In the late 1870's, two families of Quakers traveled from Canada and settled in the farming community of Alamitos. They were John and Susan Beckett and Alfred and Mercy Beckett with their three children. Within the next few years, other Friends families from Canada joined them. Soon, Susan Beckett began leading a Bible study group in their home, and then began teaching a Sunday School class in the school house at the corner of Chapman and Magnolia Avenues, Northwest of the small country town of Garden Grove.
As the Sunday School program began to grow there was interest in organizing church services. John Beckett gave two acres of his property for meetings to be held in 1890. A large tent was set up and Jeremiah Grinnell and Lindley Baldwin, from the Pasadena Quarterly Meeting, held a series meetings. After two weeks of earnest prayer and united effort, a meeting for worship was organized and Ella Veeder was chosen as pastor. Sunday services were held in the tent for awhile and then in the school house. After seven months the first sanctuary was completed. On March 9, 1891, an official Friends Monthly Meeting was established. In addition to the local residents, sever families from the Whittier Friends meeting and other Friends meetings transferred their membership to the Alamitos meeting.
In the following years, Alamitos Friends Church continued to minister to the farming community. Ella Veeder served as pastor until 1897 then men began to fill the pastoral role. Through the years three other women served as pastors for various periods of time, as is the custom within the Quaker denomination.
In 1923, a larger building was constructed, with a sizeable sanctuary, a Social Hall, a kitchen, three classrooms on the ground floor, restrooms and four classrooms on the second floor at the back of the building. This building replaced the original sanctuary and provided much needed facilities for the increasing attendance. A little later a parsonage was built near the church building.
During the 1930's and 1940's, attendance increased as families grew and children and young people became active within the church organization. After the end of World War II the farmland began to give way to homes and businesses. Attendance at Alamitos Friends Church increased rapidly with many young families. Groundbreaking for a much needed two story Sunday School building was held in November of 1950. Construction was done almost entirely with volunteer labor by members of the church.
Attendance and membership continued to grow and two worship services and Sunday School sessions became necessary. It was agreed that a new larger sanctuary and Sunday School rooms were needed. After much prayer and successful fund raising, three acres on the West side of the original property was purchased in late 1953. Ground breaking ceremony was held and construction began on the present sanctuary and a wing of classrooms which was completed and dedicated on October 9, 1955. In 1965 the present day Social hall was built.
Over the years, as the city of Garden Grove grew to more than 120,000 and homes replaced farm land, the identity of the Alamitos community became lost or confused with the city of Los Alamitos. Therefore, in early 1979, our Monthly Meeting approved a name change to Garden Grove Friends Church.