by Dr. Alyssa Fisher, Director of Communications
Altadena United Methodist is entering a new phase of recovery from the January 2025 Eaton Fire that destroyed their church building and many of the homes and businesses of their members. On Sunday August 3, 2025, the congregation began worshipping on the campus of the former San Gabriel First UMC. The San Gabriel congregation recently voted to close, which provided the opportunity for Altadena UMC to have a new temporary home for their services.
Since the fires in January, Altadena UMC has been meeting on the campus of Scott UMC in Pasadena. North District Superintendent Rev. Garth Gilliam shared that “Scott was that blessed community for Altadena and took them in. It’s a challenge to share space with two congregations; but they provided a place to worship and made space for Altadena and their families.”
At the final gathering on the Scott UMC campus, Rev. Gilliam preached during the Altadena service, sharing a message on “Community, Connection, and Courage.” Gilliam ended his sermon by presenting both congregations with “North District Community Courage” awards. Rev. Alma Hawkins of Scott UMC accepted the award for thier “courageous and selfless service to Altadena UMC and the California-Pacific Annual Conference.” Rev. Andre Wilson of Altadena UMC received the certificate for their “resilience, grit, and faith to bounce back from adversity.”
Gilliam shared that over the past eight months since the fires, he’s witnessed the power of connection in The United Methodist Church – “to me that’s the superpower of our system,” he said. From the tens of thousands of dollars in gift cards sent, the over 1.3 million dollars of monetary donations given, and more donations like volunteer disaster recovery efforts, Gilliam said that the connection to the churches within our conference and other churches around the world has shown that we can find blessings in time of strife.
The move to the San Gabriel campus, which is located in the East District, is another example of that power. The new meeting place is located about nine miles from the Altadena campus, and with this move, Altadena UMC will meet at 11 am pacific time, rather than the afternoon service time at Scott UMC. Altadena UMC’s own property has been cleared of debris from the fire, and they are in the process of working with FEMA on funding for their rebuilding project. Gilliam shared they are in the very preliminary stages of planning, and putting together a focus group to help with next steps. As Altadena UMC continues a long journey towards rebuilding, having a dedicated place of worship will be a big benefit for their community.
The Altadena UMC congregation has continued to be a strong body, even throughout gathering at different locations and dealing with so much loss over the past few months. They’ve overcome a lot, and remain true to their motto “home of the abundant life.” As Gilliam states, though we might have problems and challenges, “beloved community exists – and the love that was shared in housing Altadena, caring for Altadena is proof of that.”
