The First Congregational Church of Seabreeze, the first church on the peninsula of the Halifax Area, was established on September 25, 1904. The building was a New England style white clapboard building at the corner of Peninsula drive and Glenview Avenue. By 1913 attendance had grown to the seating capacity of the little church and worshipers were from all denominations. It was referred to as the "Tourist Church," and in 1928 the name was officially changed.

 

In 1929, a new sanctuary of old mission style architecture was built at the present site at the corner of Oak Ridge and Wild Olive Ave. The following is a Time Line of events which have occurred until present day:

 

1929 - George F. Johnson of Endicott-Johnson Shoe Co. donated $20,000 to the building fund and the church was built at the corner of Wild Olive and Oakridge;

 

1939 - The North Extension and Cloisters were added;

 

1950 - An Education Building was erected thus forming a central courtyard;

 

1964 - The "Tourist Church" affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the name was changed to Seabreeze United Church;

 

1973 - An extension to the sanctuary to the south and an enlargement of the chancel area were completed;

 

1970's - Stained glass windows were given in memory of ministers to the church during the mid-70's and were prepared by Willett Studio in Philadelphia.

 

1995 - The historical building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the U.S. Department of Interior;

 

2006 - Hurricane damage to the roof cost $39,329 to replace tiles imported from Spain and to repair the underlying membrane of the roof;

 

2009 - An ECHO grant was received to restore and upgrade the stained glass windows. The church received from Volusia County $34,628 and provided match funds of $34,628 for a total of $69,256. Bovard Studio, Inc of Fairfield, Iowa, which specializes in the preservation of stained glass, was the contractor for the ECHO restoration project.

 

Other Facts:

 

The Architect, Harry Griffin who was quite famous in Daytona area at the time designed the Seabreeze Old Mission Style building.

 

Construction Material. The building is constructed of solidified marl rock called "bog rock" mined on a ridge west of Daytona Beach and is no longer available.

 

The Pipe Organ. The organ is a Visse-Rowland pipe organ. There are only about 20 in the state of Florida.

 

Seabreeze United Church has a 501(c)3 tax exempt status.

 

 

Our Covenant

We, Seabreeze United Church of Christ, Daytona Beach, Florida, value and embrace a diverse congregation.  We are an Open and Affirming (ONA) church, believing that each of us is created in God's image.  We celebrate everyone, including people of all ages, races, cultures, sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, family configurations, economic or judicial circumstances, physical, cognitive, or emotional abilities, education, or spiritual and religious traditions.

 

All are welcome to participate fully in the life, leadership, ministry, and mission of this church as we seek to grow together in a safe and nurturing community of faith.  We strive to demonstrate in all ways that "no matter who you are or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here!"

 

We commit ourselves to the ongoing work of being an ONA congregation, one that lives out the belief that God is still speaking.  With God's grace, we journey together in Christian faith.