Mark's Episcopal Church is a 125-year-old parish of the Episcopal Church in Glendale, California, founded in 1893. Records show that the first services were held at the church, making it older than the city itself. In 1965, the First Evangelical Church was established as a ministry for students from the Philippines and Taiwan. Reverend Chua held the first Sunday worship service in his living room, and Reverend Eddie Lo joined forces to continue the ministry. As attendance increased, the church was moved to Fargo Street in Silver Lake.
When Glendale was founded in 1906, the Glendale Presbyterian Church had already been around for 22 years and was about to celebrate its silver anniversary. Carlos Moorhead, 87, joined the church in 1933 and is one of its oldest members. On the second floor of Chisholm Chapel, a six-minute film was screened that detailed the story of the church bells, which marked time for residents until they were silenced by a magnitude 6.6 earthquake in 1971. The interior decoration has been updated over time, including a triptych painted on the altar by artist Rhett Judice installed in 2002. When Reverend Steins left Glendale Presbyterian in 1942, his mother Marion Young became known as “Mother of Ten Children” according to church historian Darlene E. Associate pastor Ken Baker is grateful that Glendale Presbyterian has adapted to changes over the decades.
The altar of Chisholm Chapel originally came from San Marcos Church which was one of Glendale's pioneering churches founded in late 1880s when the area was still composed almost entirely of pastures and farmland with a population of only a few hundred inhabitants. In 1948, Reverend Chua built the current church building designed by Carleton M. The marble baptismal font given by James and Laura McIntyre that same year in memory of their two young children was also brought from San Marcos. Although membership numbers have fluctuated over time, Glendale Presbyterian has always had a clear vision of its mission and a good idea of where it wants to go according to Pastor Baker.
The final completion of the church building was delayed by almost ten years due to the 1890s Depression which especially affected Southern California. In 1913 it was physically erected and moved to a new location on Louise and Harvard corner closer to Brand Boulevard's new city center.
