A Lutheran Congregation on the Palos Verdes Peninsula
St. Paul's Lutheran Church sits on Palos Verdes Drive West in Rancho Palos Verdes, a hillside community just south of Los Angeles. The congregation belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and its mission - "maturing in Christ while actively serving others, together" - sums up what members are asked to hold in balance. For more than sixty years the church has gathered people from the peninsula, the harbor area, and points beyond, welcoming visitors who arrive in person and those who join from home.
The congregation describes itself as "traditionally-minded but progressively-oriented," a phrase the staff uses to set expectations for newcomers. The worship leans on Lutheran heritage - singing, prayer, scripture, sermon, and communion each week - while the church's calendar is dotted with conversations about the Enneagram, anti-racism, and other contemporary topics that members have asked to explore.
Worship at 9:30, In Person and on Zoom
Worship is held every Sunday at 9:30 a.m. The service runs 45 to 60 minutes and moves through an opening song, prayer, Bible readings, a sermon, weekly communion, and a closing blessing. Lyrics are projected on a screen so visitors can join the singing without holding a hymnal. Communion is offered at every service, in keeping with the ELCA's sacramental practice, and members of every age and background are welcome at the table.
The service is also broadcast over Zoom, with audio-only dial-in numbers for those who prefer a phone connection. The Zoom link and meeting credentials are posted on the church's Zoom page so that anyone can worship from home, on the road, or while traveling. Members who cannot be in the sanctuary on a given Sunday still receive the same sermon, the same hymns, and the same communion blessing as those in the pews.
Plan a Visit: Come As You Are
First-time guests are told to come as they are. Dress is informal, the building has on-site parking, and greeters make a point of welcoming newcomers. After the service, members linger in the sanctuary and the entry area to talk, and visitors can pick up information about the church's ministries and small groups.
The church office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and the phone (310-377-6806) is answered during those hours. A Plan A Visit page lays out what to expect before, during, and after the service, and the staff encourages anyone with questions to call ahead so the welcome can begin before they walk through the door.
Knowing Yourself: Bible Study, the Enneagram, and Anti-Racism Conversations
Inside St. Paul's, the small-group rhythm runs throughout the week. Bible study is a standing ministry, and members gather to read scripture and pray together in formats that fit their schedules. The congregation also runs an ongoing conversation series built around the Enneagram, a personality-typing framework the church describes as "rooted in the healing and redemptive power of the gospel." The series, titled "Know Yourself: Strengthening Your Relationships," walks participants through what motivates them and how those motivations shape their families, friendships, and work. The course presents the Enneagram as a tool for spiritual reflection rather than a label, and the church runs it as a series of Tuesday-evening sessions that build on each other.
Anti-racism conversations are part of the same educational rhythm. Members have met on Sunday mornings to discuss episodes of the podcast "Seeing White," including the episode "Skulls and Skin," and to talk about how the church can respond to racial injustice in its own life and in the wider community. The format is discussion rather than lecture - members listen to a podcast or read a piece beforehand, then gather on Zoom to share what they noticed and what they want to do about it.
Men of St. Paul's is the men's ministry. It meets on Saturday mornings at the church for conversation, study, and fellowship, and the gathering is open to anyone who wants to drop in.
Serving the Harbor, the South Bay, and an Orphanage in Nepal
If worship is one half of St. Paul's identity, service is the other. The church hosts a monthly food collection for Harbor Interfaith on the third Friday of every month, from 10:00 a.m. to noon, accepting non-perishable food, hygiene items, and other essentials that are sorted and distributed through the Harbor Interfaith network on the peninsula and in the harbor area. The drive happens rain or shine, and the parking lot fills with cars dropping off bags of pasta, canned goods, and toiletries.
Twice a year St. Paul's serves as a host site for Family Promise of the South Bay, providing transitional housing for families working their way back from homelessness. Members supply meals, host families overnight, and run clothing and supply drives to support the families during their stay.
Internationally, the congregation has adopted the Grace Rescue Home in Nepal, an orphanage the church has partnered with over the long term. On the first Sunday of every month, members give a special offering to support the home's work. The partnership is part of the church's broader involvement in the ELCA's global companion-synod relationships.
God's Work, Our Hands
Twice a year the church runs a God's Work, Our Hands day of service, picking a partner congregation or cause and gathering volunteers. On one recent Saturday a carpool left from St. Paul's parking lot at 8:30 a.m. and drove to St. John Lutheran in Gardena, where members of both congregations packed food boxes and assembled hygiene kits for distribution in surrounding neighborhoods. The Living the Resurrection Team - Pastor Dave, Jim Zapp, Peter Bringmann, Peg Woiwod, and Doris Leimer - organized the collection and the trip, with donated goods piled in front of the sanctuary altar in the weeks beforehand. The day closed with lunch shared between the two congregations, an extension of a partnership that has carried St. John Lutheran's food ministry through the COVID years.
Music and Concerts by the Coast
Music is part of the Sunday rhythm under Vladimir Khomyakov, the Director of Music. The music ministry supports congregational singing at worship and has grown into a wider program that opens the building to the wider community. The church hosts Concerts by the Coast, a ticketed concert series held in the sanctuary and ticketed through Zeffy. The series has featured instrumental performances such as a piano program by Vladimir Khomyakov himself, and brings classical and chamber musicians from the South Bay and greater Los Angeles into the building. Members of the congregation serve as hosts and ushers, and the concerts have become a way for the church to share its sanctuary and its music tradition with neighbors who may never attend a Sunday service.
An Advent Brunch of Swedish Meatballs
One of the congregation's most distinctive traditions is the Annual Swedish Meatball Advent Brunch, a Sunday-morning gathering held during Advent. The brunch nods to the church's Lutheran heritage and the Scandinavian roots of many of its founding members. Members bring side dishes and Swedish specialties, share a meal together after worship, and use the time to mark the start of the Advent season as a community. The event runs about two hours and has become one of the most anticipated gatherings of the church year.
A Building Shared with Parnassus School and the Neighborhood
The church's facilities serve more than Sunday worship. Parnassus School, a preschool that rents classroom space on campus, uses the building on weekdays. The congregation also hosts an exercise class and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings during the week, and other community groups have used the rooms for meetings, classes, and events. Members describe the building as a community resource, and rooms are flexible enough to accommodate several gatherings at once. The variety of weekday uses - school, exercise, recovery meetings, small groups - is part of how the church lives out its mission to serve the wider community.
Leadership at St. Paul's
The congregation is led by Pastor Dave Palma-Ruwe, who preaches and teaches at St. Paul's. Vladimir Khomyakov directs the music program and the Concerts by the Coast series. The church is governed by a Church Council whose work covers Buildings and Grounds, Christian Education, Congregational Life, Evangelism, Finance, Social Ministries, Stewardship, and Worship. The council is led by a president, secretary, and vice president, with chairs for each area of ministry keeping the church's many programs running.
Giving and the Weekly Word
Members and visitors who want to support the church's ministry can give online through PayPal or by mailing a check to the office on Palos Verdes Drive West. The Weekly Word newsletter goes out by email each week with a digest of coming events, prayer concerns, and study prompts. The calendar is maintained in Google Calendar and is embedded on the events page so that anyone can see what is happening on any given week, and the church keeps its social channels active through Facebook and Instagram for members who want to stay in touch between Sundays.