Keeping the Faith

Keeping the Faith. Exploring Pasadena's Past. Nearly a half-dozen churches anchored this neighborhood's communities: Scott Methodist Church on Mary Street (close to where you're standing), Japanese Union Church on Kensington Place, First AME on Vernon, Friendship Baptist on Dayton, and St. Andrews on Raymond. As places of worship, moral leadership, and cultural identity, these churches have helped people create community and combat prejudice. , Image captions/credits (clockwise from top) , . Soon after the First AME Church moved to Kensington Place and Vernon Avenue in 1910, members of the congregation had to protect their church against repeated arson attempts, standing guard at night until the threat subsided. The First AME Church is now located at 1700 North Raymond, after being forced to move for freeway construction. (Black History Collection, Pasadena Museum of History (BH-D-18-42a)) , . Martin Luther King at Friendship Baptist Church, 80 West Dayton, 1960. (Hawkins Collection, Pasadena Museum of History (19072)) , . Established in 1913, Japanese Union Church served the growing community of Japanese Americans who lived and worked in this neighborhood. Now called Presbyterian Church Altadena, the church relocated in 1968. (Shades of LA, Los Angeles Public Library) , Did You Know? You're walking on hallowed ground. , Scott Methodist Episcopal Church, 55 Mary Street, 1956 , One of several local African American churches in Pasadena, Scott Methodist Episcopal Church was originally located near here. “Parsons sits on ground that we used to own,” recalled Rev. Wilbur Johnson. He insisted that the Pasadena Redevelopment Agency “treat us better” than others whose property the city acquired through eminent domain. The strategy worked: Scott Methodist rebuilt on a nice lot on Orange Grove. (Black History Collection, Pasadena Museum of History (BH-D-18-32))