SUN CITY -- Leaders of a nondenominational Christian church in Sun City want to build a preschool on the church's property as an effort to reach out to younger families and fill a need they believe is present.

The United Church of Christ at 26701 McCall Boulevard recently started a lengthy governmental procedure to get approval from the Riverside County Planning Department for All God's Children Preschool.

Gary Tidwell, a leader within the church, said All God's Children is needed because existing preschools in surrounding areas have long waiting lists. At the same time, the preschool is a way for United Church of Christ to draw younger families to the church.

"We need to do something to attract a younger age group. The average age of our church members is between 75 and 80 years old," Tidwell said. "Some members pass away and some move away to be with family members elsewhere. We need to build our membership back up."

Church membership and attendance has been declining for years, Tidwell said. He said about 90 of the 120 members attend Sunday services compared with five years ago, when about 140 out of 160 members attended.

Meanwhile, the preschool proposal is getting mixed reactions from some homeowners around Sun City -- the core of which is a residential community for people 55 years and older.

Dale Blanchard, who lives on Sun City Boulevard across an alley that separates his garage from the church, opposes the preschool. He said he is concerned that it would lead to more traffic on heavily traveled Sun City Boulevard.

"And I'm pretty sure that there's no one living within a mile of the church who would benefit from a preschool," Blanchard added.

Dorothy Schultz, who lives three doors down from the church, said she is OK with the idea of having a preschool nearby.

"We like children so it doesn't bother my family," Schultz said.

But Schultz, who said she occasionally attends United Church of Christ, believes safety would be an issue.

"McCall and Sun City boulevards are very busy streets. What if a child got away from the school and wandered to the streets?" Schultz asked.

Matthew Fagan, a consultant hired by the church, said there would be gates and walls around the preschool. He said the distance between the dropoff/pickup area and the curb at Sun City Boulevard is 340 feet.

"The children would be inside most of the time and under supervision," Fagan added.

People would access the preschool's dropoff/pickup spot from Sun City Boulevard. The church is proposing to close the driveway it has off Winged Foot Drive, a road that runs into a residential area. Only emergency vehicles would have access to that driveway, Fagan said.

Hal Lingerman, pastor at United Church of Christ, said there are families in the church who might benefit from the preschool.

"We do, unlike most churches in Sun City, have children who attend our church -- eight children from five families. We didn't have children coming to this church when I came here in 2000," Lingerman added.

As proposed, the preschool would serve children ages 2 to 5 and would operate in three modular buildings with two outdoor play areas. The smaller play area would be for the 2-year-olds. The rest of the children would use the other playground.

The school would accommodate 90 to 120 children, Tidwell said. The plan also calls for adding before- and after-school programs, which could pull in as many as 30 other children. There would be a maximum of 18 full-time employees at the preschool, which would operate from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.

While the rates have not been established yet, the church is looking at offering a discount for low-income families, Lingerman said.

The church hired Patrick McLogan, a minister from Upland, to handle day-to-day operations of the school. At the same time, the church leadership already has a preschool committee, which will consider matters such as school building issues, landscaping and curriculum.

Lingerman said the church is not out to profit from the preschool.

"We're a ministry, not a business," he said. "But we have to break even. Our aim is to bring harmony and service, and to enrich the neighborhood, not to create a disturbance."

Contact staff writer Lorell Fleming at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2621, or at lfleming@californian.com.