West Hollywood United Church of Christ (UCC)

Join us for worship this morning at 11 AM! Email [email protected] for the Zoom link! From Pastor Janice: So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary lifeyour sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around lifeand place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him [God]. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your at...Continue reading

We Survived 2020! - Join us for Online Worship this Sunday at 11 AM! Email [email protected] for our Zoom link. For Reflection from Pastor Janice Steele: New Year’s Greetings to you and your family,... Thank you for your faithfulness in 2020, you are an amazing and inspiring congregation. It has been a tough year with upheaval and unrest, the Covid-19 pandemic, and a year of broken promises by our elected officials. But it has also been a year of creativity as we found ways to stay connected and to encourage one another regardless of the news headlines. We never gave-up and as a result, the transition of political power in American will shift in 2021. That is good news, thanks be to God! 2021 is here and waiting for no one! Are you ready for the showers of blessings that are coming your way in 2021? Are you ready to be a bundle of blessings to others in 2021? As we prepare for the transitions and shifts in our country, I encourage you to prepare for transitions and shifts in your life! Change is inevitable! Shifting our thinking, changing our vocabulary, and envisioning our future is essential as we prepare for 2021. This past year was difficult and challenging. The local, state, and national news was and is full of negative news, but we remain hopeful and anticipate change with great expectations. How do we get through the days and weeks ahead that appear to be laced with anxiety, fear, and uncertainty about the future? First, we must make sound and rational decisions and then set attainable goals. Author and speaker Anthony Robbins reminds us that our decisions, not the condition of our lives, determine our destiny. As Disciples of Jesus, I believe you and I have a destiny and purpose that was set before the foundation of the world by our creator. The road map is not always obvious; therefore, the journey is a walk of faith! Setting goals requires the ability to see the possible and impossible opportunities. As people of faith, we know that all things are possible with God! Remember, whenever the spirit of God reveals direction, goals, and objectives, they ultimately benefit others, not just ourselves. This year make decisions and make them often. I encourage you to prayerfully move forward, do not procrastinate or put off your dreams and visions. Practice being joyful often; appreciate the little things in life and take nothing for granted. Today, decide to walk in your purpose and create a legacy that makes a true difference in the lives of others. 2021 is here! What are you waiting for? May you have a safe and healthy New Year.. Pastor Janice

We Survived 2020! - Join Us This Sunday at 11:00 AM for West Hollywood UCC Second Sunday after Christmas Online Worship - Distance Won’t Keep Us Apart! Email [email protected] for the Zoom link!... For Reflection from Pastor Janice Steele: New Year’s Greetings to you and your family! Thank you for your faithfulness in 2020, you are an amazing and inspiring congregation. It has been a tough year with upheaval and unrest, the Covid-19 pandemic, and a year of broken promises by our elected officials. But it has also been a year of creativity as we found ways to stay connected and to encourage one another regardless of the news headlines. We never gave-up and as a result, the transition of political power in American will shift in 2021. That is good news, thanks be to God! 2021 is here and waiting for no one! Are you ready for the showers of blessings that are coming your way in 2021? Are you ready to be a bundle of blessings to others in 2021? As we prepare for the transitions and shifts in our country, I encourage you to prepare for transitions and shifts in your life! Change is inevitable! Shifting our thinking, changing our vocabulary, and envisioning our future is essential as we prepare for 2021. This past year was difficult and challenging. The local, state, and national news was and is full of negative news, but we remain hopeful and anticipate change with great expectations. How do we get through the days and weeks ahead that appear to be laced with anxiety, fear, and uncertainty about the future? First, we must make sound and rational decisions and then set attainable goals. Author and speaker Anthony Robbins reminds us that our decisions, not the condition of our lives, determine our destiny. As Disciples of Jesus, I believe you and I have a destiny and purpose that was set before the foundation of the world by our creator. The road map is not always obvious; therefore, the journey is a walk of faith! Setting goals requires the ability to see the possible and impossible opportunities. As people of faith, we know that all things are possible with God! Remember, whenever the spirit of God reveals direction, goals, and objectives, they ultimately benefit others, not just ourselves. This year make decisions and make them often. I encourage you to prayerfully move forward, do not procrastinate or put off your dreams and visions. Practice being joyful often; appreciate the little things in life and take nothing for granted. Today, decide to walk in your purpose and create a legacy that makes a true difference in the lives of others. 2021 is here! What are you waiting for? May you have a safe and healthy New Year.. Pastor Janice

