Our History

In the 1950’s, the Santa Clara Valley began a dramatic transformation from an agricultural setting to a center of modern technology and electronic manufacturing. Opportunities in employment and education drew people from around the country. Among them were six young Christian families, several of whom were from Southern California. They shared common convictions from the New Testament concerning God’s design for the church, how it was to be governed, how Christians should worship, and the importance of teaching directly from the Scriptures. Desiring to live out their faith, they began to meet together in 1956 as a church, calling themselves the San Jose Gospel Chapel.

Within two years, the congregation’s growth prompted a move to rented quarters at the American Legion Hall in Los Gatos. In 1962, they moved to larger quarters in the Willow Glen area of San Jose. The following year, they purchased property in Cupertino and made plans to construct a church building. Upon completion, they renamed the ministry Hillview Bible Chapel as they were no longer meeting in San Jose.

In order to accommodate further growth, in 1997, the elders of Hillview Bible Chapel made plans to establish a second church. After much prayer, they selected San Jose as the location since about 50 adults in the congregation lived in that city, most notably in Blossom Valley. They rented an unused school; and after a summer spent remodeling the premises, on September 19, 1999, Grace Bible Chapel (GBC) came into being. Then, in 2010, GBC relocated to it’s current location at 420 Allegan Circle, San Jose, CA 95123.