Posts by firstumc-admin (Page 16)
Food Drive
First Sunday Food Drive for Sawyer Family Service Center (formerly His House). As we come to share in Holy Communion, we remember those who are hungry by bringing non-perishable food items to share. Especially needed are dry milk (individual packets or small boxes); dry cereal, beans, rice, pasta, macaroni and cheese; small cans of fruit and vegetables; peanut butter; canned tuna, pork and beans, chili, spaghettis, corned beef, hash, stew, etc.; can openers. A collection box is located in the…
Reflecting on the Resurrection
Dear Friends, In thinking about the narrative of the resurrection in the gospels, did you know that Matthew, Mark, and Luke only devoted one chapter each to tell about Jesus’ rising and what happens after that? The writer of John is the only one who devotes two chapters. In total, Matthew wrote twenty-eight chapters, Mark wrote sixteen chapters, Luke twenty-four chapters, and John twenty-two. Perhaps the reason why there is much less proportionately in the resurrection narrative is that Jesus…
Aloha Spirit
Dear Friends, During my trip back to Hawaii, Marlou and I joined with other members of the family and went to worship at Aldersgate UMC, just west of downtown Honolulu. It was the church I grew up in. I was pleasantly surprised to see how some things had changed, but yet how some things remained the same. The changes included a whole new audio-visual system – two projection screens mounted on the front wall of the chancel, like ours at…
Make Some Desert
Dear Friends, During Lent I’ve been reading the devotional Small Surrenders by Emilie Griffin. On one of the days Griffin quotes Carlo Carretto who says: If you cannot go into the desert, you must nonetheless “make some desert” in your life. Every now and then leaving… and looking for solitude to restore, in prolonged silence and prayer, the stuff of your soul. [Brewster, Mass: Paraclete Press, 2007, p.40] The common image of the desert is present throughout the Bible. The…
Young Adult Bible Study
New! Young adults (ages 18-40) are welcome to get together on Thursdays from 7:30pm-9:30pm in the Upper Room (youth room) at church. This is a weekly gathering to hang out and discuss the matters of faith and philosophy that interest, concern, and confuse us as college students and young adults. Info: Tyler Dobbs, tyler@firstumctorrance.org
Lois Balsley Scholarship Available
Lois Balsley was a tiny woman (only 4′ 11″ tall) with a big heart. She had a passion for education, young people, social justice, world travel and good music. Lois was an active member of Torrance First UMC from 1951 until her death in 2001. In establishing the Lois Balsley Living Trust, Lois left all of her worldly goods to the California-Pacific United Methodist Foundation. The Foundation Board of Directors decided a portion of Lois’ legacy would be used to…
Sermon Archive
Sermons, and other information, posted prior to the site refresh are located at the old location: https://firstumctorrance.org/ep