Situated in the city centre on the east bank of the Ping River, and completed in 1891, it was the first church to be built in Northern Siam.

Later, this was replaced by larger house which held 200 worshippers, but as the congregation grew he was forced to hold services at the adjacent, unfinished girls' mission school, which later became the Dara Academy.

Marion Alonzo Cheek, an American physician, and Presbyterian Missionary turned businessman, was commissioned to design and build the new church.

Previously a member of the Laos Mission, Cheek had left to work in the timber trade with the British Borneo Company and owned a saw-mill in Chiang Mai which provided the building materials.

The weatherboard church, made of teak, was completed in three years at a cost of $7,000, and a dedication ceremony led by McGilvary was held on 9 August 1891.