February 5, 2026, the Pasadena Community Church Discernment Committee recommended that the congregation hold a vote February 22, 2026 to determine the future of the PCC Sanctuary and Hamilton Building. The Committee recommends the church replace both buildings that are in need to extensive and expensive repairs and updating. You can read the details of that recommendation here.
The history of this decision
In 2022, the Pasadena Community Church membership voted overwhelmingly to move forward with plans to more efficiently and effectively use our sizable property and acres of buildings under roof. Our vision for the future is shaped by our respect for the rich history of Pasadena Community Church’s dedication to serving God by serving our community.
The church offered more than five acres of property for sale. The two parcels include the vacant soccer field and the property that is the current home for the PCC Preschool. Contracts were let for the sale of those properties. One property sale closed in 2025, the other will close later in 2026. The proceeds from those sales paid for the updates and repairs of the Life Enrichment Center which will become the new home for the PCC Preschool late in 2026 or at the start of 2027.
We are modernizing our entire campus to meet 21st century technology & sensitivities while keeping and respecting church traditions. The new preschool campus will be ADA-compliant and accessible to students, teachers, and staff with differing physical abilities. Right now, we cannot accommodate students, teachers, or staff with certain challenges. This plan allows us to be welcoming to all.
We believe that Methodism requires us to be good stewards of our resources.
A close examination of how we were using our buildings led the congregation to realize that PCC owns lots of lightly used classroom space and many areas of the church were uninviting to people who could not climb stairs or walk long distances from the sanctuary to the LEC.
At the same time, some of our buildings are aging and need or will need extensive, expensive upgrades. Before we pour money into buildings that we are not using efficiently, the church decided to realign our needs and plans with our resources.
The original plans called for the renovation of the Hamilton Building and the Sanctuary. But 2024 hurricane damage and subsequent engineering reports forced the church to vote to shift its plans and reimagine a different way forward.
The plans adopted in 2025 were based on plans to:
–Reduce operating expenses by building more efficient spaces and avoiding impending repairs
-Make all buildings ADA compliant and easier for all people including children and seniors to access classrooms, play areas and meeting spaces. The plans call for the addition of an elevator in the Hamilton Building so everybody could access Sunday school and children’s classrooms.
-Provide a more secure and updated Christian-based pre-school that maintains current enrollment figures and meets/exceeds safety and accreditation standards.
-Imagine a Worship Center/Sanctuary that is accessible and welcoming. A new worship center would include classrooms, spaces for youth programs and would be useful 7 days a week, not just a few hours a week for worship. Many church members have expressed a desire to include a chapel as well.
The PCC Thrift Mall will move to a new home, which is under discussion. But for now, the plans including pausing the store operations in mid 2026.
The church offices will remain in the LEC. The original plans included moving them to another building but the updated LEC plans keep the offices in the LEC securely locked away from the preschool functions.
Sports programs, including community pickleball and youth basketball, will continue although they may be interrupted sometimes by construction in the LEC.
All decisions about the future of buildings and plans must be approved by church member votes and are overseen by the Church Council.
Why can’t we stay in the the Sanctuary until we have a new worship center?
PCC spends about $200,000 a year air conditioning the (now) unused sanctuary, plus paying for insurance, fire and security protection and other maintenance.
To get safely back into the sanctuary would require nearly $2 million in facade repairs. The building is currently off-limits by city inspection orders.
The Church Council and Discernment Committee estimates it will take +/- 3 years to:
1-close the sale of the second parcel and get the money in hand that will pay for the bulk of the next construction
2-engage with a consultant who will guide church visioning on church priorities that shape the decisions on what a new worship center should include
3-solicit design proposals and gather bids
4- raise whatever funds would be necessary to fund the new building (we will have about $6.5 million on hand after the second parcel sale, but that would not likely be enough to pay for a new worship center that is 12,000-15,000 sq ft (just to use ballpark figures.)
5- award a construction contract
6-construct the new building and move in
pccforward.org 