An Open Door on Main Street

El Segundo United Methodist Church sits on the west side of Main Street in the small coastal city of El Segundo, California, midway between the LAX airport and the Pacific coast. From the sidewalk, the building has the look of an early California church, complete with a bell tower and a quiet patio, but the welcome inside has been carefully shaped to be unusually wide. The congregation teaches what it calls an inclusive, loving and affirming theology in alignment with the teachings of Christ, and it actively welcomes and affirms people of all backgrounds, including all races, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations and abilities.

Every Sunday morning the service begins with a spoken welcome that visitors hear over and over again in online comments and conversation: whoever you are, wherever you are from, whatever you have been through or are going through, however you identify, whether you believe in God or not, you are loved and you belong here. That statement is not a throwaway line. It reflects the church's stated vision of being a community of faith that embodies the love of God by embracing the vibrant diversity of society, by creating a safe space in which every person is supported on their faith journey, and by responding with compassion to those in need.

The progressive teachings of the church are described by its pastor as the direct result of an honest exploration of scripture. Rather than a departure from the United Methodist tradition, the leadership frames inclusion as a return to the tradition's core, with unconditional love and radical inclusion read as a central, guiding thread. In a denomination that has wrestled publicly with questions of unity and division, the church has chosen a clear and consistent answer: every person is welcome at the table.

From 1914 to a Mission Church with a Mission

El Segundo United Methodist Church grew up with the city itself. Shortly after the Standard Oil Refinery was built and a small population had moved to El Segundo, a Baptist group erected a small chapel at 403 Concord Street in 1911. That wooden building later became a private residence and still stands. When a poll of denominational preference was taken in 1914, Methodists outnumbered every other group in the little congregation, and an organizational meeting was held at the home of Mr. and Mrs. H. H. Barber under the direction of Methodist District Superintendent Peck. On May 3, 1914, the organization of a Methodist Church was completed. The Methodist Conference agreed to supply a minister, and Lawrence Lucas was sent to serve. The small chapel inside the present sanctuary still bears his name: Lucas Chapel.

Because this was the only Protestant church in the community, and perhaps the only church of any kind, it accepted members of all faiths and became El Segundo Community Methodist Church. For a short time before Rev. Lucas arrived, a young Occidental College student named William Percival had walked over the hill on the boardwalk from the Pacific Electric Car Line each Sunday to lead worship. Once the new congregation was formed, the members at first considered buying the Baptist chapel, but within six weeks they decided to build for themselves. They purchased a lot on the northeast corner of Mariposa Avenue and Main Street from the El Segundo Land Company, on what is now high school property.

A Sanctuary Built by Its Own Hands

The second church building was a community project. The Missionary and Church Extension Society of the Methodist Church agreed to donate five hundred dollars toward the new building if the congregation could raise five thousand dollars, including materials and donated labor. The building would be dedicated only when free of debt. Henry Foster, a member of the church and an employee of the Engineering Department at the Standard Oil refinery, drew the plans. Actual construction began on Memorial Day, May 30, 1914, when Standard Oil employees brought their own tools and worked a long, hard day. At the close of the day the women of the church served a bountiful dinner to the workmen and their families, and the children of the community enjoyed the holiday as much as anyone. The men kept returning after work hours to donate more labor, and on June 7, 1914, the first services were held in the new building. Superintendent H. W. Peck conducted the dedication services on August 30, 1914.

The first officers were H. Barber as President of the Board of Trustees, Thomas L. Tuck as Secretary and Fred Fitzgerald as Treasurer. A stained glass window in the present sanctuary is a memorial to Mr. Fitzgerald. As El Segundo grew, the Community Methodist Church grew with it, and the building became too small. Luckily, the high school needed the lot on which the church stood, so the church traded its lot for the one across the street and made plans for a third building. The old church was moved to 425 Richmond Street, where it later served as a Girl Scout house before being removed to make way for an apartment building.

The present sanctuary was designed with many Christian symbols, especially in its stained glass. The nave's three large memorial windows on the north side, the so-called Good Shepherd Windows, honor Mrs. Frances Moore, Mrs. Stella Dunbar and Mr. Fred Fitzgerald, and were originally located in the divider between the narthex and the nave. The son of Superintendent Alfred J. Inwood designed the windows, and he went on to a noted career as a designer of church windows. The large window above the narthex of Christ in Gethsemane was donated by the workmen themselves. The narrow stained glass windows on either side of the altar cast a rainbow of color over the altar area, and the hanging ceiling lights in the nave carry symbolic meaning as well. In 2000, additional windows between the narthex and the nave were added as memorials to Esta and Delbert McQueen, Mary VanVranken, Mary and Raymond Morrice, and Betty Garrard. A new memorial window for Phil McKellar was placed in the narthex in 2001, and a four-tier water fountain was added to the upper patio that same year in memory of Cameron MacDonald.

