The beginnings of Gardena Valley Baptist Church were in a Sunday School started by the American Baptist Mission Society in 1914. As a means of evangelizing and serving the nearby Japanese farm-laborer community, the American Baptist missionaries rented out a small cottage to teach children of the farm laborers English and Bible stories. Though most of the farm laborers were likely not Christian, sending their children to the Sunday School was a free and accessible means for the next generation to learn English and American culture, preparing them for success in their new home.