CHURCH HISTORY

Neighborhood Church is a vibrant, modern, inclusive, liberal religious community with deep roots in Pasadena. The church’s presence dates back to 1885, when Presbyterian and Congregationalist settlers attended one service together in a chapel on the south side of Colorado Street near Orange Grove Ave. 

The church went through several reinventions until in 1923 the West Side Congregational Church merged with the Unitarian Church to become the Union Liberal Church of Pasadena. It developed a reputation as a haven for intellectuals and scientific minds and earned the moniker “Neighborhood Church” because of its proximity to three different neighborhoods in the area.

In the 1960s, Neighborhood veered away from its Congregationalist leanings as teachings became less literally Christian and more philosophically open. The church’s senior minister at the time, Rev. John Baker, paved the way for most of these changes. A true reformer, Baker took part in the Selma Freedom Marches in 1964. In that same year, the church publicly took a political stand for the first time. The church opposed Proposition 14, a ballot measure intended to repeal existing legislation that prohibited racial discrimination in housing. 

In 1972, Neighborhood Church officially dropped its affiliation with the Congregational Church, instead joining the Unitarian Universalist Association, where it has remained ever since.

With roots going back to 1885, we have been a part of the Pasadena community for more than a century.

A Message from Rev. Terasa

Worship should speak to a person’s mind, body and soul. It is an opportunity to lay down one’s daily preoccupations and go deeper into reflecting on what is most meaningful. Providing space for silence and celebration, connection and direction, can be both soothing and liberating, particularly now when the world at large is at such high levels of conflict and distress.

To me, religion serves the purpose of reminding us about two essential aspects of being human. On the one hand, we have a deep and important need to be seen for who we really are, and for what is special and unique in us. On the other hand, religion also helps remind us that we are part of something larger than ourselves. We need one another. We need the myriad and mysterious gifts of the earth and all its peoples.

Ideally, worship should speak to both of these perspectives: when our souls feel shrunken into a nameless, faceless mask, we need liberation. When we hit the wall of recognition that we are neither fully in control nor in charge, perhaps we can let go of the fruitless quest to be all things for all people.

In stories and in song, in poetry and prose, in silence and in timeless tradition, the whole experience of worship can help us get there. Preaching is only one part of this experience, but it is what ties it all together, pulling seemingly unrelated strands into a weaving of the bright colors of new enlightenment and the earthy tones of comfort.

Learning to do worship in a time of social distancing has brought many challenges and also presents opportunities for new learning and creativity. Being in the same room together, singing together, having other hands clasped in ours has been a part of the worship experience for eons. At this moment, none of those things are possible, and so it might feel that worship has completely diminished. 

But we have also learned that community can be created and felt even through screens. We have found a new kind of intimacy in experiencing worship together on social platforms. New creativity can be found with the use of images and video that was not possible sitting in a room together. We are learning our way into this and we invite you to experiment with us.