On October 26, 1958, the doors of a new church building were opened at 8500 Haskell Avenue in Sepulveda, California (now North Hills, CA- The neighborhood was called Sepulveda, CA up until 1991, which is why we are known as Sepulveda Church of Christ). To get things going a two-week meeting was held by C. R. Worsham of Tulare, California, from October 26 through November 9. Since that time there has been a continuous meeting of Christians in the building for worship.

To trace the complete history of the congregation one must go back to around 1940. A group of Christians began meeting in the home of Tommy Ashlock in Lawndale on the west side of Los Angeles. Shortly it moved to the home of Newt and Juanita Owens on Purdue Avenue in west Los Angeles, near Wilshire Boulevard. The group was comprised of such families as the Phillips, Lemleys, Russells, Crofts and Owens. There were about 13 who began meeting. It was not long before they outgrew the confines of a residential house. Around 1941 the group moved to a building on Gateway in west Los Angeles. There they met in an old walnut processing plant which was called Phillips Nut House. The floor was covered in walnut shells. If nothing else, the church meeting in a nut house provided the source for a great many jokes. One of the more memorable work days for this group occurred when they got together to build benches. No one, apparently, knew how to exactly design them, but undampened by this, they forged ahead and completed the project. According to certain sources, the design was to make them so uncomfortable that no one would go to sleep on them.

Around 1942/43, the group moved eastward to its best known location on Avalon Boulevard at 87th Street. The group was continually growing in size. This was largely due to the influx of people from the Midwest. As Inez Russell recalled, “we came looking for good paying jobs and free continuing education.” Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Iowa and many other Midwestern states provided a continual growth for many churches in California.

Anyone who has ever driven from the San Fernando Valley to the Avalon Boulevard building knows the great distance. This was magnified with no freeways. Alvin Gerlacher decided it would be better to start another congregation in the valley. In July of 1947 he recalls beginning to meet with just nine people. Ironically, the family of Newt and Juanita Owens were once again a part of the starting number. The group met in a Union Hall on Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood. They borrowed 15 song books from the Avalon Boulevard congregation. They met in an upper room for a while, but soon decided it was too small and moved to the basement which was larger. The rent for the room was $10.00 a Sunday. An A-frame sign was made for the front along with advertising in the local paper and the Christian Appeal.

From here the group moved to the Women’s Club Building on Parthenia Street in Sepulveda. Seeing a need for a building of their own, property was purchased in 1955 at 8500 Haskell Avenue in Sepulveda for $5,500. The building was completed in 1958 at a total cost of just over $32,000. The first service was held at 10:30 a.m. on October 26, 1958. Since that time, several preachers have been supported by the congregation. C. R. Worsham worked part-time with the group and in 1965 Lewis Hunter worked full-time until 1967. In 1969 Hollis Talley began work with the group and continued until 1973. In 1974 Ron Collins began work with the group and continues to labor with the congregation. Tom Langford and Finis Lee were regular speakers in the very early days.

In 1970, it was decided to purchase a house for an evangelist to reside. One was bought in Panorama City on Katherine Avenue for a cost of $24,500.

The congregation has been blessed in being able to pay off the debt against the building and the house. In 1986 plans were drawn to add a multipurpose room. It was finished in 1987. We were once again blessed to pay off the addition very quickly.

While the congregation has never been a really large one, it has touched the lives of hundreds of people. Many Christians have lived in the Los Angeles area and have assembled with the brethren at Sepulveda. With the Lord’s blessing, it is the hope of the church at Sepulveda that they will be able to continue for many more years.