As far as we can tell, there has never been any building on the northeast corner of Calaveras and El Molino except a church. The first structure was built by a group of Methodists in 1906, but during the Depression, in 1934, they had to sell it. The group of believers who bought it from them were the founding members of the First Baptist Church of Altadena, an independent congregation which was not affiliated with any denomination.
Meanwhile, a Swedish-speaking group had been established in 1920 as the First Swedish Baptist Church of Pasadena. Over the years, they had become more comfortable using the English language and had increasingly assimilated into American culture. In 1966 the two congregations merged into Altadena Baptist Church. The new church became affiliated with the Baptist General Conference (formerly the Swedish Baptist Conference, and now Converge International). Since then, the Church has been led by four Pastors: James L. Mason (1966-68), Lyndon P. Karo (1969-71), George Van Alstine (1972- present) and Constance Larson DeVaughn (1987- present).
Some major decisions have shaped the church for its current ministry:
· Racial Integration (early 1970s) – Recognizing that its neighborhood had been steadily changing during the 1960s, the leadership and congregation made a major effort to become thoroughly racially integrated. This has been part of its distinctive character since then.
· Women in Leadership (late 1970s) – Realizing that traditional patriarchy still dominated in church leadership, the congregation decided to affirm the equal gifting of women and men in lead roles. Women first became Deacons in 1980 and were ordained as ministers beginning in 1982.
· Altadena Children’s Center (1982) – After surveying homes in the nearby community, the Church decided to address the growing need for quality, affordable childcare in underutilized buildings on its properties. The result was ACC, which became a separate corporation and for over forty years has stayed true to its calling. (Read more at https://accc-kids.org/)
· LGBTQ+ Affirmation (2018-21) –Realizing that God’s embrace was greater than what most churches were offering to the LGBTQ+ community, often excluding them from fellowship and/or leadership, ABC made a conscious decision, after much consideration, to fully accept those with queer identities into its family of faith.
· Low-Income and Homeless (continuing) – In an attempt to maximize care for the needs of low-income people in the community, ABC has joined with several other religious groups in Altadena in an action organization known as ACTS (Altadena Congregations Together Serving), which administers a Food Pantry and coordinates other ways of addressing the needs of at-risk residents, including those that are homeless. The Church also participates in the programs of Friends In Deed to feed and house those in need. In addition the Church has provided volunteers and meals to the Bad Weather Shelter since its inception in 1987.
As far as we can tell, there has never been any building on the northeast corner of Calaveras and El Molino except a church. The first structure was built by a group of Methodists in 1906, but during the Depression, in 1934, they had to sell it. The group of believers who bought it from them were the founding members of the First Baptist Church of Altadena, an independent congregation which was not affiliated with any denomination.
Meanwhile, a Swedish-speaking group had been established in 1920 as the First Swedish Baptist Church of Pasadena. Over the years, they had become more comfortable using the English language and had increasingly assimilated into American culture. In 1966 the two congregations merged into Altadena Baptist Church. The new church became affiliated with the Baptist General Conference (formerly the Swedish Baptist Conference, and now Converge International). Since then, the Church has been led by four Pastors: James L. Mason (1966-68), Lyndon P. Karo (1969-71), George Van Alstine (1972- present) and Constance Larson DeVaughn (1987- present).
Some major decisions have shaped the church for its current ministry:
· Racial Integration (early 1970s) – Recognizing that its neighborhood had been steadily changing during the 1960s, the leadership and congregation made a major effort to become thoroughly racially integrated. This has been part of its distinctive character since then.
· Women in Leadership (late 1970s) – Realizing that traditional patriarchy still dominated in church leadership, the congregation decided to affirm the equal gifting of women and men in lead roles. Women first became Deacons in 1980 and were ordained as ministers beginning in 1982.
· Altadena Children’s Center (1982) – After surveying homes in the nearby community, the Church decided to address the growing need for quality, affordable childcare in underutilized buildings on its properties. The result was ACC, which became a separate corporation and for over forty years has stayed true to its calling. (Read more at https://accc-kids.org/)
· LGBTQ+ Affirmation (2018-21) –Realizing that God’s embrace was greater than what most churches were offering to the LGBTQ+ community, often excluding them from fellowship and/or leadership, ABC made a conscious decision, after much consideration, to fully accept those with queer identities into its family of faith.
· Low-Income and Homeless (continuing) – In an attempt to maximize care for the needs of low-income people in the community, ABC has joined with several other religious groups in Altadena in an action organization known as ACTS (Altadena Congregations Together Serving), which administers a Food Pantry and coordinates other ways of addressing the needs of at-risk residents, including those that are homeless. The Church also participates in the programs of Friends In Deed to feed and house those in need. In addition the Church has provided volunteers and meals to the Bad Weather Shelter since its inception in 1987.