Dear Family and Friends of First UMC of Torrance,
As we enter the season of Advent and prepare to turn the page into a new year, my heart is filled with gratitude and hope. Advent reminds us that waiting is not wasted time. It is a holy space where God prepares our hearts, renews our spirits, and invites us to look for the new things He is bringing to life.
Before we step into 2026, I want to invite us to pause and give thanks for the blessings of this past year. Throughout 2025, God has been faithful, guiding us, sustaining us, and surprising us with His grace. When we look back, we see God’s hand in the ministries we shared, the relationships we nurtured, the prayers we lifted, and the many ways our church family supported one another.
I want to express my deep appreciation to every one of you who has faithfully participated in our mission and ministries this year. Your presence, your prayers, your service, your generosity, each of these has shaped our church into a community where God’s love becomes real and tangible. You are the heartbeat of our mission, and I thank God for you.
Now, as we wait in hope during this Advent season, we also look forward with expectation. Just as God entered the world in a manger, quietly but powerfully, God continues to bring forth new beginnings in our lives and in our church. And so we ask: What new things is God preparing for us in 2026?
I believe 2026 will be a year of renewed vision, deeper discipleship, and expanded mission. A year when we continue dreaming big because we trust in a God whose dreams for us are even greater than our own. A year when we step forward with courage, ready to be shaped and used by God in new and meaningful ways.
My prayer is that as we enter 2026, we do so with grateful hearts and hopeful spirits, prepared to follow wherever Christ leads. May we continue to be a church that celebrates blessings, practices generosity, and embraces God’s unfolding future with joy.
Thank you, church family, for your faithfulness and love. I am grateful for all that we have shared in 2025, and I am truly excited for what God will do through us in 2026.
In hope and gratitude,
Pastor Jacob