History:
In 1945, after conducting a survey and study, members of the Toluca Lake Community concluded that a place of worship was needed for the area’s growing families.

For the first few months a small, active group of people met in the home of Mr. and Mrs. R.V. McIntosh. The group called themselves the Toluca Lake Community Church. On January 7, 1945, under the guidance of Rev. Myron Pogue, the group joined the California-Arizona Conference of the Methodist Church, and the Toluca Lake Community Methodist Church was born.

Because of the increasing need for space, and the fact that the McIntoshs sold their home, Sunday School and worship were held in two different places. Sunday School was held in the home of Emil Gran, and worship was held at the Colonial House of Beauty, owned by Bob and Dorothy Laird.

Pretty soon the group began to look for a site to build a church. The land on the corner of Cahuenga and Whipple was chosen. Groundbreaking began, and the goal was to have Easter services in the new sanctuary. On Palm Sunday, April 14, 1946, the Sanctuary and Sunday School rooms were complete.

During this time, the Women’s Society of Christian Service was formed. In October 1947 the first Bazaar was held. To this day it remains an annual fundraising event for missions.

Following Rev. Pogue, Rev. Dwight Burkham served as the church’s pastor. When he left for a church in Arizona, Rev. Lloyd Taber was appointed to the church. The congregation enjoyed his service for only three months, for on the day they were to celebrate his appointment, Rev. Taber died suddenly, and a memorial service was held in the Sanctuary for him. In memory of this dear pastor, the Sanctuary would later be named Taber Hall.

Rev. Sidney Lawson was appointed to the church in October 1949. The congregation had outgrown its home, so under Rev. Lawson’s guidance a building campaign was begun. On June 3, 1951 groundbreaking took place. After much study and many meetings, a design was accepted for the new Sanctuary. Olof Johnson agreed to build the Sanctuary and donated his services. On Christmas Day, 1951 our current Sanctuary opened its doors for worship.

Following Rev. Matt Seargeant, Rev. Sandy Liddell was appointed as pastor of TLUMC in 1991. Many outreach programs were begun under her leadership. The Brown Bag ministry began and grew to be so large that new cabinets were built in the office to hold all of the canned goods the congregation generously donated. The annual “Turkey Dinner” was started and became an outreach to those who would not otherwise have a Thanksgiving meal. The church also became involved in the struggle against AIDS with fundraisers and participation in special summer camps for adults living with HIV and AIDS.

After Rev. Liddell was moved to another church, Toluca Lake UMC experienced two short term appointments. Rev. Lisa Reyes came in 1994 and Rev. Dan Smitha came in 1995, each staying for one year as pastors of the church.

Following Rev. Smitha, Rev. Burley Howe came out of retirement to serve the church in 1996. He stayed at the church for five years. During his time he had a counseling service at the church to minister to those in the community as well as church members. The church also began to experience a financial uplift and growth in membership.