Lake Avenue Church fills the block between Lake Avenue and Maple Street in Pasadena, California, with a story that begins in a car barn in 1895 and now reaches across the city in English and Spanish. The congregation on 393 N. Lake Avenue grew into one of the largest churches in the area, led today by its tenth senior pastor, the Rev. Dr. Mathew P. John. Around a 9:30 a.m. Sunday gathering, a Spanish-language service in the chapel, and a Wednesday night of prayer and worship, the church organizes ministries for every stage of life, from nursery through great-grandparents, and sends members into neighborhoods in the San Gabriel Valley and to partners across the globe.
From a Car Barn on Lake Avenue to a Worship Center Seating Thousands
The congregation traces its birth to October 27, 1895, when a small band of women led by Haidee Bryan formed the Lake Avenue Union Sunday School. At the time the City of Pasadena was only nine years old, and the group met in a car barn at Lake Avenue and Orange Grove. Within a year, William Waterhouse, the mayor of Pasadena and one of the earliest members, donated property at the corner of Lake and Maple. The charter members held their first worship service on November 25, 1896.
The Reverend Allen Hastings was called as the first pastor on January 1, 1897; poor health forced his resignation a year later. Stephen G. Emerson succeeded him and oversaw the building of the sanctuary known as the Old Corner Church in 1905. During that first year, members gave $291 to foreign missions, a tradition that has grown to roughly one million dollars given annually. James H. Lash followed, then Angelo E. Shattuck (1917-1921), and the church's fifth pastor, James Henry Hutchins, took the pulpit in 1921. Under Dr. Hutchins, sixteen Sunday school departments were organized for children, youth, and adults, and eleven Christian Endeavor Societies carried the church's outreach into the city.
By 1950 the congregation had grown to more than 1,500 members and the Old Corner Church was overflowing. A new sanctuary seating more than 1,000 was dedicated in October 1951, and Dr. Raymond C. Ortlund, the sixth pastor, was installed in 1959. Ortlund formalized the church's three enduring priorities: love God, love the family of God, and love the world. The seventh pastor, Dr. Paul A. Cedar, arrived on January 1, 1981, the eighty-fourth anniversary of the call to the first pastor. Under his leadership plans were drawn for a new worship center on February 19, 1989, and the current facilities, seating more than 4,000, opened that same year.
Dr. Gordon E. Kirk, the eighth pastor, was installed on September 22, 1991, and during his tenure the church added a non-traditional Saturday night service in 1993, organized the Neighborhood Christian Partners coalition in 1995, founded the Creative Arts Academy in 1996, and launched both the Comunidad de las Américas Latino ministry in 1996 and the Warehouse gathering for college and young adults in 1997. The Lake Avenue Community Foundation was created March 1, 2001 as an independent 503(c) to support programs assisting the poor and disadvantaged throughout the San Gabriel Valley. After Dr. Kirk's resignation, Dr. Greg Waybright became the ninth senior pastor on September 22, 2007. During his years the eighty-five-year-old Maple Street Children's building was renovated, new songs of worship were incorporated into the services, the Statement of Faith was developed and taught church-wide, and the 1989 sound system was replaced. Jeff Mattesich served as Acting Senior Pastor from September 1, 2019 until November 19, 2021, and on March 21, 2022 the congregation overwhelmingly approved Rev. Dr. Mathew P. John as its tenth senior pastor. He began his ministry on April 3, 2022 with a message titled "The Walking Temple," and a formal installation service was held on May 15, 2022.
Sunday Mornings in English and Spanish
Three weekly services anchor the church's life. The Main Sunday Service gathers at 9:30 a.m. in the Worship Center, with music led by the Sanctuary Choir, Orchestra, and Worship Band, sermons from the senior pastor or another teaching minister, and a livestream on the church's YouTube channel. After the service a Guest Connection table in the lobby helps newcomers meet others and learn what is coming up.
At 11:00 a.m. each Sunday the chapel fills for Lake en Español, the church's Spanish-language service. Described as "un faro de esperanza en medio de nuestra ciudad," the service is led by Senior Director David Castillo Badillo and Worship Leader Aura Davila and includes music in Spanish and a practical message. Children attending with their families have their own classes with screened leaders. Newcomers are invited to stop by the welcome table when they arrive. Because the main-campus lot is limited, the church recommends arriving at least twenty minutes early.
Sunday mornings also include the Adult Communities classes and, for students in grades six through twelve, a Discipleship Hour that runs from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. on the second, third, and fourth Sundays of the month. Early Childhood through fifth grade programming runs alongside the main service, with first-through-third graders in "Sunday Morning Live" from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. and older elementary students in Club45. Once a month on the first Sunday is Celebration Sunday, when children and students sit with their families in the main service instead of attending their own programming.
