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On Sunday morning, I wake up from my bed, pick up a long-sleeved shirt and jeans, and drive down to Glendale Presbyterian Church (GPC) off of Louise and Harvard Street. GPC is home to many communities in the Glendale area. It is also home to a Korean worship service that begins afterward. Because of Glendale’s inherent diversity, the church accommodates the Christian faith to as many backgrounds as possible. One feature of the church I like is the stained glass inside the church. What makes these designs unique is that they all tell the same story from all around the church.

The three stained glass windows have specific names and meanings: the Crucifixion Window, the Resurrection Window, and the Great Window. They were built in the 70s after the church was damaged by the San Fernando quake. In a pamphlet of the stained glass by the church. The themes that tie each window together are the sacrifice of God, the reconciliation between man and God, and also the joy of life and its purpose to serve. My favorite of the three is the Great Window, the largest and most centralized one out of the three. The stained glass is more vibrant and tropical compared to the others and its design shows a rooted tree in which the branches grow out and connect to Jesus, whose image is at the top of the glass. 

I’m a Christian. I know that seems too personal, but the holiday seasons are upon us, and I do celebrate Christmas and the birth of Jesus on Dec. 25 (although historically, he wasn’t born on that day). GPC itself observes Advent Sunday, which is a typical tradition for Christians who await the arrival of Jesus’s birth. This week was the second Sunday before Advent, and only 15 more days before Christmas officially arrived.  

Just like PCC off Colorado Boulevard, the church celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2024 in its current location. Another coincidence was that the week before PCC celebrated its centennial year with a party in September, GPC put a plaque outside the gathering hall on the corner of Louise and Harvard. The congregation, along with Pastor Steve Wiebe, said a prayer to honor the 100 years before and to bless the next 100 years on that street corner in Glendale. 

In 2023, my entire family moved from Anaheim California, to Georgia in the Metro Atlanta region. It shook me because my family was no longer around; the house my parents lived in for 30 years was sold, and the city I grew up in was now far from me to ever visit. I felt I lost everything in one fell swoop: my house, the park I would walk to, and Canyon Hills Presbyterian Church where I attended with my parents. 

My dad was Presbyterian, and my mom was Catholic, and I felt special because I was connected to two churches in Anaheim. As I got older, my connection to God dwindled because I was focused on work and school. I also questioned my faith and whether I was wrong the whole time. My church attendance was at best, random and at worst, uncommitted. I believed that Canyon Hills was my church to go to whenever I visited my family, so there was no need to find something closer to me. Now, that wasn’t the case anymore. I was on my own in Glendale and I needed to connect to my family and my upbringing as a kid somehow. Finding the church in Glendale was a way for me to reconnect with God and reconnect with my own history, as well as forming a new connection with my community. 

When I visited GPC for the first time, I did not talk to people at first, as I was just scouting for churches to attend permanently. As I sat down on the pews and kept to myself, an older gentleman named Bill walked towards me and greeted me without any hesitation. I said my name, and I immediately felt welcomed. That was my first impression of the church, and honestly, I did not feel the need to scout anymore. 

For me, my faith and my relationship with God is complex. I am a political person who speaks about the inequalities and disrespect that groups like the LGBTQ community, immigrant communities and other religious minorities face every day. I see how the Christian faith uses the word of God to demonize and delegitimize these communities who only want to live free and be treated like equal citizens in this country. I don’t agree with how conservatives use the word of God to justify discrimination and hate for the marginalized groups here. Wiebe has made sermons that give a positive light to groups like the LGBTQ community which has made me feel more welcome.

Because of its 100 years off Louise and Harvard Street, whenever I am inside GPC I feel a sense of history, a sense of community with diverse backgrounds, and a sense of peace. Even 1000 miles away, I have a connection on Sundays with my family. From the stained glass, the large altar in front or the chancel surrounding the church, I feel calm and I can go out and report and tell stories the way I want to and know that God is with me.

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