You are invited to join us for the New Members Class. Even if you are a member or if you are not ready to take the leap. Are you ready to Connect with West Hollywood United Church of Christ? Call the church office to add your name to the list. 323-874-6646 The New Members classes are Tuesdays and Thursdays 7pm-8:15pm... Tuesday, January 5th, 12th and 19th Thursday, January 7th, 14th and 21st A brief history of the United Church of Christ and Wehoucc What does it mean to be in covenant with West Hollywood United Church of Christ? Sacraments Statement of Faith West Hollywood UCC Organization Chart Get Plugged In... New Members Sunday is January 31, 2021. Join us!

Happy New Year's Day to you all! May God bless you, your family, and your friends in this new year. 2021 here we come!

REVISED Instructions for Joining Online Palm Sunday Worship DO NOT USE THE LINK SENT IN PREVIOUS EMAILS!...Continue reading

Join Us This Sunday March 29 at 11:00 AM for West Hollywood UCC Online Worship Distance Won’t Keep Us Apart! Instructions for Joining:...Continue reading

Join Us This Sunday March 22 at 11:00 AM for West Hollywood UCC Online Worship Distance Won’t Keep Us Apart! Instructions for Joining:...Continue reading

West Hollywood UCC Worship Service Cancelled This Sunday, March 15, 2020 Dear WHUCC Congregation, As we are all aware the past few days and even the last 24 hours have been filled with health professionals imploring organizations to take very careful measures to insure the health and safety of everyone so that the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus) is slowed and health providers do not become overwhelmed with demand. To that end vigilant practices around hygiene are of the most... urgent need. The church Council met last evening to discuss measures we can take to mitigate risks associated with the spread of the virus. We were originally prepared to go forward with services this Sunday and discuss steps we all can take in regards to safety. Today as organization after organization has announced cancellation of meetings and events including a growing number of churches who have cancelled worship for the next few weeks it now seems the better approach is to cancel in person worship for the next few weeks and instead focus on how we can provide an online worship experience for our congregation. Some of us have already gone through e-Worship training and will be providing members with instructions on how they can join in worship remotely. We are also prepared to provide a test session before our first actual e-Worship service so people can become comfortable with how to use the application we will have in place for the online event. We know this is not the ideal solution and that some people may not be able to join due to lack of necessary equipment. We are open to suggestions as to how we can help enhance the worship experience for those who are unable to join. In the meantime, we will keep the congregation posted through our church email notifications as we have further information. We pray that God will give us hope and peace during these uncertain times and may we feel God’s presence with us. Blessings, Ellen LaBarbera, Moderator of Congregation and Council George Lynch, Interim Worship Leader

