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Bel Air Church (also known as Bel Air Presbyterian Church) is a Presbyterian church located in Los Angeles, California.[1] Its campus is located on Mulholland Drive in the Encino neighborhood.
| Bel Air Church | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Location | 16221 Mulholland Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90049 |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Presbyterian Church (USA) |
| Website | www.belair.org |
| History | |
| Founded | 1956 |
| Clergy | |
| Senior pastor(s) | Rev. Dr. Drew Sams |
History
editThe Bel Air Church was founded in 1956 in Los Angeles. It met in the home of Rev Louis H. Evans Jr for four years and then moved to its current building on the "Educational Corridor" on Mulholland Drive, overlooking the San Fernando Valley.
In 2007, the church completed a $12 million campus expansion program, The Campaign for Bel Air: Phase I, which included the two-story Education Building, Discipleship Center, and Administration Building, including staff offices overlooking the San Fernando Valley. The campus also has a full-service café.
Former senior pastors include Louis H. Evans Jr., Mark Brewer, Michael H. Wenning, Paul Pierson, David G. McKechnie, Donn D. Moomaw, Michael Wenning, and Mark Brewer. Moomaw gave the invocation at President Ronald Reagan's first inauguration in 1981. He also gave the invocation at President Reagan's state funeral[2] and presided over a private service for the family of First Lady Nancy Reagan before her state funeral at the Reagan Library.
Drew Sams was officially ordained as the church's senior pastor and head of staff on April 13, 2014,[3] where he joined Care Crawford, Kim Dorr-Tilley, and later Mike Morgan on the church's leadership team.
Congregation
edit
Some notable members of the church include:
Activities
editBel Air Church helped found "Imagine LA", a mentorship program that matches families exiting homelessness with volunteer teams from faith communities, corporations, and other committed organizations.[5]
The church has an outreach department that partners with other community service organizations in Los Angeles.
On Jewish High Holy Days, the Church hosts services for the Stephen S. Wise Temple, a Reform Jewish congregation in the same neighborhood as Bel Air Church.[6]
In 2018, the church packed and distributed over 10,000 meals to those in need at Thanksgiving.[7] This annual work started in 1986.[8] The church also ran free Christmas concerts later that year.[9]
References
edit- ^ "History". Bel Air Church - History. Retrieved 2015-10-12.
- ^ "Michael Wenning, Reagans' Pastor, Dies at 75". The New York Times. June 30, 2011. Retrieved 2015-10-12.
- ^ "Bel Air Leadership". Bel Air Church. Retrieved 2015-10-12.
- ^ "Agenting for God". Los Angeles Times. 2006-12-24. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
- ^ "Fact Sheet" (PDF). ImagineLA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-11-30. Retrieved 2015-10-12.
- ^ "Our Clergy Responds to Divestment Vote by Presbyterian Church (U.S.A)". Stephen Wise Temple. Archived from the original on 2016-12-30. Retrieved 2015-10-12.
- ^ "Bel Air Church to Provide 10,000 People with Thanksgiving Meal".
- ^ PR Newswire 2016
- ^ Newswire Dec 2016