As a non-member and a visitor of Evergreen Baptist Church in Rosemead (for several times), I…read morethought my review could some provide useful information and idea of what to expect if you are considering to attend or visit Evergreen's Rosemead campus. First, it may help to know a very brief history, as the church has a rich history as one of the early Asian-American churches of Southern California and a pioneer in the "Asian-American church movement". It was founded back in the early 1900s as primarily a Japanese-American church, and like many other older Asian-language churches, later attracted English-speaking and other nationalities and finally evolved into an Asian-American Church. There is also another congregation located quite nearby in La Puente.
Considering the size of its congregation, when you drive up to the church, it seems quite big, with lots of buildings, classrooms, a chapel, and a parking lot (you can also park in the school nearby if it gets too crowded). It is actually a beautiful church campus. You may have to ask around or follow the crowd to the main worship hall. Having attended multiple services at different times, I never found it crowded at all. In fact, each time, the room seemed around maybe less than 50% full. I also visited a Sunday School and was informed that church attendance was lower because the senior pastor Ken Fong was on break for the summer.
For an Asian-American church, the worship was relatively lively and good. Typically, these churches are not able to compare to "mega-churches" which are multi-ethnic and bring in thousands of attendees. The songs played were easy to sing and the variety made it well balanced, as the age range of the congregation easily reached to those in their 60s and 70s. The sermons were simple and relatively biblical, didn't require much bible knowledge, and this is nice if you're not a regular church attendee. Also, unlike some smaller or "more outgoing" churches, if you were new or just a visitor, you aren't forced to meet or pray or feel uncomfortable with strangers, you can simply attend and keep to yourself. It is a relatively conservative style of service, quite common in most Asian and Asian-American churches.
According to some other Yelp reviews I read, the church has been described as "clique-ish", and I do understand why these reviewers felt this way, I felt some of that, but perhaps it may have to do with church culture and/or the rules and structure of it. I was informed that a 4-week class was required in order to meet people and learn about the church, so this could make it difficult to meet anyone easily, and it seemed strange and a bit formal, but it's also understandable given that the church might want to protect its members from visitors who may not fit in or agree with the church's doctrine and values. Some churches I attended would let newcomers get immediately involved and even teach the children, and so there really needs to be a balance.
Overall, Evergreen seems like a decent church (if you prefer evangelical or are curious) to attend especially if you live in the San Gabriel Valley. And if are Asian-American, you will find a lot of people here who likely share a common experience with you if you decide to attend the welcome class. Compared to to mega-churches, it's smaller, so you may not be able hide long if you like to remain anonymous at a church service. However, compared to other Asian churches of its type, it is bigger and seems like it could take some effort to connect with others, but it seems like a good option if you're looking.
