Greetings, Brothers and Sisters in Christ!
The onset of September includes the beginning of a new school year and I send my prayers for all students, teachers, administrators and parents as a new adventure and a new year of growth begins.
As I consider students returning to school, I find myself with an opportunity to reflect on all of the students who have graced us on Sunday mornings from El Camino College to fill our Sanctuary and our hearts with beautiful music. Classical guitars, flutes, pianos, violins, violas and organ pieces have reminded us of the beauty of God’s creation and the gift that he places within each of us.
I would like to thank you and commend you as a congregation for the Christian hospitality, grace and love that you have shown to the students that have visited our church. Many are not Christians and in such have given us an opportunity to be witnesses of Christ as we welcome and embrace them in our church. What a gift that we have each morning to show them the true heart and meaning of being a Christian! You may never know how deep the words you say and the gestures you use may go in the lives of those who walk through our doors, and how God may be using you to bring a heart to Christ.
As a church with a mission statement to “pass the faith to the next generation,” we are living that mission as we invite students in to bring us musical offerings, to have a chance to perform in front of an audience and to hear the praise response that we give them. As students continue to be present in our worship, I pray that God’s Holy Spirit will continue to guide us as we become a place of refuge, a place of acceptance, a place of learning, and a place of encouragement. May we greet each student with a warm Torrance First welcome, to meet them where they are in life and faith, and to foster an environment of love that they would consider coming to, even when they are not playing.
God has blessed us in many ways and the beauty of the music that is at the heart of our church, both in our church members and in our guests, is truly one of the gifts that we can treasure. To God be the glory, amen.
Blessings, Pastor Stacy