The Kirk of Kildaire, Presbyterian, was started by backyard neighbors Leon Gabriel and Fred Manley who, over their split-rail fence, began discussing the idea of a new Presbyterian church in Cary in March 1977. (Read more about our founders here.)

Their early exploratory meetings with Presbytery staff, Cary community leaders and interested citizens convinced them of the need for and support of a new church in the Cary/Apex area. (Read more about the organizing drive here.) From those meetings an organizing group was formed, and the first worship service was held on December 4, 1977. (Read more about the first service here.) Nearly two years later the Kirk of Kildaire charter was granted by the Orange Presbytery on October 28, 1979. (Read more about the organizing worship service and congregational meeting here.) Ninety-one people had gathered that day to make official what two had started a couple of years earlier.

We would be a Church. Over the next fifty years the kind of church we were to be changed many times. Our numbers would grow rapidly. The focus of our ministry would change as our community and the world changed. Over time we would have more than ten senior and associate pastors lead us in our work and worship, each bringing their varied strengths and sensibilities to this community of believers. Our buildings and grounds would expand as our membership and mission expanded. From the initial purchase of the 5.7 acre Kildaire Farms Visitors Center property in January 1980 through numerous renovations and expansions, including the addition of the current 600-seat sanctuary added in 1998, the Kirk has grown from 91 charter members to over 1,000 members today. Our buildings are widely used to center our mission and ministry, to support nonprofit and community groups, and to promote Christian works well beyond our campus.