Thank you for visiting. You are always welcome. We are a congregation of the California-Pacific Conference of the United Methodist Church. The United Methodist Church has many doors through which people share in serving God and others. Our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of our community and the world.
Whether you visit in person or online, we hope you discover something here to encourage you in your spiritual journey.
Rev. Victor Cyrus-Franklin, Lead Pastor
Rev. Dr. Siosaia Tu’itahi, West District Superintendent
Bishop Dottie Escobedo-Frank, Resident Bishop
OUR HISTORY
The First United Methodist Church of Inglewood was organized on July 22, 1905 with eight members and twelve children in Sunday school. The first building was erected on Manchester and La Brea in 1908. Soon the congregation outgrew the small structure, so in 1914 the second building was erected and was dedicated on February 7, 1915.
The third building, known as the Annex, was built in 1925 to accommodate the growing church school and for social gathering purposes and was later moved to the new church site.
In July 1940, groundbreaking exercises ceremonies were held for the new church, which was to be built on the site purchased at the comer of Kelso and Spruce streets. On March 16, 1941, the first service was held in the beautiful sanctuary at 304 East Spruce Ave. in Inglewood. In less than three years, the mortgage was burned and the church was debt free.
Due to a growing church school, in May, 1951, the new Educational Wing was consecrated. with the second floor added to complete the Educational Wing.
In the 1960’s, telephone prayer line for prayer and community outreach was launched, as well as a hotline for community youth. In the 1970’s, under the leadership of Rev. Matthew Jefferson, the church became a local polling station, an Adult School used the facilities, fifteen families from Tonga and our first Black member, Odessa Thorne joined along with other families who moved into the Inglewood area.
In the 1980’s, under the leadership of then Rev. Beverly J. Shamana, we were awarded by the Annual Conference the distinction of being the most multicultural congregation for three years in a row! The church was used as a meeting site for the 1984 World Olympic Games, the King of Tonga visited in 1984 and we had a thriving nursery, praise dancers and children’s choir. In the 1990’s, the prayer hotline for suicide prevention was launched and counseling was made available for the community in response to the 1992 L.A. riots. In the 2000’s, the choir was revitalized, a shared food program was created, we opened our building for use by charter schools. In the 2010’s, we dedicated the Education Building in honor of Rev. William Hill.
Today, we have a vibrant and intergenerational worship experience. The Virginia Beckett Food Pantry and Take Heart Ministry with Homeless Women lead in serving the most vulnerable in our community. We have been serving Free Thanksgiving Dinners to the community for over fifteen years. We have an active unit of United Methodist Women, welcome community groups including the Tungsten Proteges Male Mentoring program and work to better our community as part of the Uplift Inglewood Coalition and L.A. Voice winning the fight for rent control in Inglewood! We are now moving forward, expecting to break ground on a 60-unit affordable housing development in 2024!
As we go forward into the future, we continue to count our blessings with the wonderful leadership of Reverend Victor Cyrus-Franklin. This year we celebrate our 118th Anniversary Year. CONGRATULATIONS! Thanks to all our members for your continued support in community outreach, and fellowship and worship in Christian experience and Christian love! Amen!
