West Angeles Church of God in Christ
Encyclopedia
West Angeles Church of God in Christ is a Baptist
Christian
church and a member of the Church of God in Christ
denomination. It is located in the West Adams Historic District of Los Angeles, California
, USA.
It was founded by Elder Clarence E. Church in the early 1960s and the first sanctuary was located on Adams Boulevard, near Interstate 10
(known locally as the Santa Monica Freeway). In 1969 after Elder Church's death, Charles E. Blake
, a son of a pastor
and a native of Little Rock, Arkansas
, took over as the pastor of West Angeles.
Under Blake's leadership, the church has grown from 40 members to over 22,000. The sanctuary has moved twice, first to a 1,000-seat facility (today called the North Campus) located at 3045 Crenshaw Boulevard, and then to the present structure, the 5,000-seat West Angeles Cathedral
at 3600 Crenshaw Boulevard. The Cathedral was dedicated in 1999.
"West A" is known for both its influential pastor, dynamic city ministries and for its celebrity members, which include Magic Johnson
, Denzel Washington
, Stevie Wonder
, and Angela Bassett
.
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
church and a member of the Church of God in Christ
Church of God in Christ
The Church of God in Christ is a Pentecostal Holiness Christian denomination with a predominantly African-American membership. With nearly five million members in the United States and 12,000 congregations, it is the largest Pentecostal church and the fifth largest Christian church in the U.S....
denomination. It is located in the West Adams Historic District of Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, USA.
It was founded by Elder Clarence E. Church in the early 1960s and the first sanctuary was located on Adams Boulevard, near Interstate 10
Interstate 10
Interstate 10 is the fourth-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90, I-80, and I-40. It is the southernmost east–west, coast-to-coast Interstate Highway, although I-4 and I-8 are further south. It stretches from the Pacific Ocean at State Route 1 in Santa Monica,...
(known locally as the Santa Monica Freeway). In 1969 after Elder Church's death, Charles E. Blake
Charles E. Blake
Bishop Charles Edward Blake Sr. serves as the Presiding Bishop and Chief Apostle of the Church of God in Christ, Inc., a 6 million-member Pentecostal-Holiness denomination. On March 21, 2007, he became the Presiding Bishop of the Church of God in Christ, Inc., as a result of Presiding Bishop...
, a son of a pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
and a native of Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
, took over as the pastor of West Angeles.
Under Blake's leadership, the church has grown from 40 members to over 22,000. The sanctuary has moved twice, first to a 1,000-seat facility (today called the North Campus) located at 3045 Crenshaw Boulevard, and then to the present structure, the 5,000-seat West Angeles Cathedral
West Angeles Cathedral
West Angeles Cathedral is the sanctuary of the West Angeles Church of God in Christ, located in the Jefferson Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The 5,000 seat cathedral is composed of steel, granite and stained glass. The cathedral was dedicated in 1999. Bishop Charles E. Blake...
at 3600 Crenshaw Boulevard. The Cathedral was dedicated in 1999.
"West A" is known for both its influential pastor, dynamic city ministries and for its celebrity members, which include Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson
Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . After winning championships in high school and college, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA Draft by the Lakers...
, Denzel Washington
Denzel Washington
Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter, director, and film producer. He first rose to prominence when he joined the cast of the medical drama, St. Elsewhere, playing Dr...
, Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
, and Angela Bassett
Angela Bassett
Angela Evelyn Bassett is an American actress. She has become well known for her biographical film roles portraying real life women in African American culture, including singer Tina Turner in the motion picture What's Love Got to Do with It, as well as Betty Shabazz in the films Malcolm X and...
.