protestant clergymen for services on “the hill.” In August of 1944 a chaplain was sent to Los Alamos. Services, Protestant and Catholic, were held in the post theater buildings.

With the conclusion of the war the decision was made to form a permanent community to replace the temporary army base. In terms of religion, perhaps the first step toward the formation of a congregation took place in 1946 with the establishment of the first formal Sunday school. But the need still existed for a permanent chapel to replace the temporary building arrangements.

An army chapel became available when the Bruns Military Hospital in Santa Fe closed at the end of the war. The chapel was dismantled, brought up the “front hill road” and reassembled on the site where it still stands. Dedicated in May, 1947, the chapel was used by the three major faith groups: Protestants, Catholics and Jews. Today the building is the sanctuary of The United Church of Los Alamos.