East Whittier Friends Church — Church Directory

Quick Facts

Pastor — the shepherd God holds accountable Co-Pastors Jeremy Cosand and Philip Cox; Pastora Delia Madrid (Spanish ministry)

Founded 1907

Denomination Friends Church

Service Times Sunday bilingual worship 9:30 a.m.

Men's Ministry No

Kids Ministry No

Website www.eastwhittierfriends.org/

Pastor Credentials Friends Southwest yearly meeting clergy

10-Point Theological Scorecard

Christology

Is Jesus the only way? (John 14:6)

Evangelical Friends tradition affirms Trinitarian orthodoxy and Christ's deity (distinct from liberal FGC/FUM unprogrammed branches).

Strong

Scripture

Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?

Evangelical Friends affirm biblical authority and inerrancy in the Richmond Declaration tradition.

Strong

Men's Discipleship

Intentional formation for men?

No dedicated men's ministry visible on current website.

Caution

Soteriology

Faith alone? How is salvation presented?

Evangelical Friends affirm grace through faith with Quaker pneumatology (inner Light = work of Holy Spirit).

Strong

Gender / Biblical Design

Biblical manhood and womanhood by God's design — patriarchal, complementarian, egalitarian, or affirming gender ideology?

Quaker tradition historically affirms women in ministry from the 17th century; female co-leadership confirmed (Pastora Delia Madrid). MOOP rubric flags egalitarian polity yellow.

Female pastor (Pastora Delia Madrid); Quaker tradition affirms women in ministry from inception (1650s).

Caution

Leadership Structure

Male elders/pastors? Accountability?

Friends meeting structure (Ministry & Counsel, Elders); shared pastorate.

Caution

Preaching Style

Expository or topical/therapeutic?

Programmed worship with prepared sermons (not silent unprogrammed worship).

Strong

Mission Clarity

Great Commission central?

Friends Southwest church-planting + global missions tradition (e.g., Bolivia, Peru, Kenya through EFM).

Strong

Cultural Alignment

DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?

Evangelical Friends generally hold traditional sexual ethics; verify locally.

Strong

Accountability Structure

Denominational home, elder plurality, or external network — is the pastor answerable to anyone?

Evangelical Friends generally orthodox; distinct from liberal Quaker branches that affirm LGBT marriage.

Strong

Assessment

East Whittier Friends Church is the lifelong home meeting of Richard Milhous Nixon — the 37th President was raised here from age 9, played piano in Sunday school, taught Sunday school as a young attorney, and remained a member until his death in 1994. The congregation is part of Friends Southwest, the evangelical/programmed branch of Quakerism — distinct from the liberal unprogrammed Friends General Conference (FGC) and Friends United Meeting (FUM) which have moved toward LGBT affirmation. Evangelical Friends affirm Trinitarian orthodoxy, biblical authority, and grace-through-faith soteriology in the Richmond Declaration tradition. Worship is bilingual (English/Spanish) and programmed — looking more like a contemporary evangelical service than the silent meetings stereotypically associated with Quakers. Female pastoral leadership is present (Pastora Delia Madrid) — consistent with Quakerism's 17th-century affirmation of women in ministry, but yellow on MOOP's rubric. Solid green at the denominational and theological core; historic Americana.

#quaker#friends#evangelical-friends#east-whittier#california#richard-nixon#presidential-church#bilingual

MOOP Engagement Tracker

How this church was personally verified by the MOOP directory team:

✓ Researched church website

Sources & Evidence

Enrichment Notes

Live-fetched 2026-05-16: eastwhittierfriends.org confirms 15911 E Whittier Blvd, Sunday 9:30 bilingual worship, affiliated with Friends Southwest (programmed evangelical Quakers — distinct from liberal FGC/FUM branches). Friends Journal + QuakerSpeak document Nixon's lifelong membership from age 9 until death 1994; he taught Sunday school and played piano. Pastor Eugene Coffin (deceased) was Nixon's pastor here and conducted White House services during Nixon presidency.

These are the URLs consulted to arrive at this church's scoring. Score-note claims are synthesized from homepage content, denominational directories, and public statements of faith at the time of review. Church websites change frequently; we're progressively adding Internet Archive snapshots to prevent link rot.

[1] Live source eastwhittierfriends.org
[2] Live source eastwhittierfriends.org/about/our-team
[3] Live source fsw.church/california/east-whittier-friends
[4] Live source friendsjournal.org/richard-nixons-first-cover-up-2/
[5] Live source quakerspeak.com/video/was-richard-nixon-a-quaker/

Transparency note: MOOP ratings are researcher judgments about publicly available theological and ecclesial evidence. They are not infallible. If a church's public posture has changed since our review, or if we've mis-read evidence, tell us — we publish corrections.