Wednesday Nights in the Chapel
Wednesday night has its own rhythm at Lake. At 5:30 p.m. parents gather for an hour of prayer in support of the children's ministry, and at 6:30 p.m. the chapel hosts Wednesday Night Worship, a midweek service that includes teaching, prayer, and a more contemplative tone than the Sunday gathering. Messages from the Wednesday service are posted on YouTube alongside the Sunday sermons. Middle school students meet the same evening for their weekly gathering, while high school students meet on Tuesday nights. Both follow the same flow: food and fellowship at 6:30 p.m., a large gathering at 7:00, small groups at 7:30, and closing at 8:30.
Lake en Español: A Bilingual Family on One Campus
Lake en Español is more than a single service. The ministry exists to invite every person, regardless of background, to believe in Jesus, belong to His spiritual family, and be transformed to reflect His image. Around the Sunday service, Escuela Dominical meets in person from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. and virtually from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. Noche de Familia gathers on the second Friday of the month from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. for fellowship, worship, and fun. Caballeros and Damas hold their own gatherings on Saturdays, and Noche de Oración brings the community together on the last Friday of each month to seek God together in prayer. Carlos Morales leads evangelism and assimilation for the ministry, and there are opportunities for those who want to help.
LAC Kids, Students, and the Next Generation
Children's Ministry, known as LAC Kids, partners with families from birth through fifth grade to nurture, grow, and connect with kids in a joyful environment. Programming is divided into three age groups: Early Childhood for birth through kindergarten, Early Elementary for grades one through three, and Club45 for grades four and five. Once a month the elementary kids join their parents in the Worship Center for Celebration Sunday. The ministry also guides families through child dedication and baptism conversations for children who have professed faith.
Student Ministry, branded as NextGen Ministries, exists to see middle and high school students discover their true identity in Jesus, grow into their unique place in God's story, and realize that their lives are designed with purpose in His Kingdom. The weekly Tuesday night for high schoolers and Wednesday night for middle schoolers, combined with the Sunday Discipleship Hour, gives students multiple touch points each week. Director of Next Gen Ministries Rufus Samuel leads the team, with Wesley Gates serving as Assistant Director of Student Ministries and Christy Cooper directing the work with young families and children.
College and Young Adults Ministry gathers two distinct groups: college-aged students between eighteen and twenty-two and young adults between twenty-two and thirty. Through gatherings, Table Spaces, discipleship, and shared life, the ministry aims to be a place to belong and grow alongside others who are navigating the same season. Candice Mallari serves as Shepherd of College Ministries.
Men, Women, Marriage, and Grandparenting
The Men ministry commits to helping men understand and experience what it means to be an empowered Christian man in a post-modern society, training and encouraging them to live out their faith in every circumstance. Three weekly gatherings anchor the work: Men in Real Life meets Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. in the Family Life Center, the Men's Tuesday Prayer Group meets at 7:15 a.m. in the Prayer Room, and the Men's Bible Study Fellowship meets Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. throughout the school year to walk through a book of the Bible together (the current study is the book of Romans). The Men's Encouragers Group meets online on Tuesdays at 9:00 a.m. and has been gathering every week for more than thirty years. Henry Jones serves as the Men's Ministry Group Leader.
The Women ministry describes itself as "a home for your heart; a force for His kingdom," with intergenerational discipleship, mentoring, worship, community, serving, and outreach. Morning Break meets Thursday mornings at 9:00 a.m. to study one Old Testament book and one New Testament book across the school year. Evening Break meets Tuesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. for an intergenerational fellowship with weekly teaching, small groups, and prayer. The MomCo (formerly MOPS) meets every other Wednesday morning at 9:00 a.m. for moms and welcomes speaker sessions, discussion, brunch, and childcare for the little ones.
Marriage Ministries offers a wide slate of programs for couples at every stage. Marriage Mentoring and Premarital Mentoring match couples with a trained, experienced couple further along in the journey, using a Biola University curriculum for the twelve-session Enhancement track or the Hope4Marriage curriculum for the twelve-week Revitalize track. The Marriage Preparation Program is an eight-hour online workbook built with input from Marv and Joyce Warman, Cliff and Joyce Penner, and Del Gainer, and Premarital Mentoring uses the SYMBIS (Saving Your Marriage Before it Starts) curriculum by Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott. "Instilling Life in Your Marriage" brings three or four couples together with a facilitator couple over eight sessions using Dr. Terry Hargrave and Dr. Sean Stover's 5 Days to a New Marriage material. Lisa Fairbanks, Bill Fairbanks, and Asbed Bedikian coordinate the ministry. Recommended reading for couples includes works by John Gottman, Gary Thomas, Henry Cloud and John Townsend, Cliff and Joyce Penner, Dave Ramsey, and Gary Chapman.