Due to the LA Marathon on Sunday, our Worship service will be THIS SATURDAY at 11 A.M. instead! George Lynch will be guest preaching. Cleaning Up Our Spiritual Rooms: Making the Living Room a Welcoming Place This Saturday we will observe our second Sunday in Lent. We are worshiping on Saturday due to the LA Marathon on Sunday when Sunset Blvd. in front of the church will be blocked off due to the race. We are continuing with our Lenten theme Cleaning Up Our Spiritual Ro...oms this week with our focus on The Living Room. As a reminder we are looking at four spiritual rooms during this series: Living Room, Kitchen, Bedroom, and Bathroom. As we reflect on these Spiritual Rooms, we start with the Living Room because it is the most public room in a house and probably the one room many of us keep the cleanest. The living room as the name implies is the place in a house where we should do our living. It’s the place where we entertain family and guests. The question for this week is Who are the guests we entertain? Are they only the people we know? Would we be comfortable entertaining strangers in our house? It also begs a larger question: Are we as a people, a congregation, a nation willing to entertain the stranger in our midst? This week’s scripture from Matthew’s Gospel is often referred to as the Judgment of the Nations. It’s also known as the parable of the Sheep and the Goats. The contrast here meaning that Sheep represent the righteous and Goats the wicked or unrighteous. This parable comes in the gospel after several parables, The Talents, Bridesmaids, Unfaithful and Faithful Servants, which all stress waiting and preparing for the return of Jesus. In the parable the sovereign separates the sheep (righteous) from the goats (unrighteous) and tells the righteous ones to come and inherit the realm of God. The righteous ones are truly surprised when the sovereign tells them that they had cared for him when he was sick, hungry, thirsty, and a stranger and they question when was it they did these things. The sovereign responds that they cared for him when they cared for the least of those among us. The central message here is a call to provide hospitality and to provide for those we may not even know. Since this week’s spiritual room is the living room which is the place of hospitality, we must ask ourselves how open we truly are to those in need. Do we truly have compassion are we compassionate in name only? We may want to keep our spiritual living rooms looking nice and tidy but we may not really want to use it to welcome others to the degree required to be truly effective. Please join us this Saturday as we explore what it really means when we set about to clean up and organized our spiritual living rooms. Blessings, George

Lent Begins! Join us for Worship this Sunday at 11 A.M. George Lynch will be joining us from Palm Desert to preach for the next 7 Sundays. What a joy! ~ For Reflection ~ This Sunday is the first Sunday in Lent and this year all throughout the Church, Christians will be observing the 40 days of Lent from Ash Wednesday (Feb. 26) through Holy Saturday (April 11), the day before Easter. Historically the purpose of Lent has been to prepare the believer for Easter through prayer, ...Continue reading

The big day is here! It's Dan’s last Sunday as our Pastor. Come celebrate 35 years of Dan's unforgettable leadership and service to our community this Sunday at 11 A.M. This one is not to be missed! ~ For Reflection ~ Dear Friends,... For our last Sunday as your Pastor, I’m going to preach on a scripture text that has frustrated me and angered me for many years. I’ve never preached on it before because it made no theological sense to me. In fact, it’s kind of outrageous. It’s the story of the end of Moses’ Call as Israel’s leader. Every time I read this passage, a want to scream, It’s not fair! And by God, it’s not! But then one day I came across a quote which lead me to that Oh, I get it! moment. I’ll be sharing that insight with you on Sunday. Blessings! Dan

