Our History:
"We have no mission but to serve" is one of the more powerful verses of hymnody that we have as Lutherans and may well be the summary sentence to describe the turn-around that we have experienced as the new family of Faith Lutheran here in Canoga Park. Once we postured ourselves to better address the needs in our community, suddenly viable and powerful options seemed to drop into our laps from above. Our De Soto campus has now become both our primary worship center and home to the Multicultural Learning Center, which provides bilingual public education to youngsters from Kindergarten through the Eighth Grade. Our Topanga Canyon Blvd. campus has been renamed The Garden Chapel and serves as a sanctuary for the community with three worshipping communities calling it home and a dozen self-help, education and recovery programs held onsite. God has blessed us beyond our wildest expectations.
God has also formed us into one new community, in fact, a new family of God's people with many new friendships and networking opportunities, all in unique and varied efforts for the common good. Our new ministry structure of Stewards, Disciples, Evangelists and Peacemakers has enabled us to respond with professionalism and compassion to the needs that cross the doorstep of our church and that exist within our communities. While it is true that The Crafty Quilters have far too much fun when they gather together to quilt and create, their faithful efforts quietly remind us of our congregation's global outreach through Lutheran World Relief. The elected Council members continue on their eternal pilgrimage to be responsible leaders and faithful stewards in this arduous, but noble endeavor we call 'the church'. Serve on the Church Council with those meetings and headaches? Who needs it? Answer: Each of us in this desperate world needs people like our council members who care enough to say, "I will."
As a new community in Christ, we give thanks to God for all of the servants, past and present who have heard and followed Christ's call to minister in these communities. We give thanks as well for the leadership, ordained and otherwise, that has guided both the Epiphany and Resurrection congregations throughout the years. We look forward in confidence that God has much more work for us to do in the Canoga Park vineyard as we live out the Word we bring to the next generations of God's never-failing love for us.
