West Adams Foursquare Church

Whispers of “Loving, Acceptance, and Forgiveness” echo through the halls of the West Adams Foursquare Church. These words weren’t just a theme. They were a lifeline. The West Adams Foursquare Church, a historic beacon in Los Angeles, has seen its share of turmoil. Founded in 1939, it once thrived under the leadership of Clarence McClendon. He transformed the church into the 10,000-member Church of the Harvest International. Then came a highly publicized marital breakup and departure from the Foursquare denomination. McClendon moved on, leaving the West Adams Foursquare Church without a pastor and a fractured congregation. In 2000, the denomination called upon C. Lamont Leonard to breathe new life into this wounded community. Leonard, a seasoned minister with a passion for racial reconciliation, faced a daunting task. He had a building, a rich history, and the lingering pain of a community in need of healing. “I had to start with the mentality of having zero membership,” Leonard recalls. He wasn’t taking over Church of the Harvest. He wasn’t simply inheriting West Adams. He was building something new from the ashes of the old. The first year was dedicated to fostering relationships, emphasizing “Loving, Acceptance, and Forgiveness.” Leonard recognized the need to unite the various segments of the community. There were those who remembered the church’s early days. There were others who associated it with Church of the Harvest. And then, there were those who were new to it all, carrying no baggage from the past. Leonard assembled a diverse staff, reflecting the multicultural fabric of the surrounding neighborhoods. He welcomed white students from nearby colleges and even took private Spanish lessons. His goal was to build a church from new converts. He wanted organic growth, not just transfers from other congregations. And despite the challenges, the West Adams Foursquare Church began to grow again. Attendance climbed to 325 on Sundays. Leonard attributes this resurgence to divine intervention, recognizing the difficulty of following in McClendon’s wake. The West Adams Foursquare Church, once a symbol of heartbreak and division, became a testament to the power of restoration and forgiveness. It reclaimed its place as a beacon of hope in the community, continuing its legacy of faith and service.