The new church was dedicated on January 29, 1928, with a building debt of $44,000 that was paid in full by December of 1944. As the Sunday school grew, two sessions were needed by 1952, and members pledged monthly amounts over three years to build an addition that is now Johnson Hall, named for a former minister. Completed in 1955, it serves as a fellowship hall, classroom, banquet room, choir practice room and general meeting place. The sanctuary itself was remodeled between 1958 and 1961, adding more seating, a center aisle, two choir seating areas, a pulpit on the north side and a lectern on the south. The entire altar area was remodeled, the lovely stained glass cross above the altar was added, the three memorial windows were moved to the Mariposa Avenue side, and a fine new pipe organ was installed along with administration offices, the Pastor's Study and a library on the lower level. At that time the church had a membership of about 700. A further building phase in 1977 added the brides room, restrooms, a street-level cloister, replacement windows and a re-coated exterior.

The church's own motto, both a statement of purpose and a play on the architectural style of the sanctuary, is A Mission Church with a Mission. True to that motto, the congregation has long supported a minister in Guaymas, its sister city in Mexico. At the end of the Vietnam War it established a home for two young refugee men and gave them full support until they were able to stand on their own. Individual members continue to support several orphans in foreign lands.

Sunday Mornings at 10:30

Sunday worship in the main sanctuary begins at 10:30 a.m. and typically runs between forty-five minutes and one hour. There is no dress code: come comfortably, dress up, whatever feels right. Seating is open. The first Sunday of every month is Communion Sunday, and everyone is invited to participate. Each Sunday, the altar is made beautiful with flowers given by church members, often in memory of a loved one or in celebration of a marriage, anniversary or birthday, and the birth of a new baby in the church family is celebrated by placing a rosebud on the altar.

The service begins in the sanctuary with the whole congregation together. After a short time, children are invited up for Children's Time with no pressure to come forward. From there, the Sunday School teacher walks the children upstairs to a one-room Sunday School for the rest of the service, covering Pre-K through Elementary. On Communion Sundays the children return to the sanctuary to join their families at the table. Parents are welcome to join their children upstairs if they wish. Sunday School ends about fifteen minutes into Coffee Hour, giving parents a window to enjoy the social time, or they may come up earlier to pick up their children.

Immediately after worship the community gathers for Coffee Hour, a relaxed time to meet the pastor and one another. The music during worship is led by the chancel choir and the Bells of Joy handbell choir, which ring for services throughout the year and for special holidays and events. The order of worship, with the scripture readings, prayers and sermon title, is posted each week so visitors can follow along and prepare.

Children Are Always Welcome

Children's ministry at El Segundo United Methodist Church is built around the words of Matthew 18, that whoever welcomes one such child in Jesus' name welcomes Jesus. All children, including nursing infants, are always welcome in the worship service and may also receive Holy Communion. A nursing room is available adjacent to Lucas Chapel for any parent who would like a private space; an usher can direct you there.

Sunday School is led by Janine Maples, known to the children as Ms. Jazz or Ms. Janine. She is an Army wife, a mother, a part-time employee and a full-time student currently pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering, with sixteen years of experience in aerospace, a husband named Chris and three children. Her favorite scripture is Romans 10:9. All Children's Ministry staff and volunteers are fully vaccinated and vetted through background checks and training with MinistrySafe. The nursery program is currently closed, but the invitation is plain: bring them in, all of them.

Bells of Joy and the Chancel Choir

Music has been a constant at El Segundo United Methodist Church for generations, and two choirs anchor the program. The Chancel Choir rehearses every Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the sanctuary, except in August, and sings during the 10:30 a.m. service. Anyone from high school age through adult is invited to sing, even those who do not read music. The director, Patty Breitag, holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees and has served as Director of Music, Choir Director and Organist since 1995. She is a freelance professional musician who has served as musical director, vocal music director, rehearsal accompanist and pit musician for many musical theatre productions, and is a member of the Southern California Vocal Association and the American Choral Directors Association. She is the Artistic Director of The Patty Breitag Singers and has served as the Interim Artistic Director of Los Cancioneros. In 2016 she received the Excellence in Arts Award from the Cultural Arts Commission of Torrance, and in 2017 the Torrance Performing Arts Consortium Daily Breeze Making A Difference Award for her work as accompanist of Los Cancioneros. She recently retired as the Choir Teacher and AP Music Theory Instructor at Diamond Bar High School and serves as a staff accompanist in the Musical Theatre Department at El Camino College.

