Church of Our Saviour

Dr. John Atwill, who served as rector for 30 years, came to the Church of Our Saviour in 1912 when the parish had dwindled to 22 communicants. He rejuvenated the parish by focusing on the needs of the congregation and the local community. Ten years after Dr. Atwill's arrival, the little church was too small to accommodate its growing congregation, and was rebuilt. Dr. Crawford Brown began his tenure as rector in 1953. Dr. Brown, who had dedicated his life to ministries of healing, was a deeply gifted man who filled the church to the point that half the congregation had to sit outside and listen via loudspeakers. Dr. Brown took the Christian message out into the community, and many who heard him visited the church and became members. These three outstanding men created a tradition of leadership and service that still inspires us today at Church of Our Saviour. Each were inspiring preachers and beloved pastors who led lives of prayer and healing. Each were also visible and responsive members of our local community who reached out to help those in need. Subsequent rectors have continued in this tradition. Rector Nicholas Kouletsis founded a food bank ministry in El Monte that has become Our Saviour Center, the 10th largest food bank in the state of California. Our current Rector Emeritus, Denis O'Pray, dramatically expanded the parish's social service ministries in El Monte, San Gabriel, and Pasadena. His leadership also guided the parish to form a relationship with fellow parishes in Israel, and he continues to serve as diocesan representative to the region. What has been true of this parish in the past is still true today: we seek to care for our members and for our common life together, we commit ourselves to Christian education and to a deepening of our life in Christ, and we strive to be faithful to God's message of compassion and reconciliation in our world.