Gateway Christian Church
Gateway Christian Church

The Season of Lent

 

Our theme for the Lenten season is "Finding Jesus along the pathway to an Empty Tomb."  Our Sunday worship experiences will focus on the sayings of Jesus as we find them in the Gospel of John, sayings that tell us how Jesus saw himself, such as his being the Bread of Life, the Good Shepherd and the Light of the World. 

 

Our Maundy Thursday service of Tenebrae, on March 28, will be at 7:00 p.m. (Pacific Time) and will feature music, scripture, a message, and the service of darkness.

 

Then we will celebrate the Resurrection on March 31, with worship beginning at 10:45 a.m.  Pacific Time.

 

 

 

Welcome 

Gateway Christian Church is a part of the movement called the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).  On a national level we proclaim that we are "A Movement for Wholeness in a Fragmented World."  In West Los Angeles, where our church family gathers for celebration, study and growing with one another, we strive to live out being a faithful part of that movement for wholeness.

Our tradition is founded upon the belief that we are all God's children.  We live in that tradition as we openly welcome everyone.  We celebrate communion weekly, and all are welcome to Jesus' table.  Indeed, it is Christ who extends the invitation to the table, who meets us in that time, who offers his gifts of bread and cup to everyone.  Join us in celebrating shared life in God, and join us at the table that is set for us.

 

Worship In-Person and via Zoom

 

We are gathering in-person for our Worship Celebrations, beginning at 10:45 a.m. on Sundays.  We do also continue to offer the Worship Celebrations via Zoom at 10:45 a.m. (PST).  You are welcome to join us in-person or on Zoom.  If you would like the Zoom link for the service please email David at gatewaydisciples@gmail.com.

 

Online Giving

We make available the option of online giving to Gateway Christian Church.  You can give by clicking this box:

 

 

 

Our Pastor has Published a Book

 

This is what he has to say about it:

 

"I have been a part of small churches for most of my life.  There is a richness of experience, and always ongoing challenges, in being a small church family.  Unfortunately, many small churches eventually close, most of them certainly due to circumstances unique to each situation, but also often due to the common dilemma of wanting to grow yet being challenged in making changes to help that to happen.

 

"As we have experimented with different approaches to worship at Gateway Christian Church, we have used the Fifth Sundays in a year to experience worship in different ways.  While our worship attendance still fluctuates with the expected ebbs and flows as with most congregations, these unique worship experiences have helped to foster vitality in both our worship gatherings throughout the year and in other areas of church life.  We have found that most people do not want to miss these unique Sundays.

 

"I have published a small book entitled, Transforming the Small Church: Fifth Sundays and Beyond.  It suggests a process for transforming worship, since that is the largest common experience in small churches.  It also offers ten Fifth Sunday Worship Gathering suggestions as a way of prompting the reader’s own creativity.  My hope is that some of the resources will be useful just as they are, and that others will be a starting point for other churches to create their own unique experiences.  It is available through Amazon.com."

 

Art within the Church

 

One of the highlights of our 2018 Advent season was the creation of a work of art during one of our worship celebrations.  Alexi Pyles, a member of our church, painted while the activities of worship went on around her.  People were invited to get up and go and watch her progress during the singing of the carols.  The finished creation is presented here.