The Bells of Joy handbell choir rings monthly during worship and at special holidays and events, including some in the city of El Segundo itself. The ensemble is directed by Kathy Rutledge and welcomes new ringers from high school age through adult. Rehearsals are held every Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. except in July, and the church's promise to newcomers is a simple one: come once and you will be ringing that evening.

Tables of Faith and Grace

Adult connection at El Segundo United Methodist Church tends to happen around tables. Two small groups meet monthly on Wednesdays. Table of Faith gathers on the second Wednesday of each month for a shared meal and a theological discussion that does not shy away from hard topics such as eternity, the Trinity and other questions at the heart of the Christian tradition. Table of Grace gathers on the last Wednesday of each month for a meal and Bible study. Both groups are described with the same playful encouragement: PLEASE JOIN US.

Beyond small groups, the church regularly plans social events to help members and friends get to know one another outside the sanctuary: movie nights, game nights, dinners, concerts, art walks, ball games and potlucks run throughout the year. The calendar is loose enough that newcomers do not feel they have to commit to a long program in order to belong.

Loving the Neighbor Near and Far

The Missions Ministry at El Segundo United Methodist Church is shaped by the same conviction that runs through the rest of the congregation: that the church is called to respond with compassion to those in need. The church describes itself as a mission-based church and partners with several local and international organizations to live out that call.

On the South Bay side, the church works with Shared Bread at Redondo First UMC, which provides meals to people experiencing hunger; with Family Promise of the South Bay, which serves families facing homelessness; and with the Toberman Center in Harbor City, which supports families and youth in the surrounding neighborhoods. Closer to home, the church works with CASE in El Segundo. Internationally, the church has long partnered with Rise Against Hunger, which organizes meal packaging events that any volunteer can join. The congregation continues to support a minister in Guaymas, its sister city in Mexico, and individual members support several orphans in foreign lands.

Within the congregation, the women's organization now known as United Women of Faith, previously the United Methodist Women, has served the church for generations. The group meets monthly, with circles meeting on their own schedules to support one another socially and spiritually and to plan mission projects. Two annual highlights are the Birthday Luncheon in May and the Annual Church Dinner in February, with an annual bazaar, rummage sales and other fundraisers rounding out the year. A long tradition of Vacation Bible School is carried on by the Church School.

The Team

Pastor Kaleb Oh, whose full name is Sejin Oh, serves as Lead Pastor. He is a Provisional Elder in the United Methodist Church and holds a Master of Divinity from Claremont School of Theology, along with a Bachelor's Degree in Hospitality Management from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He is married to Abby, a Content Manager at a fashion tech company, and they have a son in elementary school. Pastor Kaleb is passionate about creating a welcoming and inclusive community where all people feel loved, healed and empowered, and he speaks often about a church that confronts oppression and lives out the liberating message of Christ. In his free time he enjoys his family, golf and exploring new hobbies.

Patty Breitag leads the music program as Director of Music, Choir Director and Organist. Kathy Rutledge directs the Bells of Joy handbell choir. Janine Maples, called Jazz, teaches Sunday School. Christine Gottron serves as Administrative Assistant, bringing forty years of experience from the airline and aviation business and a deep knowledge of El Segundo, where she has lived since 2000.

Visiting El Segundo United Methodist Church

The church stands at 540 Main Street in El Segundo, California, with Sunday worship beginning at 10:30 a.m. and Children's Time and Sunday School at 10:45. Parking is available in the lot on the south side of the building, accessible through the alley between Main Street and Standard Street. There is also plenty of street parking and free city parking lots nearby. There is no dress code. The service is live-streamed on the church's YouTube channel, with the order of worship posted each week and a sermon-only playlist available for those who want to catch up later. Sermon audio is also posted as a podcast during the week after each service.

Visitors who want to be introduced ahead of time can fill out the church's visitor form, and the office is reachable at office@elsegundoumc.org or (310) 322-0051. Office hours are Tuesday and Thursday from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m. and Friday from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. The church also shares a weekly newsletter with the online order of service, prayer list and a message from the pastor. Every Sunday morning, on the patio or in the pews, in coffee hour or in Sunday School, the invitation is the same one that has been spoken from the same Main Street pulpit since 1914: come as you are, you belong here.