Welcome

We appreciate this chance to share with you our hopes and our vision as we dream big dreams for God. Our desire is for FPCLA to be a home, a family, a spiritual shelther and a spiritual reference point for you. We aspire to be a caring, giving, and empowering church where God and provide inpisration, healing, and challenge to every individual. We want our chuch to be centered on who God is. We want our preaching and teaching of God's Word to be relevant to everyday needs and concerns.

Please feel free to write to me if I can be of any service.

William Lew
williamlew@aol.com
FPCLA English Group Pastor

About Us

Mission:

“The mission of the FPCLA English ministry is to make committed disciples of Jesus Christ.”

Vision:

“At FPCLA our God given English ministry vision is to be a multi-cultural, multi-generational church that fosters spiritual growth in Christ through discipleship, small groups, and evangelism. We strive to create a personal and intimate family environment where relationships can be built, where the presence of God is felt, and where seekers and believers feel at home.”

Today: Who We Are Today

We are a spiritual community passionate for Christ with two worship services a week and we welcome all seeking God to join us! We have a contemporary style English worship service at 10:00 every Sunday primarily attended by young Asian-American working professionals, couples, young families, and students in the LA, San Gabriel, and South Bay area. We also offer a traditional style Taiwanese language worship service at 11:00 every Sunday attended by singles, families, and seniors who prefer to worship in Taiwanese. We offer a children's Sunday school that begins at 10:30 Sunday morning, adult Sunday school, small groups Bible studies in English and Taiwanese, and free fellowship lunch after Sunday worship services.

History: How FPCLA Began

Los Angeles has been and continues to be a diverse city of different peoples and cultures. During the 60’s and 70’s, the number of immigrants from Taiwan increased as people settled and established their homes in the Los Angeles area. Prior to 1970, there had been no church solely devoted to the Taiwanese community in the LA region. The majority of Taiwanese Christians had been scattered among various American churches or had congregated in the Chinese First Evangelical Church. There was no place for Taiwanese immigrants to worship and fellowship with others in their own native tongue.

Rev. Jonah Chang, then a methodist pastor in Fresno, saw both the urgent spiritual needs of the believers and the need to evangelize the non-believers among the Taiwanese immigrants, and sacraficed a month of his precious summer vacation to assist in the formation of a Taiwanese church in Los Angeles. In August 1970, the first gathering was held in the education hall of Centenary Methodist Church on the corner of Normandy and 35th Street. Approximately 20 individuals attended that first meeting. After a month, the number of attendees had increased and the co-workers at that time became aware of the importance of establishing a Taiwanese church.

With Rev. Chang’s return to Fresno, the co-workers were determined to continue the task of church formation and evangelization. Rather than becoming an independent, isolated church, they sought the support and recognition from the Presbyterian Church (USA) and advocated for membership in the second largest denomination in America.

During late 1970, Rev. Albert Lai initiated dialogue with the New Church Development Committee in the Presbytery and by May 1971, the Presbytery reached a preliminary agreement to assist and plan the mission project. In July of that same year, the Wilshire Crest Presbyterian Church extended an invitation to relocate the gathering church to their majestic and gracefully constructed sanctuary, thereby closing the chapter on the tenancy at the Methodist church.

In September 1971, the Pacific Presbytery unanimously approved the mission statement and five-year development plan submitted by the Taiwanese church and called Rev. Paul Chiao-lung Kao to be the first organizing pastor. After a year of service and with much growth and development in the church, Rev. Kao returned to Harvard University to continue his academic pursuits.

In September 1972, after careful deliberation, the Presbytery decided to call Rev. Ching-Ming Hsu to continue the mission of church formation. After three years of observation and assistance, the New Church Development Committee in the Presbytery motioned that the status of FPCLA be elevated. On May 20, 1973, the motion was unanimously approved and FPCLA became the first Taiwanese church in history to attain full membership in Presbyterian Church USA.

In January 1974, Wilshire Crest Presbyterian Church, FPCLA’s host church for the past several years, applied for dissolution after seeing dramatic reductions in their membership. The Presbytery decided to entrust the stewardship of the entire church property to FPCLA where the church is still presently located.

Over the years FPCLA has grown and developed and has even helped in the development of several sister churches in the Orange County and South Bay areas. As new generations grow, FPCLA has developed an English ministry to administer to the spiritual growth of the younger generations. Our current English ministry pastor and leader, Rev. William Lew has been at FPCLA since 1998. Since then, the English ministry has seen a great increase in new members and the development of new English programs, such as weekly small group meetings and prayer groups. FPCLA continues to be a beacon of hope and peace in the Los Angeles area for those in the Taiwanese community, but has also extended its arms to become a spiritual home for many people of all backgrounds in the greater Los Angeles area.

Young Adults English Ministry

Our young adults ministry is geared towards working professionals, singles, young couples, young families, and college students who are seeking to know God and/or want to grow in Christ. Our focus is to build a strong spiritual community based on our relationship with God and each other that is personal, practical, and positive. We strive to keep God’s presence and to learn, encourage, and support one another through our daily lives as we worship, pray, fellowship, and grow together.

Youth Group

The teenage years can be difficult and trying. That is why we have an active youth group ministry for teens 12-18 aimed at providing lifelong spiritual skills that will help teens stay close to God as they make decisions that will impact their present and future and those around them. Our approach is to create an open environment so that teens feel comfortable in sharing their joys and successes, their fears and struggles, and their doubts and needs. Our focus is to fellowship with our teens and through constant communication, listening, love, prayer, and God’s guidance we help mentor and equip our teens through high school and into young adulthood.

Worship Team

One of the joys of being a Christian is exalting and praising God in acknowledgement of His greatness, His glory, and His love. Music and singing are an integral part of worshiping God and fellowship at FPCLA. The FPCLA band leads praise through upbeat contemporary style music that is inspirational and touching. Come hear our band exalt God every Sunday morning at our 10:30 worship service and join us in praising the Lord!

Prayer Group

Prayer is a key foundation in our relationship with God. Prayer is the ultimate acknowledgement of God’s greatness and power and demonstrates our humility and dependence before God. We believe in prayer individually, in groups, and as a community. We have a community prayer meeting that meets at FPCLA every other Saturday morning at 10:00AM. Everyone is welcome. Bring your requests, your burdens, and your humble spirit and come pray with us!

Small Groups

(South Bay and LA Westside) - Our weekly small group meetings are geared towards spiritual growth through Bible study and fellowship. Our small groups focus on growing your relationship with God and with each other through support, encouragement, sharing, and activities that are based on the Bible and experiencing God personally. There are currently 2 small groups that meet weekly, one in the South Bay and the other in the Los Angeles Westside.

Children’s Sunday School

Our children are the future spiritual and community leaders of this world. Our goal is to work with God in teaching Biblical foundations to our children ages 6-11 that they can build on for the rest of their lives. The focus is on God’s love, loving God, knowing God, and being part of a spiritual community. Our Sunday School teachers are patient and use a variety of teaching methods combined with active learning and fun. A typical Sunday morning will consist of worship, followed by a Bible lesson, and then arts and crafts, singing, or games.