What is now Life Pacific University was founded in 1923 as Echo Park Evangelistic and Missionary Training Institute by Aimee Semple McPherson in Echo Park, Los Angeles, California.[1] The name was changed to LIFE Bible College (LIFE standing for Lighthouse of International Foursquare Evangelism) in 1926 when it moved into a newly constructed five-story complex next door to Angelus Temple. In 1990 the college relocated to its current home in San Dimas, California. In the early 2000s the name Life Pacific College was adopted and in 2019 the institution was renamed and restructured as Life Pacific University with the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Theology and Ministry.
In 1957, in Mount Vernon, Ohio, sister college Mount Vernon Bible College was founded, relocating to Christiansburg, Virginia in the 1980s. The name was changed to LIFE Bible College East in 1988. In 2003 LIFE East closed for financial reasons and its records were transferred to Life Pacific. Life Pacific now operates LPU Virginia as an extension campus at the former LIFE Bible College East property.
Life Pacific competes in six intercollegiate varsity sports. Men's sports include basketball and soccer; women's sports include basketball, soccer, volleyball, and beach volleyball.
References
^George Thomas Kurian, Mark A. Lamport, Encyclopedia of Christianity in the United States, Volume 5, Rowman & Littlefield, USA, 2016, p. 1200
^Daniel Topf, Pentecostal Higher Education: History, Current Practices, and Future Prospects, Palgrave Macmillan, USA, 2021, p. 44