La Cañada Congregational Church

Fifteen pioneers of the La Canada valley, meeting in the home of Jacob and Ammoretta Lanterman, signed the formal covenant to charter the La Canada Congregational Church. The year was 1897. These families had been meeting regularly for informal worship in that home over a number of years. The time had come for the growing community to have its first church.The original sanctuary was a one-story frame building which was located on the present church site. The lot was a gift from the Lanterman family. $1200 in cash and labor was donated by citizens of the community. Nearly 200 persons attended the formal dedication on April 19, 1898.

For many years the church provided the focal point for nearly all social, charitable, cultural and community services in the valley. The first Boy Scout Troop of the area was organized here and continues to enjoy church sponsorship to this day. Eventually the need for newer and larger facilities became apparent.The present sanctuary building was dedicated on December 14, 1924. The beautiful stained glass window was installed the following year. Congressman John Stephen McGroarty, Poet Laureate of California, immortalized it in a poem, and in 1954 the congregation adopted the name, Church of the Lighted Window.

In 2008, the congregation restored the name to the original, La Canada Congregational Church honoring its traditions.In recognition of its significant contributions to the life and history of its larger community, in 1969 the Church was proclaimed an historic landmark of the State of California. Subsequent expansions to its campus and ministry continue to honor the challenge of that hallmark.