Dear Family and Friends of First United Methodist Church of Torrance,
June is a month of fullness.
All around us, we see it. Students close their textbooks for the last time, walk across a stage, and step into a new chapter of life. Families gather to celebrate years of hard work, late nights, and quiet perseverance. There is something deeply moving about watching someone finish well, and then turn to face what is next with hope.
That same spirit lives within our church community this June. As we close our fiscal year, we pause to look back at what God has done among us, and what we see fills us with gratitude. The Psalmist put it simply and beautifully: “The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy” (Psalm 126:3). That is not just an ancient song. That is our testimony.
None of what we have accomplished this year happened by chance. It happened because of you, the faithful members and friends of First UMC Torrance who gave your time, your resources, your prayers, and your presence week after week. Ministry is never the work of one person. It is always the work of a community that says yes to God together. For that, I am deeply and sincerely grateful.
At the same time, I know not everyone enters this season with a light heart. Some in our church family are walking through real pain right now – illness, loss, uncertainty, or burdens too heavy to carry alone. To you, I want to say: you are not forgotten. You are seen. This community holds you, and so does the God who called us together. Seasons of celebration and seasons of struggle often exist side by side, and that is exactly why we need one another.
This June also marks an important season for our denomination. The California-Pacific Annual Conference gathers to do what the church has always done: give thanks for the year behind us and prayerfully prepare for the year ahead. It is a sacred rhythm – reflection and anticipation, gratitude and vision. Like students who graduate and step forward into a new season, we too move forward as a conference, trusting that the God who has been faithful will continue to lead the way.
June reminds us that endings are never simply endings. They are thresholds. Graduation is not a goodbye to learning; it is the beginning of a larger classroom. The closing of a fiscal year is not a goodbye to ministry; it is a moment to pause, catch our breath, give thanks, and ask: Lord, what do You have for us next?
As we enter this summer season together, I invite you to hold both gratitude for what has been and open hands for what is yet to come. Whether you step into June with joy, with tears, or with a little of both, know this: you do not walk alone. God is not finished with First UMC Torrance. Not by a long way.
Thank you for being my church family. It is one of the greatest gifts of my life.
With gratitude and love,
Pastor Jacob