Our History

After meeting as Sunday School beginning in 1950, Desert Chapel UMC began in 1952 as the “Protestant Community Church” a local, independent congregation, to meet the needs of the small but growing community near the foothills of the Superstition Mountains.  Desert Chapel joined the Methodist Church in 1957.  From the very beginning Desert Chapel has had a special relationship with the community of Apache Junction, supporting the local community through outreach ministries and faith-based programs.

Since then, Desert Chapel UMC has expanded the scope of its community services to include drug support programs, and community outreach through our Clothes Closet, Community Feast and Food Box programs .

The needs of 21st-century communities seem to be growing by the day. Our centers have expanded to meet these needs. Over the years, we have learned that what people need most is someone who will listen to their concerns - someone they can turn to for support when the going gets tough. And that's what Desert Chapel UMC is all about.

In 2007 Desert Chapel celebrated it's Jubilee year, 50 years of service to the community.  Thanks to the work of Lyla Siebrecht and Elaine Slate, the history of Desert Chapel has been put into a PDF file that can be read by all.