Guidance Church

Reverend Morgan and a Few Visionaries Seeded Guidance

Guidance Church was founded by Reverend Dr. Daniel L. Morgan and a small handful of visionaries on Sunday, January 15, 1967. Reverend Morgan had received the cooperation and loving support of his wife, Vernell to depart from June Cobb Church and start his own Religious Science congregation, now known as United Centers of Spiritual Living; The Global Heart.

Initially a nucleus group held services in the 1,300 seat auditorium of the Leimert Theater on 43rd Place. George Pantages helped the group secure a lease. After four months, a smaller space was found and leased on Crenshaw Boulevard at 43rd Street.

Church leadership was very hands-on during the moving in. Jesse Whiteside assisted Reverend Morgan in wheeling in the furniture. Richard Dunn built a vestibule. With the aid of several men, William Jones built a platform for the Reverend and the choir. Office space that doubled as a refreshment area after services was procured in an adjacent building. By the end of 1967, several service organizations were formed including the Hostess Club [Link to Service Organizations/Hostess Club], Men’s Forum [Link to Service Organizations/Men’s Forum], Ladies’ Auxiliary [Link to Service Organizations/Ladies’ Auxiliary] and Women’s Club [Link to Service Organizations/Women’s Club].

Permanent Home and Dedication Service

The leased space at Crenshaw Boulevard and 43rd became cramped after a couple of years. Our congregation had grown substantially. We visioned and located a building at 7225 S. Crenshaw. Does the address sound familiar? We’ve been in the same spot since 1970. The collective consciousness of Guidance was mobilized to attain this space and a down payment was arranged. On September 7, 1970, Reverend Morgan led us in worship from the pulpit of the building we occupy today. The Dedication Service was held on September 20, 1970.

Furnishings which appeared crowed at the previous location seemed lost in the new space. The foyers were bare and showed uneven payment. The three chairs on the platform were old and unmatched. Unperturbed by these appearances, all of Guidance rejoiced that we owned our Church Building! In 1973, due to more expansion, we added the Youth Building and dedicated it to the memory of Dolann Briscoe. Shortly thereafter, we purchased adjacent property. By the mid 1970’s Guidance offered accredited classes in Science of Mind teachings. We continued making improvements over the years.

Our original bookstand is now the fully stocked Guiding Light Bookstore with more than 1,000 volumes of spiritual literature. We replaced plain glass windows in the sanctuary with stained ones and those three mismatched altar chairs are now elegant. Our choir of fourteen is now 50 voices strong and shares transformative music during services and private concerts. We’ve come a long way.

Thanks to Doctor Dan and His Supporters

We owe a great deal to the men and women who supported Doctor Dan’s vision and served our community in its infancy. Reverend Gene Thompson, Reverend Huey DeLaHoussaye and Reverend Timothy Armstrong were Assistant Ministers in the early days. The direction and continued growth of Guidance was charted by Reverend Dan and the Guidance Board of Trustees. Past presidents include Henry Rahming, Ivard Woods, Donald Briscoe, John L. Bradford, Eugene Kemp, Dorothy Washington, Roger Peterson, Albert King, Tyrone Dowdell, Booker Ridgeway, Mel Taylor, and presently Layona Walker. Additional spiritual direction and assistance has been provided by Gene Thompson, Huey DeLaHoussaye, Gertha Wheeler, John L. Bradford, Marilyn DeLaHoussaye, Juanita Dunn, Mary Shy Taylor and many dedicated practitioners.

In 19##, Reverend Dr. Daniel L. Morgan retired and passed the baton to Reverend Nirvana Reginald Gayle. We continue our dynamic journey toward greater expression under his leadership.