We’re down, but not out!
On January 7th the Altadena Baptist Church building burned down, along with over 9,400 other houses, business and structures in our community. The Altadena Children’s Center on the north side of our property also burned down. Only one building remains—it had been used as the infant/toddler center for ACC. We have rehabbed it into a temporary office/meeting space.
That morning after the fire, we were shocked at the losses, but we noticed one symbol of hope that we took as a message from the Lord — the Bell Tower still stood, pointing our eyes to heaven! It was as if God was saying, “Some of the old styles of ministry have to go, but I’m going to lead you to a new, dynamic expression of the Church designed to speak to twenty-first century people!”
So, we are working hard to discover and follow his plan. We have interfaced with countless organizations, we have filled out reams of paperwork, we have met with representatives, officials, fellow Altadenans, networks, we have had countless conversations. Now we’ve appointed a Rebuild Team, made up of gifted and creative ABC members, who are working hard to turn the vision God has given us into reality.
Why do we feel challenged to undertake this major rebuilding project? Wouldn’t it be simpler to sell the properties and join other Altadena churches? Why go through all the struggles? Because Altadena needs ABC. Because the American Church needs us. Because the world needs us. That sounds a bit pretentious, but we believe it’s true: something unique and special is happening in and through this small congregation.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. famously said that the 11:00 AM on a Sunday morning is the most segregated hour in America, and we’ve been trying for decades to change that reality. The original white ABC congregation welcomed black neighbors in the 70s, and this transformed us. We’ve embraced women as equal partners in ministry in the 80s. We’ve done a lot of work in the last decade in order to become an open and affirming church, welcoming to the LGBTQIA+ community. This openness is not common in Evangelical Churches, where rules and regulations are used to enforce comfortable conformity, but we find ourselves longing to show Christ’s love to everyone equally. Each time we have extended the circle of our embrace, our experience of Jesus has become deeper and richer. We believe this journey is special enough to preserve and cultivate in the generations ahead.
We covet your help on this long journey of healing. We are thankful for your interest, your prayers, your generosity. And we can’t wait to see how God is going to turn all of this into the next chapter of ABC’s history in Altadena.