Grandparenting Ministry exists to equip grandparents through biblical application of God's design. The free weekly webinar GRAND Monday Nights runs from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. and offers practical guidance on nurturing grandchildren's faith and building a Christian legacy across generations.
Small Groups, Alpha, Rooted, and Adult Communities
The church's smaller communities are organized in three layers. Small Groups gather across the city in homes, online, and at the church for study, prayer, and friendship, with ConnectIn4 offered as a four-week introduction for anyone new to the idea. Alpha is an introductory course designed to create a welcoming space where people can explore questions about faith and life. Rooted is a discipleship experience that walks participants through the basics of Christian community. Adult Communities are traditional Sunday-morning classes, fifteen to over one hundred members each, ranging from the long-running Mariners Class (meeting since 1942) to the older-young-adults OYA, the Fidelis Class with programming for the children of class members, and the Shepherds Class, which gathers adults with disabilities for worship, Bible stories, crafts, and participation at 9:30 a.m. Class names include Agape Fellowship, Alleluia, Bereans, Covenant, Crossroads, Disciples, Fidelis, Galileans, Genesis, King's Couriers, Mariners, Navigators, OYA, and Shepherds.
Prayer, Care, and Walking Alongside One Another
Prayer Ministry describes prayer as "at the heart of our walk with God," and the team is organized into a Worship Intercession Team that serves during services, Personal Intercession Ministry Teams that serve every other month, a 24/7 Hotline Ministry Team that responds to phone requests, a Written Request Intercession Ministry Team, and a New Believers Connection Ministry Team that follows up with those who have received Christ. Prayer requests can be submitted online or left on the 24/7 hotline at (626) 817-4597. Asbed Bedikian coordinates the ministry.
Care Ministries is a holistic, compassionate, relational, and supportive initiative for individuals and families facing every kind of need. Senior adults, those experiencing illness, and people navigating grief, divorce, addiction, mental health challenges, and chronic conditions are served through a network of groups. FaithKeepers is a Christ-centered group for those living with chronic illness. Thriving with a Thorn supports families and loved ones of those facing mental health challenges. Grief Support: The Gathering Place and Anchored in Hope (a Mental Wellness Support Group) meet on specific Tuesdays. Divorce Recovery meets online on Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. Grace for the Journey is a women's group for healing from addiction, family addiction, and difficult life experiences. A New Beginning is the parallel group for men. Nursing Home Ministry brings the grace of Christ to residents in the Greater Pasadena area. Card Ministry, Flower Ministry, Faithful Living Lasting Legacy, and the Bereavement Care Initiative round out the slate of care. The Pastoral Extension Team, a dedicated group of experienced lay pastors, walks alongside LAC members to offer encouragement and practical help. Amir Z directs the work.
Into Pasadena and Beyond: Missional Outreach
The Missional Outreach ministry extends the church's reach into the neighborhood and across the world. The Local Outreach Ministry partners with Christian organizations across the San Gabriel Valley to respond to the immediate needs of neighbors with tutoring and mentoring, medical and pregnancy care, housing support, re-entry resources, and addiction services. Named partner organizations include Stars, Door of Hope, Elizabeth House, Hoving Home, Testimony Ministries, and Obria Medical Clinics. Love in Action Grants of up to $5,000 help small groups, missional communities, Adult Fellowships, and individuals fund specific projects that meet a partner need, such as graduation parties, event supplies, or devotional gatherings.
Global Outreach supports partners who span the nations, cultivating the church and sharing the love of Jesus. The Global Outreach ministry describes its task as "seeing reproducing Kingdom Communities established among all cultures." Lake Avenue also runs Community Meals in partnership with Testimony Ministries, providing a hot meal for those experiencing homelessness or low income, and has organized donation drives for the Union Rescue Mission and the Addison Anti-Trafficking Initiative. The Evangelism ministry focuses on equipping members to share their faith, creating invitational spaces, and engaging the culture with a Christ-centered perspective; First Commission Initiative Grants of up to $5,000 support creative evangelism projects in the neighborhood.
Worship and the Arts
The Worship and the Arts ministry describes itself as "a community of artists who are passionately dedicated to serving Christ." Five ensembles give shape to the music at Lake. The Sanctuary Choir leads worship on Sundays and takes the music beyond the church through concerts and outreach; rehearsals run Thursday evenings at 7:15 p.m. The Lake Avenue Orchestra supports the larger services and special concerts. The Chapel Bells handbell choirs, led by Coordinator Debbie Isenberg, welcome ringers of every skill level. The Worship Band is described as "a family of people using their God-given gifts to serve and inspire." Arts at Lake explores visual and other arts as expressions of faith and hope. John Sutton directs the choral program, Matt Daley serves as Organist, David Catalan coordinates the musical ministry, and Molly Ware serves as Creative Director.
