Historical roots run deep throughout the faith community in Los Angeles. As the following listing will reveal, many churches and ministries have made significant contributions since 44 multi-cultural settlers founded the city in 1781.
William Seymour
Many scholars trace the beginning of the modern Pentecostal Movement to 216 North Bonnie Brae Street in Los Angeles. In this private home, William J. Seymour, an African American preacher, held a worship service on April 9, 1906 where several miraculous spiritual experiences were reported.
Many of the multi-racial, ecumenical participants spoke in tongues or languages they hadn’t learned and one person played fluently on the piano, although they had never touched the instrument before. Now known as the Asuza Street Revival, the services continued for three more days, attracting huge crowds of people clamoring to attend and eventually causing the porch of the house to collapse.
Seymour and his congregation moved the services to 312 Asuza Street in downtown L.A. and worshipped there until 1931. The Bonnie Brae house still stands, drawing visitors from around the world.
Apostle Frederick K.C. Price
When Apostle Frederick Price founded the Crenshaw Christian Center (CCC) in 1973, the 300-member congregation worshipped at 9550 South Crenshaw Boulevard in Inglewood. In less than 10 years, the membership exploded with thousands seeking to join the fellowship.
In 1981, CCC purchased the former Pepperdine University campus on South Vermont Avenue in Los Angeles and five years later, began construction of the 10,000 seat FaithDome, one of the largest sanctuaries in the world.
Today, the internationally-renowned ministry includes a pre-school, elementary, middle and high school; 16 Helps Ministries auxiliaries, the Apostle Frederick Price Ministry Training Institute and CCC New York. He also reaches millions through books, radio, TV, live streaming and social media.
Bridget “Biddy” Mason
Former slave Bridget “Biddy” Mason was a nurse, philanthropist and real estate entrepreneur. She accumulated close to $300,000 that she shared with charities and the poor.
She also opened a traveler’s center, operated an elementary school for Black children and was one of the first African Americans to purchase land in the city. In 1872, Mason donated the land to establish First African Methodist Episcopal Church, the oldest church founded by Blacks in L.A.
Biddy Mason Park, located at 3rd and Los Angeles Streets, features an artistic illustration of her life.
McCarty Memorial Christian Church
McCarty Memorial, which began in 1932 as a White congregation, attracted national attention when it integrated in the 1950s. The rapidly changing West Adams neighborhood led to a membership decrease from 1,500 in the 1930s to 370 in 1954. Allen determined a change was needed.
In an L.A. Times interview in 1967, he said, “I came with the understanding with my board here that this church was going to integrate or I wouldn’t stay. … When some of the board wanted to go in a segregated way, I said, ‘I won’t go that road, and if you go it, you go without me.’”
Soon becoming a strong advocate, Allen added, “Integration is basic to the Gospel. … The church is either going to pass through this fire, or the church has had it. There can be no more segregated churches. The whole movement of history is against it.”
McCarty Memorial, located at 4101 West Adams Blvd., is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Second Baptist Church
Second Baptist Church (SBC) holds an enduring legacy in the history of African Americans in Los Angeles. Founded in 1885, it is the oldest African American Baptist congregation in L.A.
The current edifice at 2412 Griffith Avenue in Los Angeles was designed by noted Black architect Paul R. Williams and built in 1926 under the leadership of Pastor Thomas L. Griffith. During the 20th century, SBC took a leading role in the civil rights movement, hosting NAACP conventions in 1928, 1942 and 1949.
Over the years, the members have heard notable speakers such as scholar W.E.B. DuBois, poet Alice Dunbar Nelson, A. Phillip Randolph, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Coretta Scott King, Congressman Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Attorney General Kamala Harris. The SBC building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.
The following year, the congregation completed an extensive renovation that updated the facility while preserving the historical elements.