The history of the Central Spanish church began at the end of 1960 when Pastor Samuel Weiss of Spanish-American church invited members to create a new congregation in the central Los Angeles area.
By 1965, the new growing congregation was meeting at a Presbyterian church. After meeting at various facilities, the congregation of 500 members purchased its own sanctuary at the corner of 12th Street and New Hampshire Avenue. However, a tragedy struck in 1977 when a fire destroyed the church building. The congregation eagerly searched for a new place of worship, and after finding a new location, the offer was accepted for the exact amount that the church had received from the insurance settlement after the fire.
At the anniversary celebration this summer, members and pastors from throughout the church’s history gathered together in one place to reminisce about the past and look toward the future. This anniversary celebration was extra special because the 60th anniversary happened during Covid.
“We were not able to celebrate as a church,” Carlos Varona, senior pastor, shared. “Having gone through the pandemic, like so many other churches, was a big struggle and having the opportunity to see faces that we haven’t seen since before the shutdown was a tremendous blessing.”
Though Varona has only served at Central Spanish for a short term of the church’s history, he is filled with gratitude from seeing God at work during this time.
“Spiritual growth is evident in our various gatherings,” Varona said. “Central Spanish meets every day: Small groups meet on Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Wednesdays are for prayer and testimonies, and Fridays are for the consecration service. On Saturdays, the various departments carry out their regular activities, starting at 8:45 a.m. and concluding at sunset.”
Randy Ramos, who experienced childhood to young adulthood at Central Spanish church, now ministers to the young adults as associate pastor.
“I have seen young adults find a community within Central Spanish,” Ramos said. “I’ve been blessed to lead young and emerging adult disciples of Jesus who are passionate for ministry within our chapel. It is a joy and pleasure of mine for their parents to be in the church, for the young person to grow in the church, and to be able to minister to the whole family.”
Varona is excited for what God has in store for the church’s future, “thanks to strong leadership composed largely of consecrated and dedicated young people,” he said. “That is what excites me: knowing the church’s future is in good hands, while recognizing that the work belongs to God and He will bring it to a successful conclusion.”
