Dear Family and Friends of First UMC of Torrance,
We had an amazing Easter Sunday! It was a joy- and truly Spirit-filled worship service; it’s because all of us put our hearts into worship. Worship service is not something we watch or observe as an audience; rather, worship is an active verb of action and participation. I believe God was so pleased to receive our hearts through worship. The joy and excitement of Easter still echoing in our church community!
As green leaves are covering the trees and flowers are blooming, the month of May is the perfect time for us to think about what it means to be a church. Our centennial celebration will be on the third Sunday (May 21), and Pentecost Sunday—the birth of the church—will be the following Sunday (May 28). What is a church? What do we do as a church community? As we head into May, we should continue rethinking about prayers as we pray for each other through the challenges of life; we should continue rethinking about love as we show our love to each other and to the community. This is what a church is supposed to be. As we celebrate our 100th anniversary of being a church community, we will acknowledge God’s amazing grace upon our church in the past, we will acknowledge God’s abundant blessings upon our church in the future, and we will acknowledge God’s will for our church community here and now. We will again gather as a church to give our hearts through worship—joy-filled and spirit-filled worship—followed by some special programs of celebration, which I encourage you to join us for. I encourage you to actively participate and put your heart into the worship and celebration so that our God will be praised. “We are the church together!”
When we come to the Lord in spirit and in truth, we will find the presence and power of the God who transforms our lives. We will also find the power of the God who equips us to more fully love and serve God, his Church, and our neighbor, with the Risen Christ in our midst. Let the love of Christ shine through our church commu-nity. Our Church will grow deeper in prayers and loving fellowship, which is a vital part of our ministry in the fruit of the Spirit. “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” – John 15:12
Love in Christ, Pastor Jacob