The Baptism of Jacob Robert Carter-Ruiz and Dan’s next to the last Sunday as our Pastor! It’s a big Sunday Worship at 11 am. Join us! "I don't want anyone's future to be like my past." Elie Wiesel... September 30, 1928 July 2, 2016 ~ For Reflection ~ Those who know the early history of West Hollywood Church, know that Lazarus, as in the person whom Jesus raises from the dead, is the patron saint of our church. In 1977, Rev. Ross Greek, our pastor before me, founded a ministry of pastoral care and advocacy for gay and lesbian persons. He named the ministry in honor of the Biblical story of the raising of Lazarus. Chris Glaser became the founding director of the Lazarus Project, serving ten years. You can trace the beginning of every LGBT welcoming congregation in Southern California to the early work of the Lazarus Project and Chris’ ministry. I’m not sure that 2000 years ago when Jesus called into the tomb of Lazarus and shouted, Lazarus, Come Out! that he had any idea that those words would have such profound significance, especially within the LGBT Christian Community, but they did. Many gay and lesbian scholars believe Lazarus and Jesus might have been lovers/partners. That’s hard to prove, but Lazarus’ death is the only time in the Bible that we are told Jesus cried, so there was some deep connection there. Also, whenever Jesus was in or around Bethany, he always stayed at the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. In fact, those three (Mary, Martha and Lazarus) are clearly Jesus’ family of choice. All worth pondering. But there is one more part of this story that is really important to us as Christians. I’ll share that with you on Sunday, but here is a tease. This story is about death and life. It’s also a story that Jesus tells to the community as he prepares them for his death and the continuation of his ministry without him. July 2, 2016, the world lost one of the great 20th century theologians, Elie Wiesel. Elie Wiesel was Jewish and as a young man was interred in the horrific concentration camps of Auschwitz and Buchenwald. He was one of the very few to survive. He was quite literally, raised back to life. Elie Wiesel spent the rest of his life teaching about his experience as a survivor of the Holocaust and making what was an abstract reality for many persons, solidly concrete. Near the end of his life, he offered these words that gave meaning to his life and work, and shaped his commitment to educate the world so that the atrocities against the Jewish people, nor any other group of people, would never again happen. He said: "I don't want anyone's future to be like my past." Elie Wiesel In this the next to the last Sunday of my serving as your Pastor, those words and the ministry of Lazarus so beautifully exemplify my ministry and our future. More on Sunday. Blessings! Dan

God is Still Speaking! I just finished writing my last Pastor’s report for this Sunday’s Annual Meeting. It was not easy to write. I’ll share one of my thoughts with you, in this my next to the last weekly devotional. Though I will be leaving you, my ministry is not done or ended. Nor is yours. God is simply not done with the work that you and I are called to do. With racism, nationalism, sexism, transphobia, classism, massive economic inequality, poverty, the need for prison...Continue reading

Moments that touched us deeply during our time together - join us for a special worship service this Sunday at 11 AM! This Sunday is a special Sunday in which our worship service will be devoted to sharing moments that touched you deeply during our time together. In October of last year, when I asked you what you wanted to include in our final weeks together, the request that was most often asked for was to have a Sunday when you could share moments that touched your life d...eeply. So, this Sunday we will devote our worship service to sharing those moments. We’ll follow the same format for sharing that we did at my Retirement Celebration Party, asking you to keep your sharing as concise as possible so as many people as possible may speak. Blessings! Dan

Join us for a special Worship Service this Sunday at 11 AM! This Sunday’s sermon is the sermon that began it all! It is the sermon that I preached for the congregation on August 19, 1984. After preaching and leading worship, I was then unanimously elected as your Pastor. A couple months ago I was at a party and one of our former members was there. He asked me what I would be saying in my final sermons. I told him I was going to include the sermon that began it all (not men...tioning the name or theme) and he said, Is that Eagle’s Wings? I instantly knew if he remembered that sermon 35 years later, I must include it in my final sermons. Eagle’s Wings is a message that is appropriate both for new beginnings and endings. If you weren’t here to hear it 35 years ago, this will be your last chance although, of all the sermons I’ve preached, I think Eagle’s Wings is the sermon that more pastors have borrowed than any other. As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!

The Ethics of Ending a Pastoral Relationship Join us for Worship This Sunday at 11 AM! ~For Reflection~ You may have seen the movie, The Two Popes or recently read about the friction between Retired Pope Benedict and Pope Francis. From leaks of a soon to be released book, Retired Pope Benedict is insistent that all priests must remain celibate at the same time Pope Francis is asking the Church hierarchy to consider allowing priest to be married in parts of the world...Continue reading

God is Still Speaking! "Childlike Not Childish" Between November and the end of February, we will have had five Baptisms in our church! One adult: Chris Reed, two infants: Bellamy Reed and Jacob Carter-Ruiz and two toddlers: Samuel Gardner and Armon Tooshkan. This coming Sunday we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus and the Baptism of Armon! Whenever we Baptize someone, whether they are baptized as an infant, a child or an adult, we are each reminded of our own Baptism and what...Continue reading