Upcoming Guest Speakers & Preachers
Join us In-Person or on YouTube for messages from a group of phenomenal messengers on Sundays at 9:00 am throughout the month of June! Worship details at inglewoodfirst.org/worship!
Sundays, June 4 & 11 | Rev. Dr. Jennifer Oliver
Rev. Dr. Jennifer Lynn Oliver is a down-to-earth individual, who is committed to excellence in everything that she does. She attended Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, VA where she earned a BS in Chemistry. She received a Master’s of Education with emphasis in Secondary Education-Chemistry and successfully completed the Urban Teacher’s Education Program. After only 5 years of teaching, Jennifer went on to pursue a Doctor of Philosophy in Food Science from Alabama A&M University, which she received in December 2011.
Jennifer earned a M.Div. from Fuller Theological Seminary, with an emphasis in Worship, Theology, and the Arts and International Development and Urban Studies in 2019. She is an advocate for community health and wellness and her purpose in life is to help individuals restore connection to God, themselves, the earth, and each other in community so that all might be transformed into embodied vessels of love, to be agents of transformation in the world. Rev. Dr. Oliver is an ordained itinerant elder in the AME church, serving as an associate minister at First AME Church, Pasadena.
Sunday, June 18 | Father’s Day | Joseph Luckett
Joseph Luckett is a Los Angeles native, and the Founder/CEO of Affluent Solution Group, a creative marketing agency. Born into a family of educators, Joseph has always placed a high priority on the pursuit of higher education, earning his B.S. in Sports Marketing from Prairie View A&M University.
In 2012, he launched Affluent Solution Group, and immediately discovered a client base within his current network. Joseph began providing services to LAUSD, professional athletes, and some of the top restaurants around Los Angeles. In addition to being a young CEO on the rise, Joseph Luckett is deeply rooted in his community. Joe and his lovely wife are the parents to two growing boys.
Sunday, June 25 | Pastor Lesa Smith, Preaching
Join us for Pastor Lesa’s last Sunday with us as she returns to retirement!
Pastor Lesa R. Smith is no stranger to Inglewood Firs UMC, having previously served as Lead Pastor of Inglewood First from 2010-2012. She now serves as Associate Pastor of both Inglewood First UMC and Grace UMC-Los Angeles. Her mother, father and three siblings moved three blocks from Grace Church in the summer of 1964. Her brother, Mark, was born a year later. The family joined Grace Church in 1965 after Florence Heights Methodist Church closed. Rev. Ennis Whaley, the first African-American pastor appointed to Grace Church, was the first to share with the young adult Lesa that he saw evidence of pastoral ministry gifts and graces in her. A few years later, she entered the ordination process and enrolled at the Claremont School of Theology where she completed the Licensed Local Pastor Course of Study and Advanced Course of Study programs. Her pastoral appointments include: Martin Luther King, Jr. UMC, Holman UMC (Associate Pastor), Inglewood First UMC and Dominguez UMC.
In addition to her ministry in local churches, for the past five years, she has also served as the Executive Director of the Living into the Future Foundation.
Associate Pastor Lesa has two adult daughters, Zaneta and Ebony, who reside in Inglewood, CA.
One of Associate Pastor Lesa’s favorite scriptures is: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6