News (Page 13)

Greetings, Brothers and Sisters in Christ! I spent one fall season living in Georgia. One season of giving thanks that the humidity and mosquitoes of summer were finally gone, but moreover, one season spent in awe of the changing colors of the trees. It was the reds and yellows and oranges that I had only seen in the movies. The trees would soon be bare for winter, but for those few months God had painted the streets the perfect shade…

Brothers and Sisters in Christ! Though it feels like Summer just began, school is about to start a new year. Growing up, these weeks leading up to the first day of school were always weeks of anticipation for me. Maybe I will love my new teacher, maybe I will make new friends, maybe I will learn a new instrument, maybe my volleyball team will make the playoffs, maybe… the list goes on. What are your maybes for this coming school…

Greetings, Brothers and Sisters in Christ! On Saturday, most of us gathered for cook outs and fireworks to celebrate the 4th of July and to remember our freedom and independence. On Sunday, we broke bread and shared a cup to remember our freedom from sin and shame through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. For both of these events we ate, we remembered and we gave praise, but what happened the day after? On the…

Dear Friends, School is out for Summer! For many, these are exciting words of freedom and rest, for some these are terrifying words as they try to figure out what to do with kids for summer, and for the rest, these words do not mean much at all as life continues as it has. For me, Summer is a time of opportunities. Youth attend mission trips, kids attend Vacation Bible School and the church has the opportunity to live with…

Dear Friends, With three birthdays in our immediate family, May is a month of celebrations and can be exhausting and exhilarating at the same time. This May will be just that for First UMC of Torrance. We will begin with the celebration of communion on the first Sunday, after foregoing communion in April; the second Sunday we will celebrate our mothers, both by blood and by choice; the third Sunday we will celebrate as 19 youth and 1 young adult…

Dear Friends, Spring is in the air, Easter has happened with all its glory, wonderment, and decorated eggs, and we begin to look toward the next season of the church. We look toward new worship themes and Bible studies, confirmation and baptism celebrations, Pentecost, choir concerts, and summer activities. Truly, the church does not slow down once Christ has risen. I pray that you find Easter not as on end point, but as a beginning point to something new in…

Dear Friends, In each of our administrative meetings we begin by reciting our church’s mission statement that “We are a diverse and caring community, sharing the promise of life with Christ, passing the faith to the next generation.” I take this statement to heart in understanding that this is who our congregation is called to be. Tomorrow I leave for Texas for a leadership seminar on multicultural church ministry so that I can learn from experienced pastors in this area.…

Dear Friends, After Christ’s baptism, He was sent into the desert to fast for 40 days and 40 nights. This was a time of trial and temptation as He spiritually prepared to preach, teach, heal and love His people before ascending to Golgotha to sacrifice His life for us. The early church adopted Christ’s 40 days in the desert as a discipline for those seeking a Christian life. They would spend 40 days living a disciplined life as they considered…