Our Story

In May of 1970, a group began meeting for worship in the Livestock Auction Barn on Hwy. 92 in Seffner “to comply with God’s command and our Lord’s example by meeting on the Lord’s Day for the purpose of studying the Bible and worshiping God.” Shortly thereafter, they began renting the 7th Day Adventist Church to meet for worship. In 1972, the current property on Lumsden Road was purchased. Over the next two years the present sanctuary was constructed by the members themselves, and in January of 1974 the congregation began worshiping in the new building. Along the way, this group began calling themselves the Independent Presbyterian Church of Brandon, Florida.

Over the years our congregation has started ministries that reach beyond the bounds of our property and into the community. In 1978 the Meals-on-Wheels program came to Brandon and Westminster stepped up to prepare meals every Monday for the shut-ins in the area. For over 45 years, and continuing in the present, we have faithfully prepared and delivered meals on Monday mornings for those who might not have a meal or human contact on that day. Currently we prepare between 90-100 meals each week.

In 1988, as a ministry to young parents in our community, we started the Westminster Academy Preschool. Our preschool offers a Mother’s Day Out program for parents who need to make appointments, run errands, or would like their children one and two years of age to enjoy time spent playing with other children in a safe environment. We also offer classes for 2’s, 3’s, and 4’s. The 4-year-old classes are a part of the Voluntary Pre-kindergarten (VPK) program.

Our congregation planted a new church in the inner city of Tampa in 2018. The name of the fledgling church was Christ Satisfies Presbyterian Church. At the time, North 29th Street and East Lake Avenue in the College Hill neighborhood of Tampa was known as one of the most dangerous areas in the city. We planted the congregation within half a block of that corner to reach out to that community. The College Hill community welcomed our outreach. Sadly, with the onset of Covid-19 in 2020, the meeting place was overtaken by the homeless in the area, so the city erected a fence around it, putting it off-limits to everyone. We had to discontinue the church plant, but Pastor Jimbo Mullen, who planted the church, continues weekly to reach out to the community and meets with those who were attending the church plant.