In the early 1900s a group of eighteen African Americans met on Sunday afternoons at Central Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles. Over time the group appealed to the Los Angeles Presbytery to come under "care and development" and on October 21, 1904, the group was received and organized as a church under the name Westminster Presbyterian Church. Rev. Enos P. Baker acted as minister-in-charge. The dedication sermon in 1908 was given by Dr. Hugh K. Walker of
Immanuel Presbyterian Church. The newspaper noted it believed the congregation was the "only colored Presbyterian church on this coast" and one which "promises to become a strong church."
Rev. Robert W. Holman Rev. R. W. Holman, who arrived from South Carolina, was installed May 17, 1908 as Westminster Presbyterian Church's first pastor. Holman was a graduate of Wallingford Institute and author of "National Plague Spots, or the Reproachful Sins of the American People." The
Los Angeles Evening Express reported that Holman was "the first colored pastor to occupy a pulpit of the Presbyterian denomination on the Pacific coast." Later in the year, several African-American churches organized a program to raise funds for a gymnasium at the
YWCA at Eighth and San Pedro streets to serve African-American residents. Holman was one of the featured speakers as well as
Mrs. Lucy Stanton, the first Black woman to graduate from a four-year college. By 1909, the church had forty members. The church parsonage was located at 3232 Denker Street.
Rev. Hampton B. Hawes, Sr. In 1912, Rev. Hampton B. Hawes, a graduate of
Fisk University and
Lincoln University Theological Seminary, was installed as pastor following Rev. Holman's retirement. Two years later, he married Gertrude Holman, one of Holman's daughters and church pianoist. In 1937, Hawes was elected Moderator of the Los Angeles Presbytery at a meeting with 325 ministers and lay delegates. The late 1930s and early 1940s saw congregational growth. Hawes supported the building of a recreational center for community young people. On his 26th anniversary of service, the Westminster Sunday School classes, led by superintendents La Vonzell Gates and Neile Adams, celebrated Hawes. The Westminster Presbyterian Choir had 40-members. Mabel Hawes, another daughter of Hawes, was organist. Cyrus Keller was the choir director. In 1944, Hawes was unanimously elected Moderator of the California Synod of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Westminster organized a Boy Scout Troop in 1947. In 1957,
Golden State Mutual Insurance provided free tickets to Westminster's Scout Troop 205 to attend the annual high school football Shrine Hi Classic at the
Los Angeles Coliseum. In 1948, the
Los Angeles Times reported that Westminster Presbyterian Church paid $125,000 for the property being vacated by St. Paul's Presbyterian Church located at 2230 West Jefferson Boulevard. St. Paul's congregation was merging with Baldwin Hills Community Presbyterian Church and moving to the facility on La Brea Ave. and Coliseum Street. The newspaper noted there were 800 active Westminster Presbyterian Church members. One of the defining community projects of Hawes' tenure, following a visit to Seoul with Dr. Henry A. McPherson, was his campaign to procure homes for homeless and unwanted
Korean War orphans of "Negro" paternity. By 1958, more than fifty families had been recommended for the adoption program, which was directed by
Henry Holt. In 1958, Hawes celebrated forty-five years of service to Westminster Presbyterian Church. The congregation gifted him a 1958 Ford
Mercury automobile. Mrs. Sarah A. McPherson, one of the original members of Westminster, gave the car keys to Rev. and Mrs. Hawes. Church members reported that Jones had "already captured the hearts of the membership and [had] proposed an impressive program for the church. Membership reached approximately 1,600, according to news reports. In 1963, Jones traveled to Brazil for a 30-day, nine-city trip to build bridges with Brazilian churches. Previously the church created a two-year fraternal pastoral relationship with Brazilian Rev. Zacharias Bravo. During the tenure of Jones, in the early 1960s,
Frederick K. C. Price, who later became an author, televangelist and founder of the Los Angeles-based
Crenshaw Christian Center, was an active member of Westminster Presbyterian Church. Jones served on the
Los Angeles Board of Education from 1965 to 1969 and was elected Board president in 1968. He was the first African American to be elected to that office, where he advocated for voluntary busing to integrate Los Angeles schools. In 1966,
President Lyndon B. Johnson invited Jones to serve on the White House's planning conference called "To Fulfill These Rights." Jones was an active member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (
NAACP) and marched with the
Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Selma, Alabama. Jones was also a consultant to the national advisory committee planning the children's television program
Sesame Street. In 1975, the Rev. Michael Livingston was ordained a Presbyterian minister at Westminster, his home church. He would later serve as assistant pastor of St. Paul's Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles The church's 75th Diamond Anniversary banquet in 1979 was held at the
Biltmore Hotel with Academy Award–winning actor
Gregory Peck serving as master of ceremonies. Mayor Tom Bradley presented Jones with a commendation on behalf of the city. NAACP Executive Director
Benjamin Hooks was the featured speaker. Other prominent guests included US Congressman
Julian Dixon, Rabbi
Edgar F. Magnin of
Wilshire Boulevard Temple, and
Dr. H. Claude Hudson, a founder of the Los Angeles NAACP chapter.
Rev. Oliver L. Brown, II Rev. Brown's tenure was marked by inviting others to Westminster to minister in words and music. Brown hosted
Dr. Jeremiah Wright, Jr., pastor of the
Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago to an annual week-long revival for eight years, from 1993 through 2000. ==List of pastors==