One hundred and ten years ago this fall (on September 15, 1915) Church of the Open Door (COD) began on 6th and Hope St. in downtown Los Angeles. The church ministered there for 70 years.
And 40 years ago this summer, Church of the Open Door moved from downtown Los Angeles to our current campus here in Glendora.
We’re going to take time over the course of the next several months to mark this anniversary year: 110 years of existence as a church – 40 of those years here on the hillside.
This milestone gives us the opportunity to reflect on the faithfulness of our God throughout our history, to remember what He has done, and to pass on stories of His faithfulness to the next generation.
Our story as a church from the very beginning in 1915 is the story of ordinary people being transformed by an extraordinary God.
It’s a story of an extraordinary God providing for us time and time again.
It’s a story of how our extraordinary God invites us to partner with Him in sharing the gospel of grace.
Below is a summary of the past four decades, largely written by Judy Cocoris, long-time COD staff and honorary historian. I hope you are encouraged as I am as you reflect on the faithfulness of God to us!
With love,
David Anderson
Lead Pastor
P.S. We’ll be kicking off the celebration this Sunday, July 13, marking 40 years on this campus. Be sure to look for a historical display from our archives set up in the lobby and inside the Worship Center … and a chance to identify an interesting artifact from our past!
1985-1995: From Downtown To Glendora
In 1984 the membership of Church of the Open Door (COD) voted to leave downtown and find a new home in the suburbs. After much searching, a location was found in Glendora, about 30 miles east of downtown. The church purchased the former hillside campus of Azusa Pacific University.
The last service in the downtown church was held on June 23, 1985, with over 5000 in attendance. The move to Glendora was finalized. The first service on the Glendora campus was June 30, 1985.
(The downtown property went into escrow four times before it finally sold in 1987.)
This decade was to bring a time of great growth and great sorrow to this much-loved church. Over the next six years the church grew from the 200 who had made the transition from downtown to over 700. The gymnasium had been remodeled to accommodate the worship services, and many young families were coming. COD continued to send missionaries, the radio ministry was expanding, and it seemed as though the church would once again thrive.
Then in 1992 the devastating news was announced that the lead pastor, Mike Cocoris, was being asked to resign due to moral failure. Some left, but many stayed-they had come to love COD and its ministry.
After a year the church called a young pastor, Lance Sparks, to be the next lead pastor. As is often the case after the moral failure of a long-time pastor, the next pastor’s tenure was short. Issues began to surface pretty quickly with Sparks, and in 1994, after only one year, he left with about 250 people and started a new church.
1996-2005: From Survival To Significance
The elders were convinced that God was not finished with Church of the Open Door. After several months of much prayer and many guest speakers, the search for the next pastor began.
The search team was about to recommend an experienced pastor they felt would be a good fit when another man’s name was submitted. No one on the team had ever heard of Ed Underwood (1996-2016), but the man who suggested him said that he was definitely in line with what the church was seeking. He was a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and committed to teaching the Bible and the gospel of grace.
After coming to preach and meet the leadership, Ed was unanimously approved to be the ninth pastor of Church of the Open Door. He was the man to lead COD into the next century. A former fire fighter and Army officer, he was also a visionary.
The church once again began to grow and to become healthy. The elders were beginning to talk about building a worship center when in 2000, Pastor Ed became ill and was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Everyone was thinking, “Not again!”
When he lay in the hospital close to death, Charlie White (a retired pastor who at that time served on the elder board) prayed, “Lord, we beg you to let Ed live and serve.” God answered that prayer in a miraculous way, and Pastor Ed was back in the pulpit after only a few months.
He came back more committed than ever to see COD once again on solid footing. He led the congregation in praying that the church would go from survival to significance-to once again build and send missionaries.
2006-2015: A New Worship Center
This decade was a full one. The board and congregation voted to build a new worship center, and on September 7, 2007, ground was broken for this new building. Dr. Clyde Cook, former COD missionary and Biola president at that time, spoke at this service.
The building was completed in 2009 and dedicated at a service on September 13, 2009. This service was attended by over 700 current and former members and friends.
Though he had chronic leukemia and other health issues, Pastor Ed continued to preach the Word of God with great passion and delighted in discipling the next generation of leaders for Church of the Open Door. Missionaries were sent out and lives were changed by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Ed also had a desire to see COD continue to be guided by the four purposes (or distinctives) R.A. Torrey had been committed to, though stated in a way that the next generation of COD people would understand:
1. Teaching the unchanging Word of God.
2. Trusting grace in community.
3. Moving forward through bold prayer.
4. Making disciples of all the nations.
2016-2025: A New Pastor & New Blessings
After 20 years serving alongside Ed Underwood on the COD staff, David Anderson was installed as lead pastor in 2016. Preaching God’s unchanging Word, making disciples of all nations and praying ministry forward continued to be major themes through this decade.
Through the faith of many ladies from the Women of Grace Class, we saw the Lord raise up a grassroots effort to miraculously pay down a 5-million-dollar mortgage on our worship center (2017-2022). We held a Celebration Sunday in March of 2023 to reflect on this amazing work of the Lord through His people!
In 2020, like all churches, COD had to navigate the difficult and frustrating year of Covid that was filled 
with fear and political division. Despite all the challenges during this time, God blessed Church of the Open Door in many ways. We met outside under a tent for a year and learned some valuable faith lessons and the absolute necessity of physical presence and community.
Through the pandemic season, our children’s and youth ministries thrived and grew and attracted many young families. Also during this time, a group of volunteers envisioned and created a trail to the cross that overlooks the San Gabriel Valley. Thousands of people have been encouraged through this trail as they meet with God in nature and read Bible verses along the way.
During this decade, thousands of children came through our annual Vacation Bible School, Camp IDRAFOJE and children’s program. Many students and young adults were trained to teach, serve and shepherd others through camps and many cross-cultural experiences, learning life-long discipleship lessons. Two of our own, Abi Anderson and Michael Dubisz, were called into full-time missionary service during this time.
In 2021 the Lord led the church to begin praying for an unreached Muslim tribe, the Nyamwezi, to have a Christ-centered, reproducing church by 2030. Several teams have been sent to minister to the Nyamwezi, along with all of our pastors.
In 2024 the Lord led the elders to add this Breakthrough Prayer, “Father, make our campus a place of beauty, safety and refuge that attracts others to Jesus.” In the first year, God brought in almost $600,000 for much needed repairs and beautification of our campus.
Personal discipleship continued to be of great importance as we saw 100 discipleship relationships begin in one year and 50 first-time disciplers raised up in the next.
P.S. As you reflect on your time as part of the Church of the Open Door family, is there a story of God’s faithfulness that comes to mind? We would love to hear it, and add it to the history of the Lord’s work among us.
