Church of Christ Eastside History

Over 50 Years ago, in the year of 1970, the ministers and leaders in the Los Angeles area had a marvelous idea. It was not a new idea. In fact, the irony of it was, it had existed for over 2,000 years. Filled with faith and the Holy Spirit, several men of God put forth the age old plan of evangelism and church planting according to the New Testament pattern. 

     In August of 1972, a new congregation of the Church of Christ was established on the Eastside of Los Angeles, Ca., an area vacated over fifteen years when the former church moved to 57th & Figueroa Streets. The month of August was selected for a Gospel Meeting under a tent at 42nd & San Pedro Streets, a vacant lot where the Wrigley Minor League Baseball Field once stood. After many hours of prayer, countless days of meetings and planning sessions, and several months of work; George Phillip Holt, a renown gospel preacher was selected to proclaim the Gospel for four weeks. Following several weeks of community door-to-door canvassing, personal evangelism workshops, tens of thousands of tracts and flyers distributed and dozens of Bible classes taught, the time had arrived. The Eastside Campaign for Christ was inaugurated with a "kick-off" march of 2,000 Christians, walking, singing, and praying through some of  the same streets where just seven years earlier, the infamous Watts Riot had occurred.

    The first worship service for Eastside Church of Christ was held at 4154 S. Avalon (a temporary location) on August 27, 1972.  The last service at that  location was held October 7, 1979. The seating capacity was 80, but the average attendance was 95-125. Eastside's first worship service at its present location, 915 East Santa Barbara, was held on October 14, 1979. Built at a cost of $350,000. Eastside seats 301 people. The present address is now 915 East Martin Luther King Boulevard.

MISSION STATEMENT: EXCEPT WHAT IS- LET GO OF WHAT WAS-HAVE FAITH IN WHAT CAN BE