A Statement of Faith Centered on the Gospel
The Statement of Faith organizes Lake Avenue's beliefs around what the congregation calls "God's evangel," the gospel of Jesus Christ. The church confesses one God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in a unity of love in three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It teaches that God has spoken through the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, which are the inspired, inerrant in the original writings, complete revelation of His will for salvation, and the ultimate authority for belief and life. It affirms that human beings are sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from God and under His wrath, and that through God's saving work in Jesus Christ they can be rescued, reconciled, and renewed.
Jesus Christ is confessed as fully God and fully man, one Person in two natures, the promised Messiah, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, who lived a sinless life, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father as our High Priest and Advocate. His atoning death and victorious resurrection constitute the only ground for salvation. The Holy Spirit convicts the world of its guilt, makes sinners alive to God through faith in Christ, baptizes them into union with Christ, and adopts them as heirs in the family of God.
The church teaches that the true Church began at Pentecost and is made up of persons from every nation, tribe, people, and language made right with God by grace through faith alone in Christ alone, manifest in local churches. Baptism and the Lord's Supper are mandated ordinances that visibly and tangibly express the gospel. The church confesses the glorious and personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ, the bodily resurrection of the dead, and the final judgment, when believers will be assigned to eternal peace in God's presence in the new heaven and new earth. The full Statement of Faith is available in English, Spanish, and Chinese.
Mission, Vision, and Values
Three short sentences frame the church's life. The mission: "We are a community of Christ-followers from every nation and each generation, reflecting the message of the Gospel in our neighborhood and beyond." The vision: "We believe in Jesus, we belong to His family, and we seek to become His image in the world." The values describe what kind of community Lake Avenue is: Jesus-centered, community-oriented, and mission-focused.
Governance: The Elders' Council and Ministry Divisions
At the heart of Lake Avenue's governance is the Elders' Council, twelve members elected by the congregation and inclusive of the Senior Pastor. The Council is chaired by Sung Choe M.D. with Peter Gazanian as Vice Chair; Dave Rumph, Jim Rhodes, Carrie Hawkins, Stephen Welch, Arnie Welch, Ernie Vargas Sr., Chris Higgins, and Andrew Rottenbacher round out the lay membership alongside Pastor Mathew P. John and Associate Pastor Nick Barrett. Under the Council, the church's ministry is organized into three divisions, each led by an Associate Pastor alongside a chair of deacons. The Congregational Life division is dedicated to fostering the spiritual journey of members from birth to death. The second division focuses on the footprint of mission work locally and globally and on evangelism in the neighborhood. The third division is responsible for the organization of worship services and the stewardship of the sacraments. A Leadership Development Team identifies and develops prospective deacons and proposes candidates to the Elders.
A Pastor with a Global Story
Rev. Dr. Mathew P. John brings a wealth of professional, academic, theological, and ministerial experience to Lake Avenue. Originally an electrical engineer from India, he pursued a corporate career in Kuwait before turning from "technology to theology" in Canada. He holds a Master's degree in Theological Studies from the University of Toronto and a Ph.D. in Intercultural Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary, with a specialization in Film and Theology. He has taught theology, film, and culture and presented papers at conferences hosted by the American Anthropological Association and the Center for Religion at UCLA. He is an award-winning producer and alumnus of the Professional Producer's Program at UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television, the creator of "The Mosaic Course" on world religions from a Christian perspective, and the author of Film as Cultural Artifact: Religious Criticism of World Cinema (Fortress, 2017) and The Unknown God: A Journey with Jesus from East to West (David C Cook, 2020). He is married to Joanne, who works as CFO at Cal Poly Pomona Foundation, and has two daughters, Hannah in Toronto and Emma in Minneapolis.
Baptism, Membership, and Membership at Lake
The congregation practices adult believer's baptism by immersion or sprinkling and offers infant dedication in place of infant baptism. An online Baptism Orientation Class meets on the fourth Sunday of each month at 11:15 a.m. in the Church Office Lobby (HH 110); attendance at the orientation is required before baptism. A Membership Seminar and Brunch gathers those who want to learn more about the church and begin the membership process. Those who have already made a personal commitment of life to Christ and who were baptized in a former church do not need to be re-baptized unless they wish to be.
Coming to Lake
Anyone visiting Lake Avenue Church for the first time is invited to stop by the Guest Connection table in the lobby before or after the Sunday service. Offices are open Tuesday through Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., except holidays. The church can be reached at (626) 844-4700. Custodial and Security teams are available at (626) 817-4815 and (626) 817-4816. Services are livestreamed on YouTube, and messages from past Sundays and Wednesdays are posted for later viewing. Giving can be done online, by texting "Give" to (626) 329-4700, or by check or cash during a service. Lake Avenue Counseling, a related counseling center, offers therapeutic support for individuals and couples in need.