about the layout of this site...
At the bottom of each page, you will find the church address, phone/fax numbers, email address and a link to a location map.
The navigation bar at the top of each page will take you to the main content areas on our web site. The El Portal (news) page contains dated material, sermon audio and is our opportuities for ministry page. See the description of "El Portal" below. The Church Life page is a description of our on-going ministries, including worship, education and outreach. The Links page is some United Methodist related information that might be helpful. To see what is happening on a given date, check the Calendar page.
A listing of the pages on this site is availible on the site map.
about the mission of this site...
This site is an extension of the ministry of the First United Methodist Church of Torrance. Comments about the site can be sent here. The content of this website is copyright by First United Methodist Church of Torrance, or the individual authors of the material. Usage of the cross and flame logos are with the permission of GCFA.
about privacy...
Please ready our pirvacy policy regarding use of this site.
about el portal...
On May 13, 1953, El Portal began as a monthly newsletter. From the first issue: "The name chosen 'El Portal,' meaning 'The Door,' suggests both the local setting and the religious significance of the publication" (see John 10:7). Now a weekly publication that acts as an open door to the ministry of Torrance First.
This website, created in May 1997, will continue to move El Portal into the future as a door to what is happening both locally and globally. On the El Portal (news) page of our website you will find content that includes news and information about, or of interest to, the local church, as well as audio content with weekly sermons and meditations.
about the print version of el portal...
The print edition is now availible to members and constituents on a request basis. Send an email to info@firstumctorrance.org to request the log in information. Then log in via the "Print Version" link in the sidebar on the el portal (news) page.
about the audio and video on this site...
The audio and video files can be played with the QuickTime player, available for both Mac and PC. They can also be downloaded by right-clicking (PC) or control-click (Mac) on the link and saving the file. There may be links from this site to media on other sites that may need other media players.
about RSS and XML feeds...
RSS (Really Simple Sindication) type feeds allow a feed reader to subscribe to the content from a news or blog type web page.
On our site there are several types of feeds availible to subscribe to:
- The El Portal (news) page (all content). Click on the El Portal (RSS) link in the sidebar.
- The audio content posted on the el portal page. Click on the Audio (RSS) link in the sidebar. This feed can be used to subscribe to the audio in iTunes as a podcast. Click here to learn how.
- The Calendar page has several options (see the "RSS-Enabled" link at the bottom of the Calendar page)
A simple feed reader is the Live Bookmark feature built into FireFox. Click on the orange icon 
in the website address window and save the feed as a bookmark.
An easy way to subscribe to the content on the El Portal page is to add this site to your My Yahoo! or Google homepage. Just click on these buttons (also in the sidebar of the El Portal page):
about the logos...
The Cross and Flame logo is a registered trademark, and the use is supervised by the General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA) of the United Methodist Church. Permission to use the Cross and Flame must be obtained from the GCFA, Attn: Legal Department, Post Office Box 340029, Nashville, TN 37203-0029; phone 615-369-2334; fax 615-369-2330.
Our church logo is defined and described here. There are several versions of the image for download.
about web standards...
Web Standards are used as much as possible in this site. It is best to view in a browser that supports web standards, such as FireFox, Opera, or Safari. See the Web Standards Project (WaSP) for more information. This site should support all current browsers.
This site is tested using several validation tools, including the W3C html validator, the W3C css validator, and section 508/WAI A accibility guidelines.
A good validator for (x)html and accessibility can be found at the Total Validator website.
about the style of this site...
The current design used on this site began with the idea of making a WordPress based site. The Blix them was chosen. The colors and CSS of the original Blix theme was overhauled to make the text more legible. Some Ruthsaian code was used, mainly for the horizontal navigation bar. Their efforts are much appreciated.