- Church of the Open Door
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The Church of the Open Door was conceived by R. A. Torrey who had come to Los Angeles to start a Bible institute (now known as Biola University) similar to Moody Bible Institute. The church was to be strictly interdenominational, though Evangelical. Its purpose was to reach the lost of Los Angeles, which was reflected in the name based on two passages of Scripture: John 10:9 and Revelation 3:8. Other pastors have included Louis T. Talbot (1932–1948) and J. Vernon McGee (1949–1970). The current Pastor is Ed Underwood.
For 70 years the church was located in downtown Los Angeles on Hope Street. It relocated to Glendora, California in 1985.
The original church building was located in downtown Los Angeles and was demolished in the late 1980s. The building could not be saved because it was so damaged in the Northridge earthquake that it was declared unsafe and the cost of repairs deemed prohibitive. The historic "Jesus Saves" sign from the original building can now be seen atop the Los Angeles University Cathedral. It was relocated there by the late William Eugene Scott, the then current owner of the building, who took it with him when his church relocated following the earthquake.
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Glendora
When the church moved to Glendora in 1985, it purchased land from Azusa Pacific University. It is still a thriving church, with about 500 worshipers every Sunday. Ed Underwood is the current pastor, with Colin McDougall serving as associate pastor. There are two services every Sunday, a Traditional Service and a Contemporary Service. The Traditional Service meets at 9:30 a.m. in the White House, a building named for the late Charles White. The Contemporary meets at 11:00 a.m. in the new Worship Center, which is located just South of the gym. A variety of Sunday School classes are available, including ones for adults, and ones for children and teenagers. HUB (Home Unity Bible) groups meet weekly in local church families homes. This small group ministry is centered around fellowship and discussion of the pastor's sermon from Sunday.
Pastors
- Senior Pastor: Ed Underwood
- Associate Pastor: Colin McDougall
- Adult Pastor: David Anderson
- Youth Pastor: Matt Ketterling
- Children's Pastor: Scott Dodson
- Worship Pastor: Tom Townsend
See also
External links
Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument Lists Downtown Los Angeles • East and Northeast Sides • Harbor Area • Hollywood • San Fernando Valley •
Silver Lake, Angelino Heights and Echo Park • South Los Angeles • Westside • Wilshire and Westlake AreasCategories:- United States church stubs
- Los Angeles, California stubs
- Churches in Los Angeles, California
- Evangelical churches in California
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